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I'm thinking about getting a new filter for my tank soon. I had the opportunity to get a 20 gallon tank kit for half the price a while back and jumped on the opportunity.

Now that I have some extra money put away, I would like to get a filter that I know will work well and might be better for my fish than the one I have now.

I am currently running a TopFin 20. I have heard that these are decent, but obviously not the greatest in the world.

However, I really don't want to get into the filters that cost a lot of money. So, what would be some choices for a good filter that is under $100 (US)?

Some quick facts about my tank... It's 20 gallons, cycled. Inhabitants are 2 Cherry Barbs, 6 Harlies and 6 Panda Cories. Water changes are done regularly, crystal clear water, ammonia/nitrite at zero, nitrate near 15. So, I assume my TopFin is doing a decent job itself.

Also, does changing the filter cause a mini-cycle or anything like that? Can anything negitive come from changing the filter?

I've been trying to read some of the posts that are already on this board, but I must admit that in some of them I have a hard time following them because I don't think I have all the lingo about filters down yet. So, if someone could answer all of my questions in the most simple terms, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

I'm currently running an Aquaclear 150 on my 20 gallon. I did consider a biowheel type filter but chose against it because I have a planted tank and the added surface agitation is bad for the CO2 that I'm adding.
Once you've bought the new filter, run it along side your old filter for 3-4 weeks for the new material to become fully colonized with the bacteria, then you can remove the old filter to a new tank .

^_^



[hr width='40%'] "Ah, yes," said the toad. "You've got Nac Mac Feegles!"

Would that 3-4 weeks still hold true if NI Cycle was added to the filter, or wouldn't that matter?

I do not have any plants in my tank... So, what are some pros and cons of a biowheel type filter against an Aquaclear type filter for a non-planted tank? Which might I personally be better off going with?

Thanks!

I personally run AC's on all my tanks, they're cheaper and quieter and likely to cause less evaporation. However biowheels offer a large surface are to grow bacterial colonies on. And almost never need to be replaced.
Using NIC will speed it up.

^_^




[hr width='40%'] "Ah, yes," said the toad. "You've got Nac Mac Feegles!"

So, as far as actual filtration of the water goes, AC's and biowheels are pretty equal?

I like the biowheels as Babel stated they add a significant amount of surface area for bacterial growth. I've been running some of mine for as long as 4 years without any problems.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

If you don't have live plants, nor intend to have them, I'd go biowheel all the way. I run a Penguin 170 on my 20 long, but supplement that with a sponge filter. I run those on all my tanks in back corner and I connect them to battery operated air pumps during power outages. I had a string of them and finally had to address the issue

I think an Emporer 280 may be too much current for a 20, as would a Penguin 330. You should shoot for a minimum of 200 gph to 250 gph on any filter or combination of filters.

I like the idea of running one filter that is slightly under that value, then supplementing with a smaller filter, such as a sponge filter, a Whisper 10i or 20i internal filter or even a Penguin Mini. The 10i/20i is better if you have live plants and don't want co2 being splashed out, which is what BioWheels will do. Filters fail and having even another small one can be the difference between life and death, should one stop like mine did, soon after I went to work. A penguin Mini that was seeding at the same time for another tank saved the day, along with the sponge filter. They were both running. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. I'm likely to always have two filters running on any future tanks as a result, or have some type of backup.

If it is a planted tank and you want to retain co2, I would go with a Whisper 40 or a Whisper 30 + Whisper 10-20i, or preferrably a Millenium by Marineland, if they are still making them.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 06-Mar-2005 17:35