So i have a few options here, so was wondering if you could help with the plus and minus. I have written what i think they are, but i am open to disagreement!
Currently all 4 tanks i have with fry, or breeding fish in, have sponge air driven filters. This is away to get an update with a HUGE pond pump which is going to replace lots of small aquarium ones which are linked together. But i have more options, so would like to find out what what the view is on each one and what is best for me...
Option 1: Sponge air driven filter
Currently running in my fry tank, and a couple other tanks just now.
Plus - cheap to run as it just needs an air filter - one will run all my tanks if needed
Negative - does not 'clean' the water, so a lot of rubbish will sit there rather than being sucked up and caught in a box filter?
Photo 1 below (Rubbish photo, i know!)
Option 2: External filter
I was given this by a friend for nothing. I tested it out, and it seems to work well with no leaks. It does not have that much room for media, but plenty for the 120L tank i would run it on
Plus - keeps all the media out of the tank, so more room for fish. With different sponges, i can clean the water a bit better
Negative - Not good for fry - getting sucked up etc. One plug, one filter, one tank...unlike air driven sponge filters.
Photo 2 below
Option 3: Internal DIY filter
My 120L tanks were built for Pets at Home who canceled their order (apparently) so i got them for £12.50 each! They have a partition in one end which is for filling with gravel, a plastic pipe runs along the base, and is connected to an airline tube. The gravel acts as the filter/bacteria column. I filled mine with lots of different media as it holds bacteria better than gravel.
Plus - Utilises the space at the end of the tank which otherwise confuses some of the fish a bit! But can be used to fill with plants or what ever.
Large amount of filtration, which can be increased with more air/pipes on the base. Runs off those air pumps again
Negative - Its within the tank, so wont be able to take it out to clean it ever.
Photo 3 below
So what do we think? What is my best option for the next couple tanks i set up?
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
Currently all 4 tanks i have with fry, or breeding fish in, have sponge air driven filters. This is away to get an update with a HUGE pond pump which is going to replace lots of small aquarium ones which are linked together. But i have more options, so would like to find out what what the view is on each one and what is best for me...
Option 1: Sponge air driven filter
Currently running in my fry tank, and a couple other tanks just now.
Plus - cheap to run as it just needs an air filter - one will run all my tanks if needed
Negative - does not 'clean' the water, so a lot of rubbish will sit there rather than being sucked up and caught in a box filter?
Photo 1 below (Rubbish photo, i know!)
Option 2: External filter
I was given this by a friend for nothing. I tested it out, and it seems to work well with no leaks. It does not have that much room for media, but plenty for the 120L tank i would run it on
Plus - keeps all the media out of the tank, so more room for fish. With different sponges, i can clean the water a bit better
Negative - Not good for fry - getting sucked up etc. One plug, one filter, one tank...unlike air driven sponge filters.
Photo 2 below
Option 3: Internal DIY filter
My 120L tanks were built for Pets at Home who canceled their order (apparently) so i got them for £12.50 each! They have a partition in one end which is for filling with gravel, a plastic pipe runs along the base, and is connected to an airline tube. The gravel acts as the filter/bacteria column. I filled mine with lots of different media as it holds bacteria better than gravel.
Plus - Utilises the space at the end of the tank which otherwise confuses some of the fish a bit! But can be used to fill with plants or what ever.
Large amount of filtration, which can be increased with more air/pipes on the base. Runs off those air pumps again
Negative - Its within the tank, so wont be able to take it out to clean it ever.
Photo 3 below
So what do we think? What is my best option for the next couple tanks i set up?
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3