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I am totally lost ,I need a new one for my 55gal and the lfs only has cascade canister type, internal and HOT or HOB types as well and they are way to high.
So I'm trying to find out info from experience of others.
I am wanting to be better to my fish easy on me to clean and cost effective any help would be great

Hey Dono!

If you want a really good filter, canister filters are the way to go. Just be careful though, as some can easily exceed 100 dollars for a good quality one. If your budget allows, I would definately get one! If not, then you could get by on 2 HOB filters, each at one end of the tank. Aquaclears are great filters that have a lot of space in their larger models. These have a tray i believe, that you can remove and clean, so it is easy to take out all at once. You can basically use and put in anything in the amount of space. Plus, they last a whole long of a time!

Another good HOB is an Emperor type ones. These utilize the famous Bio-Wheel system and are very efficent in biological filtration! They have excellent flow also, and are very modern looking IMO.

The thing about internal filters is that they are an eyesore, as you have a huge block of plastic sitting in the corner of the tank. The good thing though, is that they allow for wall mounted tanks. They are somewhat of a hassle to clean, as you have to get you hands wet by reaching in the tank, but hey, every filter requires you to get your hands wet to clean (Except for the Claim To fame Aquagenie ).

IMO, the easiest to clean is a canister, as you can take most models to the sink and empty them, wash them, and clean them, then just bring the whole shebang back, hook it up, and viola! CLeaned in 10 mins or less! Ehiems are teh best quality filters BTW.

Good Luck! And have fun with your new filter!



PS: UGFs are great side filters, and are relatively easy to clean via gravel vaccuming. The mulm and detritus gets sucked into the gravel from the powerhead or airstone puling the water through a tube and out into filter or powerhead. I reccomend you hook up a powerhead, or put a HOB filter on the intake of the UGF. Keep this guy in mind!

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Hi,
Actually, I think the question to you is what are you going
to put in the 55? If you are going with a bunch of fish
that are in the 3 inch + larger sizes then I'd go with
a quality Canister type filter. If you are going to house
a "tetra" collection, then the HOB's, especially one
of the "Bio-Wheel" type would be good.

Most filters are "sized" by tank capacity.
By that I mean they are good for 30-75 gallons, or
50-100 gallons, etc. If you are going to push the limits
of the bio-load, with allot of fish, or a bunch of large
fish, then purchase a filter that has the tank's
capacity as the lower number (55-100) or in the middle
30-75, etc. If you are going to maintain a normal bio-load
of small 1-3 inch fish, then you could use a filter where
the tank capacity (55 gallons) is at the top end.
IE: 30-55 gallons.

Just some things to think about...
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Way too high? You mean price? You gotta pay for good cleaning; you'll be putting out at least about $60 for a good filter on a 55 gallon.

Either the Emperor 400 or the AquaClear 500 (I think it's called something else now, but it pumps 500 gallons per hour) are great filters for a 55 gallon; I ran an Emperor on a 55 gallon for quite a long time. I'm sure the Whisper 60 would be a good option on your aquarium too, but is also less powerful than the other two filters I mentioned. These are all HOBs; this is where my experience is, I've never had a canister filter. I believe they are more expensive for starters, but on the other hand they get the job done.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I have an eheim 2213 on my 55 Gallon tank, and just love it. It is very easy to clean, works very well, and is impossible to hear.
If I had my choice, I would probably go for an eheim professional II, or the 2217, but for the buck, I feel the eheim 2213 is a great value. Last check it was $89 (CAN) at Big Als.
Now that said, I have just started up a 10G tank, and it has an aquaclear HOB, and it is enticing, because of it's all in one design, and ease of install. For the bigger tank, cannister all the way!
Dan

55G -5x Bosemani, 3x Emerald Cory,3x Red Rainbow, 3x Turquoise Rainbow. 20G-Empty. 10G -4x Danio 3x Cory Fry 1 Gold Mystery Snail. 10G- 1x CAE, 2x Tetra 1x ADF

www.bigalsonline.com

good eqiupment cheaper then any petco/petsmart. Pengiun/emporer will be your best bang for buck. $30-$40 each...can buy one now to get started and another later when needed.

Eheim canisters are very nice, own one myself. These come with a very large price tag but you get what you pay for with filters. Less maintence, better filtering, no noise.

Frank has a point about stocking and i agree with his information. Problem is if the filter is a pain in the --- for the owner then its not gona do its job right. So go with what fits you as then match it to your tanks needs. In the end this will make your life easier.

I fully agree Frank follow his plan first then come back with what you think is the most suitable for that purpose.

Just remember quality is going to cost you more but in the long term it will be the best choice. Don't get caught up with ""this is just as good and it is a lot cheaper"" Remember many look the same until you pull them apart and analyze exactly what they do. They are cheap because they are made cheap using a cheaper quality materials.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

cool thanks for the info
if I use canister it has to fit under my stand threw a
11 1/2 wide by 15 inch tall door way
I tend to over stock with fish
try to have a lot of plants
also so an air pump ,I think it looks nice with bubbles and the fish seem to like it
and above all I just want to be good to my fish
any ideas on small but powerfull in brands of canisters

I can easily fit my Eheim 2213 through an opening that is 9"x 18"..... Just tilt it a bit!
Dan

55G -5x Bosemani, 3x Emerald Cory,3x Red Rainbow, 3x Turquoise Rainbow. 20G-Empty. 10G -4x Danio 3x Cory Fry 1 Gold Mystery Snail. 10G- 1x CAE, 2x Tetra 1x ADF

to high was charging $188 for a cascade canister when I found it online for $89
and they called it being onsale

does any one know anything about these
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/236453/product.web

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~HG10211.html

or

The first one sounds good and looks good BUT is it? The second a Fluval enough said you will have problems with them sooner or later.

Go for a quality Eheim it will outlast the Fluval and trouble free. They have plenty of models to choose from, I would recommend always go for the next size up. One thing many forget to examine closely it is not how many GPH but how efficiently it filters not the high rate per hour.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

well I think this one will do the job I need
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/211164/i/1/product.web


Now when ordered what things should I get to go with it that would make my life alot easier using it as far as extras
I'm not sure what a delivery head is?
any tips on a good media to use ?
do they come with alot of tubing or should I get extra ?
I just don't want to forget to order anything with it,
not sure if this is the place I'll order from but it's a start

Most of all I just want to thank you for your time and understanding

I'm not sure what delivery head is either, but I'd assume it's the length of hose they give you to reach from the filter to the tank (or vice versa?).

If I'm not mistaken, you don't need extra tubing or pipes unless you want to change the directions of currents.

I'm pretty sure Eheim's have the capacity to have an out of tank heater; as keith seems to be the resident Eheim fan I'm sure he can comment further. Not having a heater actually in your tank has some advantages, such as looking better and preventing the problem of heater burn with some fish that might decide to take a nap next to a heater.

--------------------------------------------
The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I put an Aqua Clear HOB filter on my 20g when I started it in May, been just awesome, never have problems...

I discussing how to set up my 55g, it was recommended to me to get an eheim 2213 cannister, many peeps say their top notch.

Since I had such a great experience with my Aqua Clear, when I set up my new 10g, I got another Aqua Clear even though the setup came with a little air pump driven stick on cartidge filter. That thing makes too many bubbles and splashes too much!