Good Filter Choices

[cripp12]

I have a 20 gallon tank and looking for a good filter for it.
I am looking for ease of use and cost savings in the long run
in terms of replacements. Right now I have a Whisper 10
Power Filter. What are some good choices. Thanks

 

[home breeders]

I have a 20 gallon tank and looking for a good filter for it.
I am looking for ease of use and cost savings in the long run
in terms of replacements. Right now I have a Whisper 10
Power Filter. What are some good choices. Thanks

Fluval *05 series are good filters also external not taking up to much space in your tank. plus you can set up
the media trays how ever you like dependant on what fish you are keeping.

 

[OldMan47]

On a small tank like that I would be looking into the Fluval + series, maybe a 2+. They are pretty much a packaged sponge filter with a power head incorporated into a compact package. I am using a 4+ on a 45 gallon long and it does a very nice job for me while being absolutely quiet. I am also using some Rena Filstar XP1 filters on a 20H and a couple on 29s. They are much more flexible than the Fluval but cost a fair bit more to buy too. I also run sponge filters powered by air and powered by power heads on different tanks. They are a fairly good biological filter that are safe to run on a tank full of fry but they are not much for mechanical filtration so those tanks end up needing a gravel vac more often. I have used the new Marineland C series filters but was not happy with the poor performance of their hose isolation valves. It made the filters harder to clean but they worked fine.

 

[waterdrop]

For a 20g you have reasonable choices among internal, HOB and external cannister filters. Fluval internals are recommended my many members here. AquaClear HOBs are recommended as flexible by many here. External cannisters, which are relatively more expensive than the previous two types but have most of the advantages are debated at length on the forum. The many features and trade-offs between the four main contenders, Eheim, Rena, TetraTec and Fluval are extensive and so are the members various biases.

Media volume, flexibility of media choice, ease of media cleaning, noise, ease of seal maintenance, ease of impeller maintenance, ease of priming, reliability of pump, strengh of pump, flow rate, quality of plastics, quality of intake/ouput attachments, ease of service, ease of replacement part acquisition, quality of manuals, quality of web site, are among the attributes aquarists end up determining or having opinions about with regard to filters.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[cripp12]

For a 20g you have reasonable choices among internal, HOB and external cannister filters. Fluval internals are recommended my many members here. AquaClear HOBs are recommended as flexible by many here. External cannisters, which are relatively more expensive than the previous two types but have most of the advantages are debated at length on the forum. The many features and trade-offs between the four main contenders, Eheim, Rena, TetraTec and Fluval are extensive and so are the members various biases.

~~waterdrop~~

Out of these choices which one can I save more on replacing Foams or Carbons in the future.

 

[OldMan47]

You don't replace foams, you clean them in used tank water. You only use carbon when you need to so none of them will cost much for carbon. The biggest problem with the whisper series, and why it is not on WD's list, is that you throw away most of your biological filter every time it needs cleaning unless you are willing to keep the bit of exhausted carbon in the filter just eating up space. I have not bought any replacement media in years for my filters but I do sometimes buy new media for a new tank setup. Right now I have 3 unused sponge filters with one of them cycling and an unused HOT Magnum, another not very flexible filter, that is fully cycled and I keep for emergencies in case another filter fails. The filter on the list that probably ends up cheapest, aside from sponges, is the AC HOB filter. It Is somewhat flexible in terms of media and is fairly inexpensive to buy. The only real downside would be that it is like all HOB filters and will make running water noises when being used.

 

[waterdrop]

Normally the point of foams/sponges is that they are tough and last nearly a lifetime. You just squeeze them out in tank water and they are good to go for another period. Ceramics (rings or gravels) are even more competitive in this regard, usually lasting even longer than sponges and just needing a tray dunk in tank water.

Carbon is a chemical filtration media and not normally used on an ongoing basis. Its great to have on the shelf and is brought in to remove medications, yellow tannins from wood and organic smells that you can't figure out and remove otherwise, at least these are the most common 3 uses of carbon I believe. During normal times when carbon is not in, there should be more biological media like sponges or ceramics in there. Polyfloss or fine sponges are often used as a fine mechanical filtration medium and are often replaced or cleaned more often.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[cripp12]

So for something like the aquaclear series where you would use a foam and carbon insert, these would not need replacing? Before I started this set up I had a setup about 15 years ago where I would change these periodically. Back then the internet wasn't a big help on this sort of stuff.

 

[OldMan47]

Any carbon that you end up using gets replaced by more biomedia or needs to be replaced frequently. Most of the people here just don't use carbon much. I have a half pound container that came packed with a filter a couple of years ago. I feel good having it on the shelf this long in case I need it because I have yet to break the seal on the jar. The AC filters have a box on the back of the tank that is designed for replacement materials to just go into it instead of being the flat cartridge type that you are used to with the whisper filter. The sponges that fit neatly into the box are sold by filter size and I find them handy for other uses so I have a couple made for an AC 70 filter. This is a picture of one of those sponges so that you know the type of thing we are talking about.

 

[cripp12]

if carbon is not used much is it just the sponge.

 

[Yanks15]

I have two Aqueon filters. Both take carbon laddened inserts. I am planning to start a new tank using 2 AC 70's for 55 gal. Can I remove the insert from the Aqueon and stuff in the sponge from the AC to help seed my new tank? Or would I use something else?

PS... didn't mean to hijack post

Thanks.

 

[cripp12]

I just pulled out an old Aqua Clear mini that translates to 5 to 20 gallons. Would this be a better choice then my current Whisper 10 Power Filter? If so would I just put 2 sponges in there?

 

[afishdude]

http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3065443

EX20.

 

[cripp12]

[URL="http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3065443"]http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3065443[/URL]

EX20.

Is this overkill for a 20 gallon tank?

 

[OldMan47]

The AC rated for 5 to 20 gallons is likely to be at least as good as the Whisper 10. You would get whatever size sponge is made for the filter and just add whatever it takes to fill the spaces. Another alternative is to put a sponge and a bag of ceramic bio-media into the filter space. Bags are made to hold media that is loose so it needs something to contain it.

The EX series filters are the latest version of the Whisper filter with the same limitations as far as flexible media. I have one that I got with a used tank and so far have resisted the temptation to retire it to my surplus supply shelf. It is doing its job of cleaning but is just like the old Whispers as far as media. I has a cloth filter mat bag with a scrap of carbon inside that the manufacturer recommends that you toss every month. It even comes with a chemical timer that you can expose to air that will turn color after a month to remind you to throw out the old filter. I guess they were not selling enough replacements so they decided to get people excited by having the chemical timer turn red for you. It will do the same thing laying on your desk but that would not fool anyone into thinking it somehow shows the state of their filter. Deception beyond the usual advertising hype is not an endearing quality in my mind.