Best HOB Filter?

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Thanks soo much everyone! sorry for the late reply ( school and then work). so the concensous is AC are the best? i dont think i have seen them at my local petsmart so does petco carry them?
 
I own both Aqua Clear and Fluval C series of filters. They are both made by Hagen so you can expect similar quality. To me, the Fluval C series wins hands down. It's basically an updated Aqua Clear that's more refined. I particularly like the modular design which allows you to customize your media choices like a canister. The wet/dry filtration is a neat feature and i love the compartment that contains the c-nodes.. There's a nozzle that spurts water over the bio media like rain drops that promotes a good combination of oxygen exchange and water to keep your beneficial bacteria alive and kicking.

I have the C2 currently setup on my 10g dwarf puffer tank. These are notoriously messy fish due to their voracious carnivorous appetites. The C2 has done a superb job in keeping the tank clean. I like it better than my Aqua Clear, but the Aqua Clear is still a fine choice. I recommend either.

Amazon.com or Dr. Fosters usually have great prices on them. Although paying a little extra and supporting your LFS is the nice thing to do :)
 
Although paying a little extra and supporting your LFS is the nice thing to do :)[/QUOTE]


+1!!
 
Ok so my next questions are....are either of these filters sand safe? i have also heard alot about power heads. what are they exactly? in regards to how do they work? is it worth putting one on my tank? i know my loaches would love one, but would my angels be ok with one?
 
Sand safe? If sand gets sucked up into any power filter there is a chance of trashing the impeller. You can put a sponge over the intake if it concerns you that much or you have fish that like to throw sand around.
 
Aquaclear 70

I have a Aquaclear 70 with sand, I turn the filter off when servicing and adding water such as a water change, no problem. I Highly suggest the Aquaclear, I got mine from amazon.com, did the free trial of Amazon Prime got free shipping!!

You have to turn off your filter no matter what filter you get, when gravel vac, adding water etc. I have Petco brand sand, its a heavy grain doesn't get kicked up, but soft enough for my cory buddies!!
 
Oceangirl said:
I have a Aquaclear 70 with sand, I turn the filter off when servicing and adding water such as a water change, no problem. I Highly suggest the Aquaclear, I got mine from amazon.com, did the free trial of Amazon Prime got free shipping!!

You have to turn off your filter no matter what filter you get, when gravel vac, adding water etc. I have Petco brand sand, its a heavy grain doesn't get kicked up, but soft enough for my cory buddies!!
Click to expand...

no i know you have to turn filters off duing pwc but it specifically says on the top fin filter boxes DO NOT USE WITH SAND! so i was just wondering if the fluval or ac said something similar.
 
blert said:
Sand safe? If sand gets sucked up into any power filter there is a chance of trashing the impeller. You can put a sponge over the intake if it concerns you that much or you have fish that like to throw sand around.
Click to expand...

No im saying that on the TopFin 60 filter boxes it specifically says Do Not Use With Sand, yet on biowheel filter boxes it says safe for fresh water or marine usage.
 
They print that on the box to make sure you know that the warranty will not cover damage to the impeller by sand ingestion. As I said before... There is no "sand safe" power filter. If sand gets into the motor it may cause damage. If you are careful and/or prepare for it you will have no problem. I use sand in all my tanks and have never killed a filter (except for my POS Penguin 200 backup filter but that was my fault, I forgot it was on and flung a handful of sand right at the intake).
 
ok, thanks for the clarification.

Tomorrow i will be going to petsmart and will most likely be buying a fluval, as all hell has broken loose. earlier today i was walking by my tank amd i heard a "garnarn garnanrn narngrr rrrrr rrrr rr" type sound and when i took apart my filter to see if a peice of plant material clogged my filter i found that the impeller was crooked and mangled with 3 little peices of impeller stuck in the floss bag of my media and no plant material anywhere. i am at a loss for how this happened as i do not currently have sand either.

i am now running a continually failing topfin 60 running at approx 1/6 power right now and an old wisper 20i (intank filter). i dont have time to run to petsmart right now because i have work in about an and hour and a half hopfully i will run to to petsmart first thing.

I have now learned that topfin sucks, and that the cheapest filter is cheap for a reason.
 
The Fluval is a great choice. Try to save some of the bio media from your current filter. Keep the beneficial bacteria alive by keeping it submerged in some tank water with an airstone. When you get the new filter, you can 'seed' it with the seasoned media. This will help speed the colonization of bacteria on the biomax and sponge.

As mentioned by someone earlier, you can get a pre-filter sponge to slip over the intake strainer to prevent sand from entering the filter. Another option is using some panty hose.
 
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