Which filter would you use?

[Barliman]

Hi all,

I'll soon be setting up a 10g as a grow out tank for some platy fry spawned by my sex-maniac platys. (I'd swear you can hear the Barry White tunes coming from their tank at night... )

Which filter do you think would be better: a sponge filter or an AC20? I've already bought a new AC 20, but I began to think a sponge might be better for this particular purpose. They seem to have greater biofiltration and the tank is bond to be a bit overstocked as they grow. (I plan to do frequent water changes.)

I don't mind keeping the AC 20 as a spare for a while: once the platys are grown and gone, I might swap it in and keep some small species in the tank.

Which would you choose?

 

[Ashenwelt]

I prefer HOBs... But for fry I have always been a firm believer in sponge. Its just safer.

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[Barliman]

Yeah, that's my thinking, too. The fish I'd move aren't really newborn fry, more liked juveniles -- platy shaped and colored, but tiny. No way I could catch the fry: they're expert at hiding amongst the plants.

I may just go with the AC 20. This will be in the living room, and I really don't want to be bothered with the buzzing of the air-pump.

 

[Ashenwelt]

You could put a foam prefilter on the AC20.

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[guppygourami]

I love my AC50 filter and I have a prefilter sponge over my fry tank one. Sometimes slows down the movement and you'll probably have to replace them if it isn't a good quality one (I get mine online, the Fluval ones get all squeezed up too quickly) and clean them every so often.

 

[Barliman]

You could put a foam prefilter on the AC20.

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Do they make one small enough for an AC20? I might just slice open a filter foam block.

 

[Barliman]

I love my AC50 filter and I have a prefilter sponge over my fry tank one. Sometimes slows down the movement and you'll probably have to replace them if it isn't a good quality one (I get mine online, the Fluval ones get all squeezed up too quickly) and clean them every so often.

Where do you get yours?

 

[Leeatl]

I use some I get from Home Depot . They are in the pond dept . A 2 pack is about $10 , but I cut them in half so I get 4 . I like them because they are fine enough to catch debris , but coarse enough that they don't clog so fast . I rinse them once a week at WC's , but could go longer . I just do it while I have the filters off for WC . They do have a hole all the way through , but I just cut a small piece of any kind of scrap sponge I have and stick it in the end . If they are too big just use a rubber band to keep it on . I use them on some Marineland filters that have big intakes and I can get them to stretch over with a little effort .

 

[guppygourami]

Where do you get yours?

Online for about 50 cents each. I use a website called AliExpress and it takes a long time to get here but the shipping's free (and that's a relief since I live in Canada). I get about 4 every couple months and they last a long time. The Fluval ones never lasted more than a week for me.