Recommended Filter For 240 Litre Tank

[TheTankMan]

Hi fellow fish fanatics! 

 
A few weeks back I bought a second-hand Juwel Rio 240 and right now it has the standard Juwel internal filtration system, which in my opinion is big, ugly and takes up a lot of valuable swimming space, but does an alright job of cleaning the water nevertheless.
 
I am planning to remove this filter and replace it with an external filter or at least something which takes up minimal space in the tank.
 
I'm looking for powerful filtration that will give me "crystal clear" water, but also good value for money (less than £100)
 
I would appreciate it if you could recommend a specific model, and if you have a 240l tank yourself, please do not hesitate to post what filter you use and how good it is at its job.
 
I just want one filter for the tank, not multiple. 
 
In terms of future stock for the tank, im planning on keeping small fish: dwarf cichlids, oto's, a shoal of Harlequins, amano shrimp etc
 
I've done a bit of research and have come across several possible candidates, such as the Aquaclear 110 which I'm not convinced will be powerful enough for my tank, various All Pond Solutions models which seem like good value and of course Eheim filters which are great but a bit pricey. Does anyone have experience with these brands/models particularly with a 240l tank?
 
Thank you 

 

[TheTankMan]

Is there really nobody who can recommend a good, cheap filter for a 240l tank that will give me crystal clear water?

 

[fm1978]

Have a look at this one...
 
External plus UV light for your crystal clear water!
 
http/www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/aquarium-1/aquarium-filters/external-filters/aquarium-external-filter-1400-l-h-9w-uv.html

 

[fluttermoth]

I run APS filters on all my big tanks and am very happy with them.

Do be aware of two things; they're cheap, so the build quality isn't the highest, therefore you have to be a bit gentle with them and they flow rate does drop off considerably once they're full of media (that is true of a lot of filters though, not just APS).

I would go with the 2000lph model, which will give you around 1200lph in real terms.

 

[Garbolino]

I have two jewel rio 240 tanks & I'm using fluval 306 external filters on them, I'm very happy with them very easy to maintain & set up

 

[TheTankMan]

Okay thank you all for replying, I have decided to go for an All Pond Solutions filter, however I have 2 questions on my mind
 
1. Will the 1400lph or the 2000lph be more appropriate for my 240l tank?
I've heard that the lph that the filter actually processes is drastically reduced when you insert the filter media into the filter, so will the 1400lph be enough to give me crystal clear water?\ will the 2000lph be too powerful and disturb the fish in the tank?
 
2. Does anyone know how effective UV sterilisation actually is? Will it be expensive and time-consuming having to repeatedly replace the bulbs every couple of months? Will the filter give me clear water without using the UV steriliser?
 
Thank you for your time and support guys, really appreciate it 

 

[numptynuts]

I recently got the 2000lph model for my 270l tank and I don't think the flow is excessive at all. With the spray bar pointing slightly upwards I have some surface movement yet not too much to upset the frogbit that meanders around. Also all my plants within the tank can be seen to sway ever so gently, to the point that I may consider a powerhead to actually increase the flow in the future.
 
The filter is by no means stuffed with media as I only transferred what was in my 305 previously and only have 2 of the 4 supplied filter wool pads in it. I do run a prefilter canister for mechanical filtration so this may slow the flow a little, but not drastically.
 
I would advise that you check the dimensions of the filter as the 2k model is quite large and is a snug fit in my cabinet.
 
Can't help with regards to the UV I'm afraid.

 

[TheTankMan]

Okay thanks, I'm tending towards getting the All Pond Solutions 2000lph model without UV steriliser
 
I've read on other forums that people rarely use the UV light, it needs to be changed regularly (every couple of months at least), and is quite prone to breaking, so I don't think I'll risk it and I'll save the 15 quid difference for something else in the tank.
 
Also, if I do ever need a UV steriliser, I'll just buy one  separately from APS.
 
Thanks for the input guys

 

[fluttermoth]

Yeah; I don't use the UV light on any of mine. 
 
Definitely go for the 2000lph model. 

 

[Garbolino]

You can't have too much filtration, & if the output is to much you can adjust the valve

 

[raptorrex]

Hi fellow fish fanatics! 

 
A few weeks back I bought a second-hand Juwel Rio 240 and right now it has the standard Juwel internal filtration system, which in my opinion is big, ugly and takes up a lot of valuable swimming space, but does an alright job of cleaning the water nevertheless.
 
I am planning to remove this filter and replace it with an external filter or at least something which takes up minimal space in the tank.
 
I'm looking for powerful filtration that will give me "crystal clear" water, but also good value for money (less than £100)
 
I would appreciate it if you could recommend a specific model, and if you have a 240l tank yourself, please do not hesitate to post what filter you use and how good it is at its job.
 
I just want one filter for the tank, not multiple. 
 
In terms of future stock for the tank, im planning on keeping small fish: dwarf cichlids, oto's, a shoal of Harlequins, amano shrimp etc
 
I've done a bit of research and have come across several possible candidates, such as the Aquaclear 110 which I'm not convinced will be powerful enough for my tank, various All Pond Solutions models which seem like good value and of course Eheim filters which are great but a bit pricey. Does anyone have experience with these brands/models particularly with a 240l tank?
 
Thank you 

Cheap good quality filters?
get yourself 2x Eheim 2224 they can be bought second hand for £30 ish each (that tends to include media) and will last for several decades.
parts, if you are ham fisted, are readily avaliable from any good LFS
and you wil not need to know the customer service number, because you will never need it.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Have to agree that you can't have too much filtration for any tank.
 
I have a 90 litre tank and currently running an external Tetratec EX 1200 filter (got it fairly cheap second hand), way too big but has control valves so can adjust the flow output to suit my tank. And I am using a spray bar that about an inch under the surface of the water with the nozzles pointing slightly upwards towards the front of the tank. Excellent flow control and no dead spots in my tank as well.
 
Apparently its best is to have the spraybar above the water surface but that creates quite a bit of noise (I can't hear the noises since am deaf! so cannot comment on that part of things!!) but I did find that there was too much water disturbance for my tank setup.
 
If you find that you still have too much flow, you can enlarge the holes on the spray bar nozzles to adjust flow output. There are all sorts of tips you can use when comes to filters.
 
Bear in mind, some types of fish and plants do not like too much water flow so do research first on the preferences of your tank stocking.
 
And agree that you have to the the actual physical size of filter into consideration if you have a cabinet, mine is a snug fit, just about got away with that!