Whats the BEST 10g HOB filter

[MiamiE]

Looking for a new filter for my 10 gallon planted tank. 1 betta and 6 neons are in the tank. I would like something that can create a strong current and break the water for the CO2 to escape at night. Let me know what you all recommend. Thanks!

 

[fish_4_all]

I would say the AC or the Penguin. Although if it is going to outgas CO2 at night it will do it during the day. I suppose you could set up something to be able to change the splash for each but I don't know how. An airstone would work just as well or turning off the CO2 will do it if you can.

 

[physicsdude]

I have a Penguin 150 on my 10 gallon and it works wonderfully. Never gotten any complaints from the fish!

 

[flip_lx]

if you are adding CO2 i would suggest the AquaClear 150/30 but if you just want lots of surface movement/aggitation the biowheel of the Penguin should be more than enough(think its the 150B model)

 

[afishyonados]

What type of plants?
Have you considered possibly experimenting with a timer? What if you turned on the filter in the evenings to degas? Just a thought. The filter would have a much smaller biological role in this situation.

As far as hang-ons are concerned, Marineland Bio-wheels.

 

[JRagg]

Still a little confused as to what you're looking for. I know you said you wanted a planted tank, but are you going to be adding CO2 to your tank or not? If you're doing a DIY CO2 mix, then you want to minimize surface agitation so the biowheel is pretty much out. With pressurized you can run an airstone at night to increase surface agitation if you're that concerned about CO2 levels.

Chances are with DIY CO2 you will never reach any poisonous levels of CO2, so increased surface agitation is not really necessary.

I've got a planted 10g tank with 2x2L for CO2 production. I use an aquaclear 30, and would reccomend that. Biowheel is pretty much a gimmick, and the ceramic stones that you get with your aquaclear will add more biological filtration than the biowheel will.

 

[afishyonados]

Gimmick? Wow.

 

[Burks]

I'd go with the Aqua Clear 20, also known as the mini. It goes for around $15 if you print out the online price page from Petsmart and take it to their store. My local Pets Supplies Plus has them on sale for $14 right now.

Great filter with a good amount of filtration choices. I use two foam filters and a bag of their ceramic rings. You can do it any way you wish. Adjustable flow too.

 

[rkilling1]

if you have a planted tank, you don't need biological filtration only mechanical.

EDIT:

edited to clarify that a planted tank that is mildly to heavily planted doesn't need biological filtration.

 

[hc8719]

Gimmick? Wow.

yes the biowheel is a gimmick just ask, the bio engineer guy, cant remember his name, i think it has monkey or reef in his name

 

[MyCatsDrool]

I have an AquaClear 20 on my 10 gallon planted aquarium. It is doing a very nice job.

 

[FishAddict]

I dont own one myself but i have heard very good things about the aquaclear 20 (or mini). if i were to buy a new HOB filter that would be the one.

 

[physicsdude]

A gimmick. Thats a new one. Ive used one for years and every time the bio-wheel stops moving, the ammonia levels peak up. Yet, when it is rolling,. ammonia levels are near 0. So, it works fine for me, and thats been with over 2 years of non-stop usage.
Yea, I have a Aquaclear mini on one tank. It is very effective. No doubt aquaclears are marineland's penguins closest peer.

 

[JohnPaul]

I own two Aquaclears (a 30 and something smaller...maybe the 20) and they are excellent HOB filters. Quiet, dependable, flexible, everything you could ask for.

 

[MiamiE]

I have a Red Sea CO2 system on the way. I am not using DIY CO2. Thanks for the feedback guys!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

A gimmick. Thats a new one. Ive used one for years and every time the bio-wheel stops moving, the ammonia levels peak up. Yet, when it is rolling,. ammonia levels are near 0. So, it works fine for me, and thats been with over 2 years of non-stop usage.
Yea, I have a Aquaclear mini on one tank. It is very effective. No doubt aquaclears are marineland's penguins closest peer.

I have to completely agree with you. It's not a gimick, and for the person that said it is, well, it's just his opinion. I have Marineland Bio-Wheels on my 55G and 26G, and yes, when the biowheels stop, I am able to read ammonia levels as I have a fairly heavy bioload in each tank, more than what the substrate alone can handle. So all biowheels in my tanks have to be functional. So yes, they do work and work well.

As for the tank, all depends on whether you use CO2 or not. AC's are recommended for the least amount of surface aggitation, and Marineland Biowheels are recommended if you aren't using CO2 and also with using Excel as your carbon source instead of CO2. I prefer the Emperors over the Penguins, as they operate off a spraybar rather than just water flow through the filter.

Also, the Whisper filters that come with 10G packages work well too. I used one for a while when I raised my first fry, I just placed a sponge over the intake so the fry wouldn't get sucked in. There was very little surface aggitation with the filter, and it did a fine job. If the Hydors I currently have doesn't pan out, will go back to my Whispers, as I'll have pressurized CO2 during the day.

 

[Tostada]

I've got a Bio-Wheel on my main tank and I like to hear the waterfall-like splashing on. I've got an AC on the quiet tank in my bedroom. No problems with either of them.

I think the filters that were referred to as "gimmicky" were the extra-small Bio-Wheels on the Eclipse system. That makes sense ... those (and even the regular Penguin 100) are ridiculously small wheels.

So, for a smaller tank I would prefer an AC 20, except those are very quiet and don't create much surface agitation. Actually, they don't create any surface agitation unless you have the water level low enough in the tank that it has to fall coming out of the filter. I ended up sticking a 4" bubble wand in my 5.5 gal just because the water looked very stagnant with just the AC 20.

 

[Guest]

Personaly, I avoid Bio-Wheels. Not because they are a gimmick or anything, but because I figure the more moving parts something has, the more likely something can go wrong.

 

[BillD]

Biowheels are "gimmicks" in the sensethat, they aren't needed. A simialr filter such as an AC will do the same job, without one, and you won't have problems if the biowheel stops. It is a marketing ploy more than anything, as it tells me the filter is too small and needs an addon. To be fair, the manufacturer needs something to differentiate his product. The same can be said for the ceramic media now supplied with the AC filters. They worked fine for years without it, and a second sponge will do the same. Still, I would prefer a filter that is adequately sized, without the need of a "gimmick".
A stsatement above that states"a planted tank doesn't need a bio fiter, just mechanical" is a little off base. What constitutes a planted tank? A tank with half a dozen plants is planted, but is not the same as a tank with several hundred plants. Every filter becomes a biofilter (diatoms excepted), as bacteria grows on the media, and all surfaces.
My personal preference, is for AC filters for all the reasons above, and none of the problems, of the biowheel, also mentioned above.

 

[afishyonados]

If the nitrifying bacteria use oxygen as a catalyst to break down waste... Is there more oxygen submerged (AC etc.) or in the air (Bio-wheel)? The concept is similar to comparing a trickle filter's biological capacity with a cannister filter's. One is submerged= less effective.

The original question did not state the full intentions for the desired filter. All can be manipulated to be functional. Some may just be better in specific applications...