Filter Recommendations?

[Fish sitter]

Hi all! Looking to replace my Aqueon QuietFlow 10 and would love to hear what others are using and loving.

For reference, I have a single goldfish in a 10 gallon tank (hoping to upgrade him to a 20 gallon soon). He’s been dealing with recurring ulcers lately, so I suspect his filter is getting old and not working as well as it should be.

Thanks!

 

[Rocky998]

Definitely use an aquaclear! I have one and it works flawlessly. The first two weeks it kept clogging but once you have it for a bit, it stops throwing a fit

 

[Circus]

I really like both AquaClear and Tidal filters. Both have adjustable flow and lots of capacity. I would get one that would work for your eveual 20 gallon, so you do not have to switch filters again later.

 

[Fish sitter]

Did you change filter cartridges?

Yep, we change them every couple of weeks. I think the filter has just reached the end of its lifespan.

 

[Essjay]

Yep, we change them every couple of weeks

Do you keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in the tank?

Replacing the cartridges will remove a lot of bacteria. Unless the filter has more media than just cartridges, changing them may lead to an ammonia and/or nitrite spike after they've been changed.

Goldfish produce a lot of waste including ammonia which it is turned into nitrate by the filter bacteria. In a 10 gallon tank, nitrate will build up quickly and we now know that fish are affected by nitrate above 20 ppm which is why it is a good idea to test for it.

 

[Fish sitter]

Do you keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in the tank?

Replacing the cartridges will remove a lot of bacteria. Unless the filter has more media than just cartridges, changing them may lead to an ammonia and/or nitrite spike after they've been changed.

Goldfish produce a lot of waste including ammonia which it is turned into nitrate by the filter bacteria. In a 10 gallon tank, nitrate will build up quickly and we now know that fish are affected by nitrate above 20 ppm which is why it is a good idea to test for it.

We check the levels periodically, and they're always within normal ranges. We also use Prime on the water consistently. Didn't know about the negative effect removing a cartridge could have though! There's an additional sponge at the front of the filter... do you think that would be enough extra media? If not, do you have any recs for additional media for someone who is only using one filter with one cartridge?

 

[Fish sitter]

Definitely use an aquaclear! I have one and it works flawlessly. The first two weeks it kept clogging but once you have it for a bit, it stops throwing a fit

Thanks! Do you mean the AquaClear brand, or the Fluval Aqua Clear?

 

[Fish sitter]

I really like both AquaClear and Tidal filters. Both have adjustable flow and lots of capacity. I would get one that would work for your eveual 20 gallon, so you do not have to switch filters again later.

Thank you! To clarify, do you mean the AquaClear brand or Fluval Aqua Clear?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Thank you! To clarify, do you mean the AquaClear brand or Fluval Aqua Clear?

They are the same thing.

DO NOT replace filter media, especially in a new tank, until it is falling apart...in new tanks, the filter media is colonized by beneficial bacteria, which help render the fish's waste non-toxic, as alluded to by @Essjay above...replacing the media weekly means throwing away that good bacteria that you need...the fish store people, and the filter manufacturer will wrongly tell you to replace the media, simply to make more $...don't listen to them.

Is the tank cycled? What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Fish sitter]

They are the same thing.

DO NOT replace filter media, especially in a new tank, until it is falling apart...in new tanks, the filter media is colonized by beneficial bacteria, which help render the fish's waste non-toxic, as alluded to by @Essjay above...replacing the media weekly means throwing away that good bacteria that you need...the fish store people, and the filter manufacturer will wrongly tell you to replace the media, simply to make more $...don't listen to them.

Is the tank cycled? What kind of test kit are you using?

The tank is cycled. We use the API master test kit.

To clarify, we replace the cartridge (this guy: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aqueon-replacement-filter-cartridges-medium) when the filter indicates we should, but we leave the media (this guy: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aqueon-ammonia-cartridge-mini-pad-10g) alone. Are we doing that right?

And had no idea that they were the same! Thanks for clarifying that!