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RE: the right filter for me

David Lass — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:06:38 GMT

On another forum one of the brands of these great new filters was mentioned -- Aqueon. The other brand is also a major one. Think yellow.

RE: the right filter for me

math-only aquarium — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:36:55 GMT

Most HOB's don't work particularly good for deep aquariums, though. Keep that in mind.

MOA

RE: the right filter for me

jsmith11618 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:02:51 GMT

I've always been happy with the bio wheels. I've only used Marineland filters over the years and have always been happy with them.

RE: the right filter for me

FattFishy — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:54:52 GMT

It's good... allows more bacteria colonization and therefore easier seeding of tanks. Although they still need to be primed.

RE: the right filter for me

justin30 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:47:30 GMT

how about bio wheel filters good or not so great? i see the bio wheel 400 on big als

RE: the right filter for me

justin30 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:32:28 GMT

thank you sooo much everyone, Its nice to have the fish channel and all the great people with great advise/oppinions.

fishguy;)

RE: the right filter for me

David Lass — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:48:35 GMT

I really can't mention brands -- they are both major players. Just look/ask for the new outside power filters that have the motors on the intake tube and therefore in the water, as opposed to in the filter, and that have plastic "cages" that stay in place when you pull out the filter cartridges.

RE: the right filter for me

math-only aquarium — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:12:53 GMT

IMO, your best options for a 90-gallon aquariums are trickle filters, canister filters, and UGF's. The canister filter would probably be best all-round (even though I personally use UGF's): it's relatively inexpensive, easy to use, and has a fairly simple operating dynamic.

MOA

RE: the right filter for me

justin30 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:06:18 GMT

David,

would it be possible to tell me what brand your talking about, I mean

I am pritty much clueless to what type of filters are good bad etc, a lot of the wonderful people tell me here on the fish channel that it is my personal

preference but to be honnest i dont have a prefference. Im lost do I go with undergravel and powerheads, hob's.

thanks justin

RE: the right filter for me

David Lass — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:19:47 GMT

Not to plug any specific brand, but there is a new generation of HOB filters just coming on the market that are greatly improved over the other ones out there. The two biggest improvements are:

1) the pump sits in the water, as opposed to being in the filter -- this is great because on the older models if the power goes out and the filter drains back into the tank, when the power comes back on the filter needs to be primed again. These do not need to be primed -- they just start up on their own.

2) The filters have plastic meshes where the cartridges go, and the cartridges can be cleaned or replaced and the plastic meshes have enough surface area for the good bacteria of the Nitrogen Cycle. These are not disturbed, so you don't have the problem of having to restart the NC each time you clean or replace cartridges.

It's really nice when the manufacturers put a lot of thought into designing their products, and make improvements like these. Both of them will be reviewed by me in my monthly column in FAMA "In The Fishroom." Stay tuned -- fil at 11:00.

RE: the right filter for me

FattFishy — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:45:50 GMT

Bleh, I wasn't good with those filters anyways. Just talking about those HOB filters.

RE: the right filter for me

math-only aquarium — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:23:55 GMT

FattFishy,

Canister filters and trickle filters can safely drop below 2 cycles per hour and still work just fine. However, for most other filter systems, you're dead on.

MOA

RE: the right filter for me

FattFishy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:00:59 GMT

With regards to filter, I suggest about 5 cycles per hour for tropical and 10 for goldfish. No less than 3 cycles and no more than 20 IMO.

RE: the right filter for me

Nikita — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:42:12 GMT

Hang-on-Back filters are the easiest type for a beginner to get the hang of, and they give you experience with chemical, mechanical, and biological filtration in a simple format. They're also the easiest to buy spare/replacement parts for if needed since they're more common among hobbyists, particularly starting hobbyists.

If you go this route to start with, just make sure that the filter is made for the size of your aquarium, so it's able to handle the volume of your tank.

And throw any other questions you have at us; we'll be happy to help in any way we can. :)

RE: the right filter for me

FattFishy — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:11:34 GMT

I agree with MOA on this. It's basically preference.

I like HOB because of ease of maintainence and it's relatively cheap.

Not my tank/filter, it's yours.

RE: the right filter for me

math-only aquarium — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:52:09 GMT

Hello,

Here's a link that might prove useful: http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic150034-22-1.aspx

If cost is your primary concern, my thoughts turn to HOB's and canister filters (relatively simple, come as a complete unit, and are usually relatively inexpensive). In all honesty, though, just about any correctly-sized filter will work--it's just a question of whether or not you like it.

MOA

the right filter for me

justin30 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:38:34 GMT

I want to get a 90 gal tank in the future. I have seen the undergravel filter with the power head attached to it. I need some ideas on what to get and why its a good choice... I want a good filter but do keep in mind that money is somewhat an isue on this one.

thanks everybody

justin