Is My Filter Good Enough?

[tgo]

its one of those hang-on-the-side filters on a 10 gallon tank, as you probably already know

after doing some reading on filters, I've now discovered that apparently my filter is not very good at all, is probably to small to maintain stable water parameters, is basically useless for good bacteria populations, and needs replacing (carbon cartridge) every month!!!!!

Apparently the carbon cartridge is only taking up room in my filter container, what I need is more somnge, floss, etc.

But can I add this stuff to this type of filter (like an external cartridge filter-style)? How could I add this stuff, anybody know a good link to explain if its possible?

There is a black piece of mesh in there, but its so small

Should I buy a new filter, even while still cycling? If I wait until after the tank is cycled (only to replace the filter with a new one) aren't I back to square-one anyway, or no? I get the impression it will take much longer because there is not alot of surface area, so shoould I just cut my future losses and do it right?

This sucks, its been a month of water changes and constant testing

The frustrating thing is that in all the cycling articles I read, not one mentioned that the type of filter is so important

Sorry for all the questions

 

[rewlyn]

how many litres per hour does it pump

 

[Rooster]

Mmmmm, it is a little weedy ! ;-)

The name of the game here is volume of media, and thats really only a water "scrubber"... something that make the water look clean, removes particles etc...
Although 10 gall is very small, it may well do the job - especially if you have plants, so its a difficult one to answer... but if you plan on getting a larger tank anytime soon - and you will ! then it may be worth getting an external and running them together... that way the newer, larger one will be cycled and ready to go

 

[tgo]

the filter pumps out 300 litres per hour, I have no idea if this is good or bad

I live in a condo so I won't be getting anything bigger until I'm done university and have a house, probably not for a few years anyway, however I like the idea of running two at once, cause then maybe I can just ditch the elite altogether and still keep my cycle going. Any brand that makes a good external for a 10 gallon?

oh, and I do have four plants (hygrophylia polysperma, 2 anubias, java fern)

 

[waterdrop]

Well 300 L/H on a 38L is more than 7x turnover, which is pretty good, but as Rooster says, media volume is the "name of the game" and there are large differences in the pecking order of media volume, moving up from internal to HOB and up from HOB to External Cannister and moving up from EC to Sump.

For a 10G/38L though, you are solidly in the world of internals or small HOBs usually, so you can just compare within those categories. I believe Fluval have a good reputation for internals and they have a U series that I believe is better than their + series as far as media choices go. And AquaClear seems to rule the flexibility competition within the category of HOB filters.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tgo]

Well 300 L/H on a 38L is more than 7x turnover, which is pretty good, but as Rooster says, media volume is the "name of the game" and there are large differences in the pecking order of media volume, moving up from internal to HOB and up from HOB to External Cannister and moving up from EC to Sump.

For a 10G/38L though, you are solidly in the world of internals or small HOBs usually, so you can just compare within those categories. I believe Fluval have a good reputation for internals and they have a U series that I believe is better than their + series as far as media choices go. And AquaClear seems to rule the flexibility competition within the category of HOB filters.

~~waterdrop~~

I'm sure my filter wasn;t enough, so I splurged and bought a Fluval 105 external filter. Do you think its overkill for a 10g tank? I figured the more media volume the better.

 

[waterdrop]

That sounds really good! The experienced members here have been gradually making me feel less and less uncomfortable with higher water movement (at least the idea of it!) in an aquarium. I've never particularly liked the fish to look like they are blowing about, but on the other hand most of them enjoy swimming aggressively and then having somewhere to let down when they want to. There are various tricks to positioning your filter output to lessen the flow if you need to. You can point the flow back at the tank wall if you have to and the "bounce" will lessen the impact in big areas of the tank. What's the flow rate of your 105? I'll bet you'll have even higher turnover.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tgo]

the flow rate is 480 L/H.

Well, the higher flow rate might actually work alright since danios like the current

 

[tgo]

if anybody else believes I should return itbefore setting it up, please let me know. Should I trade it in for a Aquaclear HOB or Fluval internal filter? I haven't put it together yet, and don't want to unless I am sure (its expensive).

 

[waterdrop]

I don't think there's any question whether it will be a better filter, but I'd agree its more a question of whether its overkill. Maybe some of the other members will help us out tomorrow. Do you know whether it has much ability to lessen the flow? I assume it has a spraybar, right?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tgo]

I don't see any mention of a spraybar or adjuster, but I'm pretty new to this and it is much more confusing than the filter I currently have.

 

[waterdrop]

Some external cannister filters have small levers, usually near the place where the hoses come into the filter box, that can restrict the water flow a bit. I believe I remember that its not good on the motor to restrict it much, but a small amount can be done. As a completely separate thing, just about any spraybar can be simply rotated toward the tank glass when it is attached to its hose as a way to re-direct overly strong flow. Most ECs come with a spraybar as standard equipment, but I'm not familiar with the details of the Fluval 105. Surely Fluval shows you the parts somewhere?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tgo]

I think there is a spraybar then, the packaging calls it a "return", its like a spout right?

 

[waterdrop]

OK, just found a 105 parts pic with google images and it looks like the 105 does -not- have a spraybar but instead just has a simple "fan spout" meant to fan out the output water across the surface. That should probably work pretty well on a small tank but will give you somewhat less control I guess than I was describing with a spraybar. I see in the pic that they are supposed to give you some ceramic rings, which will make good biomedia.

Would be nice if other members would join in with opinions. I tend to be overly picky and that's probably not necessary for this sort of decision, so I don't want to cause you undo fuss. Just about any HOB or external cannister option (like this one) should be a huge improvement for you. The part that's impossible to know before you've set it up and run it is whether the flow would just seem like too much for your tank. A fair number of members do flow rates up at 10x and beyond in an attempt to keep all the water moving and cut down on algae (high flow reduces small pockets of still water where small amounts of ammonia (unmeasurable by our kits) will trigger algae spores to spawn algae.) So high flow can be seen as a good thing but the fish do need some places of peace and calm.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Rooster]

Its a tricky one to ask "whats right" but as I said earlier, its ALL about media, and you can get a LOT more in the 105 !!!!
Flow rate can be controlled, so stick with it kid