What Makes A Filter Good?

[Seriz]

Hi gang! I know next to nothing about filters so I thought I'd ask the experts. I have about 3 years' experience of tropical fish-keeping and have only had two different kinds of filter in that time so I don't have much to compare with. I currently have a 45 gallon tank with a Fluval 205, what's the general consensus on this one? The guy in the fish store doesn't rate it but didn't give a reason why. What is it that makes one filter better than another?

 

[minxfishy]

A good filter needs to be reliable, have a good turnover rate and hold plenty of media. Fluval are ok, but some have had problems with them leaking (externals), Tetratec are considered good filters, eheim being the best filters but more expensive than other brands.

 

[Seriz]

A good filter needs to be reliable, have a good turnover rate and hold plenty of media. Fluval are ok, but some have had problems with them leaking (externals), Tetratec are considered good filters, eheim being the best filters but more expensive than other brands.

thank you for the reply.

 

[foley69]

i have a fluval 205 in my 55gal with a fluval 4+ as well and they do the job more than good enough with a total of 1600 LPH which is 8x turnover this is the ideal turnover for cichlids and will keep most aqauriums in top condition so IME i cant fault fluval filters

 

[england]

I also am a fluval lover, having the fx5 and also 405

 

[foley69]

take it you have never had any problems with yours nelly ? ... and i also love juwel filters i have never changed the one in my rekord 96 and water is always top quality the only thing i have ever changed it the floss at the top

 

[rdd1952]

Reliability. You want it to last and not present any problems. To me, second would be it's ability to hold the proper/different types media. Some filters offer little options as to what media you an add. Next would be the noise level as you don't want a filter that is so loud you can't carry on a converstation (or keeps you awake at night).

Personally, I am partial to external/canister filters. They are generally very reliable, offer loads of room for different types of media and are usually dead quiet.

 

[england]

take it you have never had any problems with yours nelly ? ... and i also love juwel filters i have never changed the one in my rekord 96 and water is always top quality the only thing i have ever changed it the floss at the top

nope so far touch wood ive had fluval for 10years including the internals and externals,,,there brilliant in my oppinion....

 

[rdd1952]

I also have 2 Fluval 304s (old model, now 305s) running on my 75 gallon tank. Been in place since March 2005 with no problems at all other than soome of the tubing not being very good and having to be replaced. The filters themselves have worked flawlessly. Eheim seem to have a bigger following and most say they are better quality (never used them myself) but Fluvals have worked for me. But regardless of brand, externals are the way to go for any tank oer about 10 gallons.

 

[stang1]

I prefer externals to internals and am also a fan of the Fluval filters. Have one tank with a Fluval 4+ internal (no room for external) but run Fluval 105, 205, 305 and 405 on other tanks. I've never had a problem with any of them and find them incredibly quiet.

 

[rdd1952]

and find them incredibly quiet.

Ditto. If it weren't for seeing the plants sway in the current, you would never know they were running. I can't even hear them when i have my head in the cabinet to unplug them for cleaning. The only time I do hear them is when the surface skimmers I run get something n them causing it to make a sucking sound. And that's not the filter but the intake.

 

[jonny_dw]

Fluval all the way

 

[DJ ArKaDaRkA]

my internal juwel is completly silent how would it compare to a external one do these make more noise because the tank is in the bed room i would like the extra space in the tank but not over extra noise

 

[three-fingers]

I started off with an old fluval internal and it still works fine after 6 or 7 years of use.

I'm currently running a fluval 2+, fluval 105 and 305 and find them all excellent .

 

[always4lora]

I've got a fluxal 305 ext and fluval 2 int and theyre both really good , cant hear the external at all. Good for priming to, no sucking on tubes or out like that .