What Type Of Filter?

[tony2501]

Thinking of buying a new tank, and bee tryiong to decide which type of filter to buy - external, canister or undergravel.

Don't know the exact volume yet, but i'm looking for something about 4/5ft.

Its going to be a planted community tank, so I suppose that would initially rule out undergravel, but I'm open to suggestions.
Also it should be available in the UK.

 

[piper]

Get an external ehiem, the biggest you can afford

http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/bigpics/eheiminfo.htm

 

[rdd1952]

I would suggest dual canister filters. I have 2 Fluval 304s on my 4' 75 gallon tank and they work great. Most of what I've read here suggests that Ehiems are better but I've never used them. Canisters are so much quieter. For a tank that large, you definitely would be better off with 2 filters and 2 heaters (the Hydor inline heaters work great in conjunction with canister filters). You will get much better circulation and the temperature will be more constant. You definitely don't want an undergravel filter. Those are terribly outdated and from what I have read, almost impossible to clean.

 

[tony2501]

ThankI'll keep those opinions in mind when I buy

 

[rdd1952]

When you do buy, buy online. You will save betwen 20 and 40 percent. My Fluvals were $149.99 (plus tax) in the store and I bought them online for something like $89 each plus shipping (back in March so not sure the exact price but definitely less than $90 each). That's $60 per filter, almost like getting one for free.