External Filter?
- Thread starter 21rm
- Start date
The February FOTM Contest Poll is open!
🏆 Click to vote! 🏆
an external filter for a start gives you more space inside your tank for the fish to enjoy and makes the tank look more open. depending on what external you get the filtration will be bigger in LPH so again more beneficial to the fish and cleaner water. many use spraybars that spread the water flow back into the tank more evenly instead of a single jet type input which can be overpowering for some fish. also an external is easier to maintain and you dont have to put your hands in the tank to do anything to it, they also carry a much much bigger amount of media so have more surface area for bacteria to colonise.
as for bad things about them im struggling to find any.......
maybe the fact that they can be quite large is one!!!! but if you have a cabinet for your tank a suitable size external for your tank should fit inside nicely. they can be quite expensive compared to internal filters but worth it. if your tank hood doesnt have any inlet/outlet gaps then it will need modifying to be able to run the pipes to the water.
as for bad things about them im struggling to find any.......
maybe the fact that they can be quite large is one!!!! but if you have a cabinet for your tank a suitable size external for your tank should fit inside nicely. they can be quite expensive compared to internal filters but worth it. if your tank hood doesnt have any inlet/outlet gaps then it will need modifying to be able to run the pipes to the water.
Hey thanks for the reply.
Ya i was thinkin alright about how it would open up a bit more space in the tank. My filter is in one corner, and i try to keep it hidden, so the external would eliminate that prob.
It was 150 euro, but it would prob be worth it. The extra media would be great too.
My tank is on a stand that came with it, however the bottom is shelved and hidden behind doors. I currently keep books there, but Im sure I could find some thing to go across the space to cover it,
Are they noisy?
Ya i was thinkin alright about how it would open up a bit more space in the tank. My filter is in one corner, and i try to keep it hidden, so the external would eliminate that prob.
It was 150 euro, but it would prob be worth it. The extra media would be great too.
My tank is on a stand that came with it, however the bottom is shelved and hidden behind doors. I currently keep books there, but Im sure I could find some thing to go across the space to cover it,
Are they noisy?
they should only be noisey when the impellor needs replacing due to damage etc otherwise very quiet. if possible go for an eheim, rena or tetratec as these seem to be the most reliable, although other people may have different opinions..... as with anything!
the filter is the most important piece of kit you will buy apart from the tank itself and the fish of course so i would go for the best you can afford
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Lots of great information from mattlee as usual! Agree with his advice.
If you are in the hobby and get interested, filters just seem to have ever expanding numbers of details that can be studied, so we all end up just continuing to learn over the years.
Media volume (the amount of ceramics and sponge and other filtration substances a filter can hold) is a very big deal in keeping tanks. Mother nature provides nearly endless media volume even in what might at first might seem the cramped confines of a creek.
Media volume gets steadily larger in general from internals to HOBs (Hang On Backs) to External Cannisters to Sumps. There can be overlap at each juncture, for instance the largest internals might match media volume with the smallest HOBs, the largest HOBs will match some of the smaller ECs etc.
Internals have one Pro over the other 3 types in that its almost impossible to think of them ever leaking water out of your tank, whereas each of the other 3 could. But internals take up room and look unsightly in the aquascape. Another less thought of comparison is that as ECs and Sumps get larger, they not only take up no internal space, they also add some to the overall volume of water for the fish, since they might hold a gallon or so outside the tank.
Another odd comparison is that internals and external cannisters are the quietest, by type, whereas HOBs and Sumps by there nature generate more water noise. The more expensive but not huge models of external cannisters are among the quietest pieces of equipment you can own.
There are good followings among the members for all 4 major EC makers, Rena, Eheim, Tetratec/Marineland and Fluval. Rena and Tetratec may make slightly more noise than an Eheim and there have been a few reported breakages with Tetratecs but they win out on price whereas Rena may be a little tougher than the TT at slightly more cost. The big con with Eheim is that being the Mercedes of filters, the cost is high. Fluvals, like all these filters will respond well to good care. The members do seem to report more leaks and breakage problems with fluvals but all of this is difficult given that we are not really measuring anything and keeping records.
Within the individual makes there are a few model details to watch out for. I've seen Rena XP1,2 and 3 recommended but remarks that the XP4 leaks. For Eheims, most steer clear of the Ecco line, the Thermo (integrated heater) models and the wet/dry models. The classics and Pro models are great. All Tetratecs are recommended equally I believe.
~~waterdrop~~
(battery going low..)
If you are in the hobby and get interested, filters just seem to have ever expanding numbers of details that can be studied, so we all end up just continuing to learn over the years.
Media volume (the amount of ceramics and sponge and other filtration substances a filter can hold) is a very big deal in keeping tanks. Mother nature provides nearly endless media volume even in what might at first might seem the cramped confines of a creek.
Media volume gets steadily larger in general from internals to HOBs (Hang On Backs) to External Cannisters to Sumps. There can be overlap at each juncture, for instance the largest internals might match media volume with the smallest HOBs, the largest HOBs will match some of the smaller ECs etc.
Internals have one Pro over the other 3 types in that its almost impossible to think of them ever leaking water out of your tank, whereas each of the other 3 could. But internals take up room and look unsightly in the aquascape. Another less thought of comparison is that as ECs and Sumps get larger, they not only take up no internal space, they also add some to the overall volume of water for the fish, since they might hold a gallon or so outside the tank.
Another odd comparison is that internals and external cannisters are the quietest, by type, whereas HOBs and Sumps by there nature generate more water noise. The more expensive but not huge models of external cannisters are among the quietest pieces of equipment you can own.
There are good followings among the members for all 4 major EC makers, Rena, Eheim, Tetratec/Marineland and Fluval. Rena and Tetratec may make slightly more noise than an Eheim and there have been a few reported breakages with Tetratecs but they win out on price whereas Rena may be a little tougher than the TT at slightly more cost. The big con with Eheim is that being the Mercedes of filters, the cost is high. Fluvals, like all these filters will respond well to good care. The members do seem to report more leaks and breakage problems with fluvals but all of this is difficult given that we are not really measuring anything and keeping records.
Within the individual makes there are a few model details to watch out for. I've seen Rena XP1,2 and 3 recommended but remarks that the XP4 leaks. For Eheims, most steer clear of the Ecco line, the Thermo (integrated heater) models and the wet/dry models. The classics and Pro models are great. All Tetratecs are recommended equally I believe.
~~waterdrop~~
(battery going low..)
hey thanks guys for the replies. I'm almost certain its a fluval one i seen in the shop, as i currently have a fluval internal filter, and i still have the box which i think reminds me of the one in the shop lol
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
439 -
358 -
310 -
287 -
242 -
176 -
158 -
153 -
152 -
151 -
139 -
100 -
89 -
89 -
F
84