Post
by Diana » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:42 am
The best filter is one that routes the water through a deep layer of whatever media. Usually a sponge.
If the sponge is too thin then the water flowing through can knock off the debris too often, so your filter is not catching as much crud.
Filters like the Aquaclear and canister style filters are generally better than the cartridge style Hang On Back filters with the thin cartridges.
Sponge filters are pretty good. I have trapped a lot of debris in the sponges that I run on most tanks. You can set them up to run on air or with a powerhead.
They are especially good when you have fry in the tank. You can turn any filter into a sponge filter (and protect the fry) by putting a sponge (Such as an Aquaclear sponge) over the intake.
I have found the old style, little box filters run by air to be OK in the smallest tanks, but they take up so much room! This is a perforated plastic box that you can put any media you want in. When I ran them, I usually used polyester floss and a little activated carbon. (I started with this style of filter mumble-mumble years ago). Now, If you are willing to allow the filter to use this much space, use a sponge filter, run by air or powerhead. The similar, somewhat newer, internal filter with a cartridge has all the drawbacks of a HOB with a cartridge (poor waterflow = poor filtration) AND is a big blob in the tank. Not worth it.
For fish that thrive in more than average water flow I would go with a canister rated at a tank twice as big as the one I am running it on, plus a couple of powerheads with sponges over the intakes.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
