Filter Question.

[Some_of_My_Buses]

The guy at a fish store told us we need an under gravel filter for our 20 gal. tank. We have a Whisper filter that hangs on the side, an air pump and some live plants. It's a new tank (setup for about 6 weeks) and we only have 4 small Black Mollies. Any advice?

Thanks, Some_of_My_Buses.

 

[Tolak]

I don't keep live plants, but I know undergravel filters are a no go with plants. That filter should be fine for the mollys.

 

[Dong]

Whisper Power Filter 20 or above should be enough if you only intend to keep 4 mollies. You don't need an undergravel.

 

[Torrean]

I don't suppose the guy told you why you needed one?

 

[Some_of_My_Buses]

I forgot to mention I had 2 Dwarf Gouramis that died recently. Also I want to add more fish to my tank. That's why the guy at the fish store suggested I get better filtration. He likes the under gravel filter along with the Whisper Power Filter.

 

[Tolak]

Undergravel filters are pretty much going the way that 8 track tapes & slide rulers went. They still work, but there are much better filtration systems out there. Run a tank with ugf for a year, then tear it down, which is what is recommended for ugf systems. It looks like a mud puddle under those plates, real nasty.

Unless they died of old age, there is a reason the gouramis died. Water tests should have been done after the deaths, this would help rule out or confirm some things.

If you want to upgrade filtration, look into Aqua Clear filters. I have these running on most of my tanks, and have run them next to the Whispers. The Whispers choke while the ac's keep running. If the Whispers were a better filter, I would run them.

Best filtration setup I have yet to beat is an ac along with an Eheim canister. If you don't mind spending a few bucks on the canister I would go that route.

 

[community begginer]

may i ask why under gravel filters and plant are a no go??
i myself own a ugf and am adding plants in my tank in the next few days.
please explain.
community begginer

 

[Some_of_My_Buses]

Any tips of what other filters are better?

 

[Tolak]

That's sort of like asking which car is better. What, if any fish do you plan on keeping besides the mollys, and what's your price range?

 

[Dong]

Any tips of what other filters are better?

Canister filter in my opinion is the best, but they are the most expensive ones. A 20 gallon Eheim canister probably costs around $50 or so? I know you can get a 35 gallon one (Eheim Ecco Comfort Canister Filter- 2232) at BigAl for $68.

Or you can get a power filter with the bio-wheel, it is cheaper and works well too.

 

[Jules H-T]

may i ask why under gravel filters and plant are a no go??

Because they pull the water over the roots too quickly for them to absorb nutrients. They'll go brown and die over a period of weeks.

You can consider plants that live root into wood though (you'll probably see them in the tanks around your LFS, sewed on with cotton), if you have no immediate alternative to the UGF.

 

[Some_of_My_Buses]

Well, I was thinking about getting a Algae Shrimp. Maybe a Glass Fish, Swordtail Mollies and some Tetras.

 

[deliverance]

for my smaller tank i have used marineland bio wheel HOB filters without one problem. i used aqua clear before but i did not like the water flow thats why i switched.

 

[phlawed]

for my smaller tank i have used marineland bio wheel HOB filters without one problem. i used aqua clear before but i did not like the water flow thats why i switched.

you can get a pengiun bio-wheel filter for only a few $ more than a whisper that will do twice the job of both a AC or whisper. I run a penguin 200 on my 37g planted it does PERFECT.

 

[Tolak]

I have a Penguin in the box of filter parts. If they were better than the AC's I would be running them. Filter cartridges=inflexible. Pull the cartridge out of a Penguin, add the filter media suggested for a comparable Aquaclear. I've done it, they halfway filter at first, barely a dribble after a week.