dulcisveteranus
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2015
- Messages
- 110
So I have been in the hobby for 2 years and I have already kept a variety of fish tanks. Turtle tanks, betta tanks, planted tanks, FOWLRs, and reefs. In the beginning of my hobby I have always been under the impression of needing big filters for your tank. I usually had a rule of thumb on buying filters. The rated size needs to be 20 gallons more than the volume of your aquarium. But I started with a small internal filter rated up to 10 gallons for my first tank (which was a 10 gallon). This is the Cascade 300 internal filter and I have used it for a lot of tanks. I've kept it in my FOWLR, 20g Reef tank, and even for a short time in my 55 gallon planted as an emergency filter because my other broke down. As a matter of fact, I am still using it today in my 29 gallon planted tank! It provides ample surface agitation, enough space for media, and my SAEs play in the current a lot. And yes everytime I've used this filter it has successfully cycled my tanks within a month! Maybe there is a reason I missed as to not use small filters, but all my fish seem to be happy and my tank is looking healthy.