Filter Choice

saltynay · Feb 10, 2009

1) 5 gallon aquarium need a small power filter bought the rena filstar i1 today but its quite loud so I will try and return it tommorow could you give me a basic top 5 of the quietest brands
2) One of my male endlers appears ill, its been in my tank for 3 days and hardly moves, it can swim however. It has a dark green background shade to it compared with my other males and although I have seen it eat it was only when food fell 2-3 cm away from it. Its moved about 6cms in the last 4 hours from an exposed area under the heater to under a filter pad that I have left in whilst the above pump matures. The three other males are happy and schooling playing in the pump stream atm.

ps no-one warned me endlers jump just had one jump out whilst I was watching them shocked me nearly asmuch as the little guy.

saltynay · Feb 10, 2009

bump need this answered tonight preferrably

three-fingers · Feb 10, 2009

Come to think of it, I've never actually used a rena internal filter, but have used lots of cheap rubbishy brands as well as Eheim and Fluval internals and when it comes to internals they all seem pretty quiet, so I'd suspect something is wrong with your filter. Try cleaning the impeller. If it's really new there may still be air in the filter, which could make it noisy too.

I like the Fluval + range of internals, but if I needed one I'd be tempted to try a Fluval U series filter, which seem excellent if they are as reliable as the Fluval + range (the U series are quite new).

I have a Fluval 2+ running in the 5gal tank on the desk I'm sitting at right now and it's pretty much silent.

Though you cant really go wrong with internals as long as you go for a brand name. Tetratec, Eheim, Interpet, etc. all good, Fluval + just seem to be better at least at mechanical filtration IME.

I don't like the hagen stingray filters, they seem decently reliable, but I hate the small amount of sponge in them, and the odd shaped cartridges you have to replace every month.

With regards to the endler, what are your water stats at (ammonia, nitrite, pH, nitrate)?

saltynay · Feb 10, 2009

Its quite quiet but its the vibration which makes the noise, which isn't good as friends have a tendency to drunkenly sleep on the sofa in the same room blinding them with the light at 9am is fine but only if they can get to sleep first. I was using a fluval 2+ also before but the current was too strong so I changed to the rena today and although its a nice little filter even with the rubber mounts its still a little loud. I think I will go with the fluval 1+ or U then if they have them.

I don't have a test kit atm used up the last of it a week ago when maturing the tank. I will purchase one with the filter tomoz. Its a single one that is affected the other 3 are thriving so I doubt its a generic factor like water quality, wouldn't there be signs in all of them then? Its also been lethargic ever since going into the tank at first I thought the shop had given me the wrong number only 2 days later I saw the little guy.

pippoodle · Feb 10, 2009

are you sure you have it mounted properly and the top screwed in right
my filstar is silent as is my fluval

as for the hagen stingrays i dont use the cartriges i just use extra sponge and floss where the cartridges go (couldnt afford replacing the cartridges every month) , i have 3 of these and they are fine and very quiet