What Filter

[Craig89]

i have a 125l tank and need a filter can any one recomend me an quiet internal filter please .

 

[SJ2K]

Internal? Do it propperly with an external, a cheap quality option is the ever popular tetratec range, for 125l probably go for the Ex700.

 

[Craig89]

Yeah really did want internall as space is an issue i no external ones are not that big but would prefer an internal one.

 

[Craig89]

i am thinking maybe a fluval 3 but last time i had one the prop inside tended to be rather noisy

 

[sjolliff]

I had a fluavl U3 on my 125L before swapping to an external, it was spot on and fluval internals are highly recommened

 

[Craig89]

Fluval 3 it is i just wonderd about the noise as its right next to the bed and are they ok to use with sand or is it best to use them with gravel ?

 

[sjolliff]

My U3 was quiet, but it was in the front room not bedrom, you might hear soem noise but not much

 

[laura_smithuk]

I have a Fluval 3 for sale, only few months old. make me an offer if you want. PM me

 

[SJ2K]

Eheim internals are good.

 

[OldMan47]

I have used the Fluval 4+ internal for well over a year now and have never heard it running. It moves water fine so it must be doing OK but is silent in actual use. Another silent approach is to use a sponge filter for your size tank and power it with a power head located a few inches below the water surface. I have one of these with a large power head on my 55 gallon tank and can't hear it with my ear pressed to the tank.

Yes 18 cm across by about 13 cm tall is a big sponge but we are talking about a tank that would hold about 200 litres of water.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I too have Fluval 4 + in my 125 litre. It's brilliant. 9 months and no dead fish due to poor water. I don't hear a thing other than the water agitation. It is quite large.. I'd be interested in going for the external approach someday though.

 

[OldMan47]

An external, what we call a canister in the US, is great filter but can be costly and does need a place to put it while in use. I have several on different tanks. Even a HOB, hang on back, takes up some room outside the profile of the tank and can be hard to use in a small space.

 

[Craig89]

well i have the fluval 3 now can hear it a little but nothing i will lose sleep over i am intrested in the external filters now after so many people have recomended them just a few questions. How Easy are they to keep, What sort of maintenance (spelling) is involved and do they run silent and which would you recomend for a 125l juwel rio. Thanks Guys.

 

[sjolliff]

I had a tetratec EX1200 on my 125L after a week of running in it was almost silent, really easy to use and maintain and will run a bigger tank if you decide to get one without having to cycle a filter again or you could get the EX600, Eheim are also good. IMO i would stay away from fluval externals mine leaked after a few days, but some people run fine with them, im just basing my opinon on my experience

 

[OldMan47]

I have a Rena Filstar XP2 running on a 55 gallon tank and it does great in that use. I have a few 29 gallon tanks filtered by Rena XP1 filters, while my big 6 foot long community tank has an XP3 on it. For a tank around 33 gallons, I think the Rena XP1 would do the job nicely. I have a few other canisters that work OK but like the quiet and the easy maintenance of the Rena Filstar series filters. The only time I have had any noise is when I ignored the instructions and made an inlet hose a bit longer than I should have. The hose got a bit of a kink in it and the flow restriction on the filter inlet made it draw in air.

Maintenance is a breeze. Every few months, when the filter needs cleaning, I unplug the filter and use the built in shutoff to shut off the hoses and remove them from the filter. One easy lift of a lever does both functions. Next you carry the filter to a sink so that anything that spills doesn't make a mess. Remove the pumping head from the top by unsnapping 4 hold down snaps, and remove the basket(s). An XP1 only has one but the number refers to how many baskets there are. Use a bucket of tank water to clean the basket contents, dump the water from the filter canister and return the basket(s) to the proper place in the filter. Open the pump area of the power head and clean the impeller and the well that it sits in. Put the filter top back on and carry the empty filter to the tank. Connect the hoses and push the shutoff valve lever back down. Wait 30 seconds or so for the canister to fill with water then plug in the filter.
Done
Total elapsed time for my big XP3 is about 20 minutes if it is really filthy when I start. Sometimes it is quicker especially on the XP1s.

A couple of the cleaned baskets waiting to go back in.

The whole stack of baskets after they have been cleaned. The funny shaped top on the top basket matches a cutout area in the pump head.

XP3 with the lid off and only two baskets in place. The particular one on top holds bioballs. The plastic screen on the top exists on each basket.

Ready to put the lid on

Filter assembled but not in place at the tank. You can see where the hoses attach to the top.