What Filter Is Better?

[razer121]

at the moment i have a interpet pf1 and it has suddenly started to vibrate really badly, not impressed so ive gone out and got myself a clear seal 380, now im not sure but does anyone know which one is better? i just want one that doest make horrendous noises! thanks in advance

 

[jonny_dw]

Ive never used those filters but I use fluval externals and LOVE them. Got one in the bedroom and its fine, only a slight hum but not noticeable when your trying to sleep.

I hear tetratec are very quiet too.

 

[razer121]

Ive never used those filters but I use fluval externals and LOVE them. Got one in the bedroom and its fine, only a slight hum but not noticeable when your trying to sleep.

I hear tetratec are very quiet too.

see im totaly new and real unsure on this, i dont really understand the filters that are outside the tank, do they need anything extra? like pipes and such im well lost on them

 

[gaz gun man]

at the moment i have a interpet pf1 and it has suddenly started to vibrate really badly, not impressed so ive gone out and got myself a clear seal 380, now im not sure but does anyone know which one is better? i just want one that doest make horrendous noises! thanks in advance

Have you tried cleaning out the impellor on the interpet? I have a small Rena internal in my tank which got abit noisy lately until I gave it a good clean out (in tank water of course) which returned it to pretty much silent operation.

 

[saltynay]

Hey razer, I think your sig is probably a cryptic language for most people on this forum.

I have the PF1 if you take it off the bracket and give it a good twist and shake it should help air bubbles to be released which should alleviate the problem if not open it up and remove the impellor and check for dirt or clogging then return it and try again. I have my water level about 0.5-1cm above the outlet pipe just in case yours is to low to provide adequate water movement within the pump.

Externals are very good but quite expensive I would just stick to your internal for now until you get a little more experienced.

 

[gaz gun man]

Ive never used those filters but I use fluval externals and LOVE them. Got one in the bedroom and its fine, only a slight hum but not noticeable when your trying to sleep.

I hear tetratec are very quiet too.

see im totaly new and real unsure on this, i dont really understand the filters that are outside the tank, do they need anything extra? like pipes and such im well lost on them

basically they sit under your tank, suck water via a plastic tube into them, which is then passed through various media and then pumped back into the tank. The biggest advantage over internals is that they contain much more filter media and better turn-over rates.

I bought mine before I even had a tank (reading up on here advised externals over internals) so I was a total noob setting it up, so dont let that put you off. Also, the Fluval filters come with DVD's which show you how to set them up, which helped me alot when it came to installing it.

 

[razer121]

wow lots more help then i expected! well no matter what i try it wont stop, if anything it sounds worse now! ive tryed to clean the impeller, this didnt help and also have pulled the filter up...still not helping youve all got me intrested in the external filters, just a matter of looking them up and working them out thanks guys

at saltynay - i kinda knew not many would understand my sig but thats ok lol

 

[saltynay]

For your research razer into externals these may be suitable and are quite recommended

Fluval 305
Fluval 405
Fluval FX5
Tetratec Ex1200
Eheim classics range

 

[waterdrop]

The main contender companies are Eheim, Fluval, Rena and Tetratec (alphabetical order). Some of these manufacturers have multiple lines of external cannister filters that might include models that might make sense for you to research. Because filters are so core to the hobby, peoples comments about them often get pretty biased towards ones they own and like or against ones they've had bad experiences with.

~~waterdrop~~