Filter Suggestions

[LionessN3cubs]

I need some advice from those in the know....


I was thinking about buying a canister filter BUT I need one that is CHEAP but isn't a TOTAL piece of junk.

Keep in mind that what I have now (penguin filter) came with a kit and isn't high quality either...I'd just like a canister filter that takes a different type of media and ISNT LOUD...I CANNOT have something that makes alot of noise because I have an autistic spectrum child who is VERY sensitive to noise. If it can be heard acrossed a room over people talking, its too loud.


Okay, I see that this is a joke...external canisters just dont come cheap LOL

But....there has to be something out there that has a better media than mine does...something that has ceramic rings or something like that. I dont even know what the real difference is between an internal and external...definately need some help with filters before I go buy one I dont want and waste money I shouldnt be spending anyways LOL

 

[rewlyn]

I need some advice from those in the know....


I was thinking about buying a canister filter BUT I need one that is CHEAP but isn't a TOTAL piece of junk.

Keep in mind that what I have now (penguin filter) came with a kit and isn't high quality either...I'd just like a canister filter that takes a different type of media and ISNT LOUD...I CANNOT have something that makes alot of noise because I have an autistic spectrum child who is VERY sensitive to noise. If it can be heard acrossed a room over people talking, its too loud.


Okay, I see that this is a joke...external canisters just dont come cheap LOL

But....there has to be something out there that has a better media than mine does...something that has ceramic rings or something like that. I dont even know what the real difference is between an internal and external...definately need some help with filters before I go buy one I dont want and waste money I shouldnt be spending anyways LOL

G'DAY i have both internal and external filters in my 45gal, the external is about a 3rd of the litreage eg;intenal pumps 800 litres per hour
and my external pumps 360 litres per hour and yet im almost positive the my external does a better job, if i wasnt listening to my LFS when i started this hobby i would not own an internal. i got the smallest one i could buy and at wholesale(now good friends with the LFS) it cost me $108.00 aus
so it wont be cheap but worth your while. you could always check ebay for cheaper but just as good ones too.

as to what brand, etc. i would PM "FATHEADMINNOW" he seems to be cluey that way

P.S. Penguins dont belong in fish tanks, otherwise id breed them.

 

[OldMan47]

One dirt cheap alternative for packing in whatever you like for media is a box filter. It is basically a simple plastic box that you can load any way that you want. It runs using bubbles from an air pump and can be configured to hold lots of ceramic media or whatever else you please. It does not give the high flows that people like to get the great mechanical filtration we have all become accustomed to seeing but can be an excellent biological filter. Another simple option for a cheap and fairly good biological filter is a sponge filter driven by a power head. The media is definitely not flexible, it is a simple sponge, but it can be all that you really need for a healthy tank. I use both of these options in small tanks and for fry tanks because they do not suck up the fry but they keep the water chemistry pristine. If you look into a tank using only a box filter, you will see small particles floating around looking like dust particles in the air on a hot summer day.

 

[waterdrop]

I would think the smallest Tetratec (the EX600?) external cannister would be the least expensive "high-quality" type out there. Or perhaps one of the old eheim classics which might be available in an even smaller volume model (we're still only talking of the 10g here, right Lioness?) and therefor might be less expensive than the EX600.. have no idea what any of these would cost. OM47 is right, of course, re the really cheap additional type things that are possible. Also, there are the larger AquaClear HOBs that are flexible wrt media and are good filters. Thought I saw you on about ACs in a different thread perhaps.

~~waterdrop~~