How big is your tank? What kind of fish do you plan to keep?
For small community fish in anything less that a 29
gal, I'd recommend Aquaclear or Penguin/Emperor HOBs. If you plan to keep messy cichlids or goldfish, or have a 29
gal or larger, I'd recommend a cannister filter.
Lonewolfblue said:
Fluval, Eheim, or Rena Filstar XP's.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of these cannister filters.
The Fluval and Filstar are about the same price, but expect to pay about 50% more for the Eheim's German engineering.
Cannister installation is pretty easy - it's really just a matter of setting up the hoses. Most cannisters have an auto-prime feature that starts the siphon for you, and leafproof quick-disconnect valves. Maintenance is not required nearly as often with cannisters - one of their biggest advantages,
IMO.
Regardless of filter type, I prefer to get a filter rated for the next size up - not so much for the increased output, but for the extra media basket volume.