Price increase

[Jennet33 91]

My flab is well and truly gasted!

Just been to my lfs to pick up a new filter. The Oase filter I bought in May has gone from £41 to £64.

Mine was free to me as even though I could not find the receipt, one of the staff serving there remembers me going in and buying it. I went on to Amazon UK to look at the price on there, but they are only selling the one's without the heater included. Mine had the heater with it, so maybe that accounts for some of the cost. I gather Oase is or is becoming a known brand in the UK, but that much of a difference in price? WOW.

 

[Back in the fold10 7]

We , everyone , is getting bent over and reamed by businesses of every kind . We’re in late stage capitalism and the hounds are sniffing out every last dollar or pound as your case is .

 

[TwoTankAmin46]

You do not want to know what I paid for may Eheim canisters, Aquaclear hang-ons etc. I have owned these for the last 15-24 years. I have H.O,T, Magnums running for over 20 years. Marineland stopped making them.

I won't buy canisters which have heaters inside them for a number of reason:
1- I would rather have media in that space.
2- Usually you need to get their brand of heater. So if it breaks.......
3- I have a better solution- An In-line heater placed in the return hose. I use Hydors.

OK, my first Aquaclear 100 (now a model 20) cost me $9.99 (£7.39).

(edited for a few typos)

 

[GaryE14 12]

I agree with @TwoTankAmin on filters with heaters in them. Heaters are short lived devices compared to filters, and when they fail, you'll discover they've been discontinued or cost more than an entire new unit. Integrated heaters were a popular thing in the 90s, and ended up largely off the market because of that. People stopped buy them when the weakest link took out the whole filter.

The American wars are raising prices on everything, even in non targeted countries. Shipping costs are up, and are also a good excuse for price gouging. We live in expensive times.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford53 169]

Ebay is my go to. You have to hunt and shop, but there are great deals out there. This past January I bought a brand new Aquael canister filter for $80 off retail and free shipping. Also this summer I bought a cooling fan, brand new in the box. It sells for $45 on Amazon, I got it for less than $20.

 

[Jennet33 91]

The heater is totally independent of the filter, even has it's own plug, buy yeah you're right, it is taking up room that could have had more filter material. It did also come with an independent hanger as well. I bought it way before I came across this forum, and before I had really put any research into re-starting the hobby. We live and learn.

I have ordered a simple foam and media holder that runs from an air line, so will put this in also when it comes, along with a few plants I have just picked up.

I prefer Amazon to Ebay as you get the reviews, and can easily see what the facts are by reading the negative reviews as well as the top ones. I like it when people say how long it lasted before it broke down.

 

[malfunction28]

Tbh, I’ve found everything has surged in price since Covid. I’ve had a fluval fx6 since 2013, and when I looked at the latest version it was £100 more expensive! That encouraged me to learn how to build my own filters, so my tanks that previously would’ve had two big canister filters now have a sump or diy power/sponge filter hybrid costing less than £20

 

[Jennet33 91]

@malfunction What sort of litres per hour or whatever the relevant measurement is can your diy power/sponge filter hybrid move. I have started to get a few air pump driven sponge filters to get them ready to go in with what I am now beginning to set up as a shrimp tank.

Could I run my 80 litre with them do you think. Do not want to go sump way, used to have undergravel filters in the 70's and 90's and remember what a pain they were. Also do not have the space for them in my lounge.

 

[malfunction28]

Firstly, undergravel filter is a dirty word in my house - I hate the things and can’t understand why anyone still uses them.

My “hybrid filters” are basically just a diy sponge filter with a power head attached instead of an air pump. The noise from air pumps drives me mad, so I used power heads instead to make them silent.

The power heads I use are 150l/h because these are on my breeding tanks, which are only 100l and modestly stocked. They’re usb as well so minimal power usage. You can increase turnover by buying a more powerful power head, but I’ve found these work perfectly for biological filtration (not had any nitrite or ammonia spikes - even when family overfed when I was on holiday).

They’re really easy to make - just drill holes in an old bottle, attach the power head, wrap it with sponge media, and if you want add some bio media inside the bottle. Dirt cheap to make and works really well - absolutely silent too. I’ll see if I can find a link

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen diy builds where you use a sponge filter instead of a bottle, but I might have hallucinated that. I’ll see if I can find a link

For biological filtration, these will easily work for an 80l tank. For mechanical filtration, the higher the filter’s turnover, the better it’ll be. But I’m guessing you’re not looking for really strong flow in a shrimp tank

 

[Jennet33 91]

@malfunction What is a powerhead?? I will go and look it up, but at the moment, I'm puzzled.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford53 169]

Firstly, undergravel filter is a dirty word in my house - I hate the things and can’t understand why anyone still uses them.

Because they are a very good filter and relatively low maintenance.
With the proper size substrate, very few filters can match the surface area of an UGF.

 

[Jennet33 91]

I used old fashioned UGF in 70's and 90's but my health would preclude the necessary clean out when required now due to the amount of preferably unbroken time it takes. My tolerance for standing and working in one spot without regular rests now just does not allow me to do this. My Autistic grandsons predeliction for messing with things and the fact that I don't have sufficient room in my lounge for a external canister filter. Also my lfs only offered internal filters other than the external canisters. I had not seen sponge filters in aquariums until joined this forum and also when I looked on Amazon for some bits and bobs

I do however like the look of the internal foam filters. Even more so now that I think I would like to keep neocardinia also. Therefore, I think I will get a decent foam filter. I already have a dual outlet low 4.0w power air pump delivering 4.0 LPM sufficient for up to 400 litre aquariums. I am thinking of getting this foam filter from Amazon UK to go with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hygger-Aqu...r-Increasing/dp/B07RDJC1D3/?tag=fishforums-20

I have already bought some filter media other than foam, as I was going to replace half of the sponge filter on my Oase 100 with it on the top half (furthest away from the bottom inlet).

If I get the sponge filter, I will then be able to keep my Oase as a spare filter once I have run the foam one alongside to Oase for a while to get foam primed with sufficient bacteria to run on own.

What do people think please?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford53 169]

I used old fashioned UGF in 70's and 90's but my health would preclude the necessary clean out when required now due to the amount of preferably unbroken time it takes. My tolerance for standing and working in one spot without regular rests now just does not allow me to do this. My Autistic grandsons predeliction for messing with things and the fact that I don't have sufficient room in my lounge for a external canister filter. Also my lfs only offered internal filters other than the external canisters. I had not seen sponge filters in aquariums until joined this forum and also when I looked on Amazon for some bits and bobs

I do however like the look of the internal foam filters. Even more so now that I think I would like to keep neocardinia also. Therefore, I think I will get a decent foam filter. I already have a dual outlet low 4.0w power air pump delivering 4.0 LPM sufficient for up to 400 litre aquariums. I am thinking of getting this foam filter from Amazon UK to go with it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hygger-Aqu...r-Increasing/dp/B07RDJC1D3/?tag=fishforums-20

I have already bought some filter media other than foam, as I was going to replace half of the sponge filter on my Oase 100 with it on the top half (furthest away from the bottom inlet).

If I get the sponge filter, I will then be able to keep my Oase as a spare filter once I have run the foam one alongside to Oase for a while to get foam primed with sufficient bacteria to run on own.

What do people think please?

There's a few different manufacturers making basically the same filter, they work very well. Make sure you rinse it out often enough, depending on your waste load, so that the foam/sponge doesn't clog.
There is a reason why many of the more "primitive" filters like sponge filters and UGF are still on the market today. They work well. They are easy to maintain. They are relatively inexpensive with few to zero moving parts to replace, and oh yeah did I mention they work?

 

[Jennet33 91]

Smallish waste load with 8 green neon rasboras, 8 chili rasboras and 4 celestial pearl danio's and hopefully a few cherry neocardinia in an 80 litre.

I have also started setting up a small 24 litre that I initially bought as a quarantine tank which I have now decided to keep as a neocardinia tank with a few corydoras. Sand base and some plants. Already beginning to prime the little corner foam filter for that by running it in my main tank.

I have already worked out I can easily get at leas another two of those small tanks in the book case next to me, as well as still having a 'hole' in one of my larger pieces of furnture when I shift some tall vivs out of it, so can get a 3 foot one in there.

I love low cost but effective, bring it on!

 

[malfunction28]

Because they are a very good filter and relatively low maintenance.
With the proper size substrate, very few filters can match the surface area of an UGF.

Ohhh, you mean this is that Stockholm syndrome thing. Gotcha