Filters..

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duckkbutter

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jun 14, 2005
Messages
30
Location
Grove City, PA
I have a whipser 20 on my 20 gal tank. Also a Aqua-Tech 30-60 on my 55 gal tank. Both came wit the tanks when i purchased them. Will these filters make do, or should i get somethin bigger to cycle more water?
 
it all depends on what you are putting in your tank, there is never too much filtration for an aquarium....for the 20 gal IMO i would get a penguin 150-200 w/ bio-wheel.....whisper does a good job but when you change the filter you take away all the bacteria and w/ a bio-wheel you dont change that it just stays in the filter and you can change the cartridge...good luck!!! :D
 
mr86mister said:
there is never too much filtration for an aquarium.

I know that this is a widely held belief but Im of the opinion that there can be too many gallons per hour of filtration in an aquarium.. I do agree that there really cant be too much filter capacity though..
 
If you clean your whispers correctly you do not remove the bacteria.. (get a big zip-lock type bag and fill it with aquarium water and place the bag in it and shake the bag well..) you can seed a new bag by placing on the clean water side of the filter a few days before the change..
Your fine with the filters you have.. the bio-wheel holding the bacteria is really a risky way to go in my opinion as well.. I would seed new cartridges for them as well..
I like aquaclears for a replacement.. they have sponges that really dont need replacement and if they do you can just seed the new one before you replace it..
 
yea, i will probably just keep the ones that came wit the tanks. I was just curious that is all. I will make sure that I seed the new filters a few days prior to changing the old ones.

Thanks for your advice.
 
I had an AquaTech in a 10 gallon WalMart kit and I wasn't impressed. I've never used Whispers but I haven't heard such great things about them. If you're looking for HOBs I would suggest the Penguin or Aquaclear 200 gph, and maybe an Emperor 400 or an Aquaclear 500 for your 55 gallon. I keep cichlids in my 55 gallon so I use an Emperor 280 and an Emperor 400. If you want quiet filters, however, go with the Aquaclear. :D
 
The AquaTech 30-60 is the same as the Penguin BIO-Wheel 330 but without the BIO-Wheels. You can upgrade the AquaTech to the Penguin by adding two BIO-Wheels, two brackets and two sets of bearings. Depending on where you get the parts it might actually be chaper to just buy a new Penguin 350B filter though.
 
The big price of HOB filters comes in with the filter cartriges. Since you can get 24 replacement medias for the Whisper HOBs for $12 from Big Als, thats the HOB I would go with.
 
I prefer 10-20 times gph over the gallons.. so a 20 gallon would have 200-400 gph ... a 55 would be 550gph-1100gph... I like to overstock my tanks.. :lol:
 
megladonsharky said:
I prefer 10-20 times gph over the gallons.. so a 20 gallon would have 200-400 gph ... a 55 would be 550gph-1100gph... I like to overstock my tanks.. :lol:

Rasing your gph does nothing to allow you to overstock your tank.. Changing the water everyday untill you can get a bigger tank might help..LOL
 
The big price of HOB filters comes in with the filter cartriges. Since you can get 24 replacement medias for the Whisper HOBs for $12 from Big Als, thats the HOB I would go with.

But Whispers kinda suck. If you are worried about the cost of filter cartridges you would probably like the Aquaclear. It uses a foam block instead of a cartridge, and you can rinse it out in old tankwater (NOT tapwater) when necessary during a PWC. I have 2 ACs now and I've never replaced the sponge in either of them. They are also way more customizable than other HOBs, like you can skip the carbon insert if you want and add another foam block instead. :D
 
I hate Whispers! They are cheap, but mine broke down within 2 months. I use Penguins now and I haven't had any problems with them. If I were you, I would get either an Aquaclear 150 or a Penguin 150B for your 20 gal.
 
ok, thanks for the great advice on my 20 gal, what about the 55 gal? Should i keep the aqua-tech 30-60 or go wit somethin better?!
 
I had a Whisper on my old 55g tank for years with no problems, so for me if I was going back to HOBs they would be my choice. How did your Whispers break? There is not much to a HOB filter but an impeller no matter what brand it is.
 
I'd go with a canister on the 55 gal, but you could get by with hob's.

I agree on the Whispers. I had one on my 10 gal tank, then another on the 29 gal tank (before the eclipse hood) and they were both louder than the Penguin that I have now. I wouldn't buy them again.
 
I'd go with a canister on the 55 gal as well...

However, if you must go HOB, then either an AquaClear or Penguin would do. Both have pros and both have cons. As a result, I actually run one of each on my 29 gal. I have an AquaClear200 and a Penguin100. I like the Penguin for the BIO-wheel and deep penetrating intake (AquaClear gets deep, but not as deep). I like the AquaClear because it's quiet and creates more surface agitation (possible because it's 100gph more than the Penguin). I have the AC set up to filter the top half of the tank and the Penguin to filter from the bottom and middle (middle via the middle intake on the tubes).

If you had to get one over the other, go with AquaClear.
 
greenmagi said:
megladonsharky said:
I prefer 10-20 times gph over the gallons.. so a 20 gallon would have 200-400 gph ... a 55 would be 550gph-1100gph... I like to overstock my tanks.. :lol:

Rasing your gph does nothing to allow you to overstock your tank.. Changing the water everyday untill you can get a bigger tank might help..LOL

Bigger tank as soon as I can afford it ... and I do h2o changes 3 times a week:)... :wink:


I would do a canister on a 55 like everyone said... :wink:
 
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