Internal Or External Filters.which Is Best In Your Opinion?

[chubbs9]

been looking about to buy a new filter/pump for my tank.it will be about 4ft tank in size,so should i get a internal or external....or does it not matter?what are the advantages and disadvantages of each?the only thing that i can see is that external filters dont take up room in the tank and are easier to clean,but i dont know a lot lol.

cheers

chubbs

 

[fluttermoth]

You can get a lot more media in an external as well. Go for the external, they're better in every way.

 

[deftuch]

yep external are the best. plus when you remove your internal filter in order to clean it some of the muck thats stuck on the filter and behind it ect is disturbed making your tank messy. get a good eheim or fluval external filter

 

[Staxx]

having just upgraded from a internal to an external i can confirm external are far superior to internal in every way

more media
more flow
more power
easier to access
easier to clean
looks a lot better than a big black square inside the tank taking up valuable fish space!

 

[Aqua Tom]

External +1

 

[chubbs9]

lol looks like ill get an external then ...
for a 4ft tank,what should i go for in L/H?as in what is the least i should go for?also im not on a big budget.

thanks for all your replies as they are appreciated

cheers

chubbs

 

[Aqua Tom]

lol looks like ill get an external then ...
for a 4ft tank,what should i go for in L/H?as in what is the least i should go for?also im not on a big budget.

thanks for all your replies as they are appreciated

cheers

chubbs

Most 4 ft tanks would be rough 300 litres but without your other dimensions its is just a guess.

Here is a link, I dont work for Seapets its just easier to visualise with a selection like this.

Look for one that is rated for a 300 litre tank then spend an extra tenner or so on the next one up. Cheapest option is to find the one you want then buy second hand.


Tom

 

[Westcoaster]

I was once told that for trops you need 4x filtration ie 300L x4 = 1200l per hour Thats the calculation I've worked on. For a budget external have a look at All Pond Solutions EF1400,
Customer service isn't great though.

 

[PERCY]

Externals. It's a no brainer

 

[JayD976]

External hands down

 

[sadguppy]

External +1. I'm not even sure you could get an internal suitable for a 4ft tank, or if you did it would be a push.

 

[JDs4me]

External +1...I have an Aquis1200 on my 4' 260litre; no noise at all and does the job a treat!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

You could in theory run a lower volume 4-footer using an internal Fluval U4, but I would conservatively stock it and not add any fish that are small enough to get trapped between the filter and its suction bracket, plus they do need weekly maintenance to keep them running well given they have so little media capacity compared to an external. I currently have two running in my 48x12x15, creating plenty of current and aeration, but I have removed the suckers down one side of each filter (having lost a Rainbow/Pastel Congo Tetra inbetween the suckers, who was then pecked alive by tankmates) and I had the horrible discovery of a poor Upside Down Catfish found inside the top flap above the water line (it must have found its way in there before I raised the filter higher in the water column to give more rippling).