External Filters

[laura_smithuk]

hey all,

have a 125 litre tank and looking for an external filter about £70 - £80.

had a look on the net but so many to choose from im confused!

any ideas?

 

[MewMew42]

Id suggest either the fluval 205 or 305, i haven't had one personally but at work i hear nothing but good about them!

http/www.swallowaquatics.co.uk/115/produ...ium_Filter.aspx

 

[three-fingers]

I would personally also go with a Fluval 205 - but your right, there are many to to choose from.

Read this thread and the links within for a decent overview of external filter choices: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...p;#entry2536142.

Some people hate Fluvals (some people love them too), some people won't go with anything but Eheim, some people love Tetratecs, some people hate Tetratecs...it's the same for every brand. You basically get what you pay for.

More important than the brand of filter is looking after it. This just means lubricating the o-ring (and other rubber parts) every now and then as well as checking/cleaning the impeller every few months. Very easy to do, takes no time, but very important.

 

[keeton]

tetratec ex600 or 700

 

[laura_smithuk]

as long as its not noisy i dont mind..................fish tank is in my bedroom

 

[three-fingers]

When working properly, none of them are noisy. I think there was the exception of some of the bigger filter, the Tetratec ex2400 I think I remember people saying it was very loud, but the other Tetratecs are silent and excellent filters. Obviously, the bigger the filter the louder it will be too, but not by much (just looked at the Swallow aquatics link MewMew provided - the 305 would be a no-brainier over the 205 at that excellent price).

I cant hear any of my Fluvals at all (the 305 is in a cabinet but the 105 isnt), they are quieter than internals IMO, and all my tanks are in my bedroom.

 

[indigoj]

I'd go for the tetratec 1200 - it is rated for a bigger tank but I ran one on a 100l tank with no issues - handy too if you ever upgrade to a bigger tank.

 

[jonnyf84]

eheim are the quietest and best built but fluvals and tetratecs are also superb.

 

[craig855s]

Ive got a TT EX1200 and i rate it,i paid 85 quid inc delivery for it on ebay brand new. Dont go paying 80 quid on the lesser filters when u can get the 1200 for that. Ifu go for a smaller filter make sure u pay a lot less than 85. If u have room for a bigger tank buy a 1200 now as u know u'll buy a bigger tank one day, if u can only fit the 100 litre tank an EX700 is fine

 

[sjolliff]

Tetratec EX1200 i had one on my 125L with a spray bar and it was spot on

i did have a fluval 205 but started to leak and i could not stop it, felt cheap too.

but the fluval internal are spot on

 

[three-fingers]

Looking at Warehouse Aquatics website (a very cheap site that I'vehad great results with, and the owner is a member on here), I would go for either a Fluval 305 at £69.89, a Tetratec ex1200 at £79.49 or a Rena XP3 at £83.98.

All great filters that would be excellent for your tank (all 3 of them are rated for a bigger tank than yours), you have never used any of them before so you cant tell which ones you prefer the feel of, but go for whichever one suits your budget best.

I like Fluval due to the layout of them, and I feel they are more robust than Tetratecs IMO (just the feel of them to me, I still regard Tetratecs as excellent).

Rena's are excellent too, but have always been slightly more expensive than the Fluvals when I've been shopping for externals.

There's also Eheim, which I haven't included because they are more expensive when you compare the specs (unlike all the other brands which are pretty constant), but if you value quality and reputation over performance go for a smaller Eheim, or if money is no issue, go for a bigger Eheim.

 

[hogan53]

Hi
I have both eheim and tetratec. ie ecco and the ex600 both are very quite and reliable you get a spray bar with the tetratec.
But none with the ecco.
I would go with the tetratec now if i had to chose because you can prime it easier.
Do use some vaseline on your new O ring as it helps to stop slight leaks, imperfections do happen with these rings.as i found out;
I took some rough edges off the ring with some wet and dry diy paper problem solved now a watertight external.
No problems since using the Tetratec ex600.
hoggie

 

[waterdrop]

I agree with 3fingers, gentle care and mainenance is more important often than the particular brand.

The four major brands that are all competing and have trade-offs are Eheim, Rena, Tetratec and Fluval. Any of these will give good service if cared for. Tetratec are getting quite a good reputation here on TFF for holding the cost to the minimum and only having a few problems with cracking plastic. Fluval get knocked for developing leaks more often but that may easily come down to people again needing to maintain properly. Rena get knocked a bit for difficult main seals but have very good long-term reliability according to many. Eheim, other than the ecco line, have the "high-end" reputation but are considered to perhaps charge a bit too much of a price premium for that, still, I find the Eheim Pro series to be dead quiet, solid and simple and that would be the right series for your size, along with Fluval 205, Rena 1 or 2, Tetratec 600 or 700 etc.

I say, just go ahead and re-vasoline all your silicone parts each month or so when you squeeze/swish-out your media and trays. And always very carefully and gently clean your impeller assembly too!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kiriyama]

hey all,

have a 125 litre tank and looking for an external filter about £70 - £80.

had a look on the net but so many to choose from im confused!

any ideas?

Hi Laura , I just got a tetratec ex700, very very easy to set up , put it this way i didn't break anything and thats saying something..... very very quiet,,
check out www.zooplus.co.uk
very good price too.....

 

[pirate monkey]

I recommend the tetratec too, I have the ex1200, really quiet, easy to prime and good value for money. Also tetra have great customer service should anything happen to go wrong.