Good cheap filter

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vanimal said:
Those are expensive filters and for a 10 gallon they are definitely not worth the money.
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We all have our opinions I suppose. At petsmart an aquaclear 20 is $18 and well worth the cost IMO
 
One way to add biomedia for cartridge style HOBs is by using ceramic rings and fishing line. Take a length of fishing line and tie it around a ceramic ring. Feed the line through a handful of rings and tie a knot around the last one. Leave some slack between the rings. Next, lower the string of rings into the HOB in a serpentine fashion (side to side) in the space between the cartridge and overflow lip. You may have to experiment with the number of rings.
Having the rings on a fishing line makes it convenient for removal when doing maintenance on the filter or rinsing the cartridge.
 
Okay the Whisper 10-15 internal filter I have has black sponge on a plastic grid that goes in first. Then it has a fiber bag filled with charcoal gravel that has a plastic grid thing in it that goes behind the black sponge. If this is what yours has just take the fiber bag out. Open it up and dump the charcoal out. Take some fiberfill and pull and fluff it into a pad. Push it inside of the bag and put back in the filter. Or take everything off of the bag grid. Take a knee high and pull it up over the plastic grid. Stuff fiberfill inside the nylon. Now you have a new filter. You bacteria lives on the black sponge which you will not be replacing for a very long time. Just rinse in tank water when doing water changes. Each solution costs only a couple of dollars at most.
 
It's a Whisper 10i filter. It has a biofilter cartridge and a bioscrubber insert. I rinse it in tank water nearly every time I water change to no avail. It is coated in what is best described as dark mud on one side and is covered in slimy fuzzy like stuff on the other. It is clogged more than not. I have taken the whole thing off and scrubbed it out in the sink. I have scraped all I can off the cartridge with a paper towel. I can't alter the cartridge at all other than rinse it in tank water. Idk what I can do with this thing.
 
I don't think so, the foam goes after the cartridge and serves as your biological media.
 
Aquaclears are IMO excellent filters! I'd recommend one for sure. You can use whatever media you want in them.
 
okapizebra said:
Aquaclears are IMO excellent filters! I'd recommend one for sure. You can use whatever media you want in them.
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Yes they are but the title says cheap filter. But if the OP is willing to spend a little extra money then an Aquaclear would be great.
 
I think a Sponge Filter would be an effective, cheap filter. A 10 gallon would be perfect for one.
 
That is probably not why your filter is getting clogged but you need the black foam for you bacteria. Those filter bags are just really sucky. They grow slimy stuff very easily. I threw mine away and got a sheet of filter padding and cut my own. I just cut a strip as wide as the plastic thing, folded it over it, secured it with the clip and put it in the filter. Works better. You also need to twist the bottom of the filter off and clean the impeller. That is where the slime starts. It tells you how to do that in the instructions. Or here is a you tube video that shows how.

Cleaning whisper 2-10i internal power filter - YouTube

Once you get rid of what is in the impeller housing and replace the filter you should be good.
 
I wish someone had said that in the store. Next water change I'll tear the sucker apart and de-slime it.

You say they grow slime easily? (Sarcasm follows) I totally could not tell with my inch long slime strings. Had no idea.

Those black thingies. Do they sell them at like Petco, or do I have to order them?
 
They should sell them at any place they sell the filters. Or you could find any sponge that would fit the frame and glue it on with plain old crazy glue. Or just use a piece of knee high on it and get some bio rings and put them in the bottom of the filter. You just need something with lots of area to hold the bacteria. It will grow on almost anything. The bio sponge is just what Whisper came up with.
 
Strangely they didn't have the bio-foam at Petco. I got a sponge at Walmart that I'll add. I got a new cartridge that I'll put in with the nasty one for a week or two before removing the old one and putting in the sponge. Hopefully I'll avoid much of a recycle that way.
 
Should work out okay. Put the new filter in front of the old so the water flows through the old filter and into the new. Should help the bacteria transfer better.
You may have a little mini cycle but nothing drastic.
 
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