New Filter

[jrp1588]

I currently have a whisper 40 gallon filter on my aquarium, and frankly...it's useless. About 3/4 of the water overflows from the filter without ever being filtered. I was thinking either a canister filter...or a HOB that actually forces the water through the media. I would look myself, but there are so many filters, and I figure you all have a favorite...

 

[greenmaji]

It sounds like you have a dirty filter... not a bad one.. try cleaning it..

 

[Jchillin]

Ahhh...another filter advice request. If it's a HOB you want, the AquaClear is very good. The water cannot re-enter the tank without going through three stages of media.

For a canister, the Fluval 304 is probably one of the best (if not the best). Again, water cannot flow independent of the media.

 

[jrp1588]

The media's been in there for about a week and a half, and even when it's perfectly clean, it overflows a little. I refuse to clean or replace the media every week. The aquaclear looks good...and much less expensive than a canister

 

[greenmaji]

All HOB filters are designed to put the water back into the tank if the filter is too dirty.. even my Aqua Clear.. The intake section is designed to let the water flow back into the tank around the intake tube if the filter gets too diry with them..
If its getting dirty too fast then you might be overfeeding or you could use a sponge on the intake.

 

[severum mama]

If you are looking at HOBs, I would recommend the Aquaclear, Emperor, or Penguin models. Are you looking for a replacement for the 30 gal in your sig? If so, I'd go with the Aquaclear 70 (300), Emperor 280, or maybe the Penguin 200B (the 350B might be too much current). It really just comes down to preference- the Emperors and Penguins have the Biowheel, but the cartridges are expensive and they are louder than the ACs- still a good filter though. The Aquaclears have no Biowheel, but come with ceramic rings, a carbon insert, and a foam block. They are very cheap to maintain, as you don't really need to replace the foam unless it gets torn up, and as far as I can tell you never have to replace the ceramic rings. You can just rinse the foam block in old tankwater (NEVER in tapwater) every once in a while during your PWCs. I don't use the carbon in mine, I just stack 2 foam blocks in there and put the ceramic rings on top and this works well for me.

You probably already know, but don't forget to run both your old and new filter together on the tank for a couple weeks. This will seed the new filter and prevent a cycle when you remove the old filter. HTH

 

[jrp1588]

alrighty, thanks.

 

[Guest]

It sounds like you have a dirty filter... not a bad one.. try cleaning it..

Well put. I have a Whisper too and this happens when the media gets too dirty for enough of the water to flow through. I get my relacement media so cheap at BigAls though I have no qualms about throwing in new stuff whenever I need to.

 

[jrp1588]

I'm gonna buy an aquaclear anyway. The media is much less expensive...or free since I could probably just clean out the sponge and reuse it pretty much forever.

 

[greenmaji]

You might want to find out why your current filter is getting dirty(and figure out how to fix that situation).. Otherwise your going to have the same problem with the new Aqua Clear..

 

[jrp1588]

Well, I put in a new filter cartridge before I left for myrtle beach for the week, so I'd say my neighbor fed too much while I was gone or something. It usually takes a few weeks to get dirty.

 

[cinciboy]

Change the media and see. Also look around the impeller for debris..

 

[DeFeKt]

what exactly is the whisper 40 gallon filter?

 

[jrp1588]

Well the media was dirty, but even with brand new media in it right now, it's still overflowing a bit.

 

[severum mama]

Go with the Aquaclear if you have the cash to spend. I think you will like it better, and it is very quiet. JMO

 

[jrp1588]

I think it was like, $15 at petsmart or something. So I'm gonna get it next time I make a trip to the pet store.