Filters... Any Suggestions?

[Timmy_Bee]

Hi,

I am reading a few good posts about different filters, and it got me thinking. Is my filter good enough? what would be the advantages of an external?

I have got a 180L Juwel Rio with aprox. 20 fish, all under 2 inches (at the moment...), none of which are real poop machines. My tank it lightly planted (5 plants?)
My current filter is the standard one that comes with Juwel. Is this powerful enough for my tank with its current stock?

I am aware from other Topics i have posted in, that some of my fish will not be suitable for my tank (pleco, clown loach) and i will sort this out all in good time. I don't want this post to be about whether im over-stocked.

Any-who. Back to my point:

Is my filter good enough?
Would i benefit from upgrading?
What are the pro's and con's of external filters?
Can anyone suggest a good alternative? (im not rich)

 

[OldMan47]

I love my external filters for the simple reason that I can use any media that I wish and I am not limited to the media made specifically for my filter. Almost any standard filter made for a tank will do a fine job of supporting the fish that should be placed in a tank that size but none of the standard filters are "ideal". If you intend to push your stocking levels to levels nobody would anticipate for a tank, an external with the right capacity can indeed support more fish. Let me try to be very clear here. A larger filter will not by itself allow you to keep more fish than you should, but it will ensure that you have enough biological filtration to accommodate a reasonable stocking level, which your original filter may not. Adding any more filtration after that first step up is a waste of money because once you have the biological capacity, larger filters are only good for more particulates, something that matters almost not at all.