for malawis- what filter

[FiSHY925]

which filter should i use for my new tank of malawi cichlids. sponge, or aquaclear

 

[semper fi]

sponges are good for holding good bacteria. also used sponges are handy for seeding future tanks. no cycling. i run my tanks that are 55gallon and under on sponge filters alone.

never used the aquaclear. i really like the magnum filter though. it is a dual purpose filter. there is a media container with a sponge sleeve for daily use. this can be removed and a micron filter used for polishing the water. the magnum pro has the capacity to assist in vacuuming the gravel.

 

[DanL]

Aquaclears are very nice filters and they allow you to use a wide variety if filter media. Another nice thing about AquaClears is that you dont have to keep buying new filter media when you perfrom filter mantainance, just stock the filter with two standard Aquaclear sponges and when the time comes for filter cleaning just rinse out the sponges in used tank water or dechlorinated water...

If you really want to polish your water you can add a thin layer of filter floss between the two sponges.

 

[yhbae]

Sounds like Magnums do equivalent job as what AquaClears do... For my future large malawi (or tang) tanks, I'd use the combination of canister and Aqua Clear 500. This is for 80g tank though...

 

[gixer]

i use an ehiem wet and dry for biological filtration full of substrate pro (useless for mechanical) and a atman 2238 for mechanical filtration (full of sponge) works a treat. always crystal clear