Internal Or External Filter

[death]

hi i was wondering what filter is the best out of an internal and external i mean is there really any difference as they both do the same job can some one please tell me a bit about them i have an internal just now and dont have any problems but im just wondering thanks in advance joe

ps i do know one is inside and the other outside lmao im not that thick besides what the wife says lol

 

[IovaykInD]

External filters help you save space because internal filters take up a lot of room inside the tank. External's output can be pointed wherever you want, but internal ones, if you adjust the output, you will also be adjusting the input relatively. Externals IMO are a lot better than internals, and I see many people using externals and few with internals. Internals don't make noise though, which helps, but some externals are silent as well.

Isaac

 

[PeterM]

External filters tend to be more powerful and efficient because they are bigger. They contain more filtration media and so are better at removing polutants.

Internal filters are cheaper and smaller, and while they require more frequent cleaning the cost effeciency of them is drastic. You can get a similar power of filtration from both internal and external filters, but the diversity of the external filter makes it a little superior.

External filters are better suited to large tanks because they filter more. I use a combination of internal and external necause I like to overfilter my tanks, and its always handy to have a fully bioloaded filter in times of emergency.

Its also worth mentioning that an external filter has tubes that can be connected to several tanks with some simple fittings. This means an external filter can filter more than one setup. This can of course spread infections, but it does also lower the cost of equipment. One large external filter will cost less than internal filters of equivalent power for two or three tanks.

I also find that external filters (at least mine) are not much nosier than internal ones. Then again, in my fish room we have six air pumps running constantly, so hearing anything else over that is a litte difficult

 

[death]

so i guess external wins then lol ok thanks guys for the information

 

[Marcos]

I did think about an external filter when I had to replace mine but there was a few horror stories about them leaking on here and I'm just too scared of coming home and finding 100 litres of water on my living room floor and and all my fish dead!

 

[morgan]

I prefer internal purely for that reason. Don't fancy 65 gallons on the living room carpet! Plus if you have a powercut the filter media stays wet without you having to be there to fiddle about.

 

[IovaykInD]

Plus if you have a powercut the filter media stays wet without you having to be there to fiddle about.

It stays wet but before you turn the filter back on, you have to dump the water that is in it and fill it with aquarium water. The bacteria won't be dead, but the filter's water will contain toxins that will kill fish. So you must change the filter's water.

 

[morgan]

Oh, I didn't know that. We had a 6 hour notified powercut a while ago and I just turned the filter back on! Must have been lucky. I did have a battery powered airline near the filter box.