# aqueon hang on back filter



## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

So these filters (as most small hob ones) use cartridges. Anyone here knows if they would work with other types of media like biomax, substrat, sponges etc etc? I really prefer that for financial reasons but also because they would do a better job at filtering and creating bacteria colonies.

Thanks


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Why buy a filter that uses cartridges and than find away around it? Better to buy a filter such as AC that doesn't use cartridges.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

BillD said:


> Why buy a filter that uses cartridges and than find away around it? Better to buy a filter such as AC that doesn't use cartridges.


Because it costs 1/3 and because I already have one


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

cheaper in the long run to buy an ac filter, media lasts so long. Today at petsmart I saw ac 110 on sale for 89 bucks.

Everytime you replace the cartidges you are wasting money, I suppose you can figure out a way to put in filter floss and bio media to save money but could be tricky.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Guys I know all that. The question is how I can makebthis run with the biomedia that canisters use. And if anyone has done it. The truth is that I don't see a reason why not. Water enters from bottom and exits at top. Anything I put in the middle should work

Btw the specific aqueon will cost me 30 to 40 a year just for cartridges. Not bad IF they did a good job


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

stuff in filter floss and weight it down with bags of bio media, worst case add a couple dense rocks to the bio media bags.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Why would I do that? You think there is any way that biomedia etc won't stay down?


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

depends on flow and density of the bio media. I use a couple different things for bio media, sponges, bio stones, plastic pot scrubbers


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

Do u use biomedia with this aqueon?


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## TorontoBoy (Mar 14, 2013)

monk21 said:


> ...Btw *the specific aqueon* will cost me 30 to 40 a year just for cartridges...


The "specific Aqueon" that you have in your hand we cannot see and you did not tell us the model. If you want specific advice for your filter you need to give us the specifics of your filter, otherwise you get general info, as you have already received.

For $40/yr this is the cost of an AquaClear 30. Buy the AC30 and year two onward will be cost free. Sure you have this filter, but if you buy cartridges it takes more cash to run it than the AC you are wasting money.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

There is only one type of small hang on back aqueon filters.


Also, there is NO filter that is cost free, ever. You always need to periodically change the media and especially carbon, filter wool, most types of biomedia etc. It is just less often than cartridges.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

With AC filters you should never need to change the ceramic media, and the sponge inserts, which are also bio media, last for many years.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

BillD said:


> With AC filters you should never need to change the ceramic media, and the sponge inserts, which are also bio media, last for many years.


Yes, I know. Of course it depends on the media. Some last for 3 to 6 months and some (like the matrix I use) need no replacing.

But that is not the question! The question is IF I can use the aqueon quiet flow 10 with matrix instead of cartridges!


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

If you have a planted tank, you don't need filter media.

I like the aqueon filters because they're small, simple, and quiet. I removed the cartridge from mine and put in lucky bamboo stalks instead.

I also sometimes use a sponge prefilter on it, but that gets clogged pretty quickly, so out of laziness I stopped using it.


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

solarz said:


> If you have a planted tank, you don't need filter media.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

monk21 said:


>


No filter planted tank:

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36822


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## monk21 (Dec 5, 2012)

solarz said:


> No filter planted tank:
> 
> http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36822


1. What u are showing me has a filter
2. No thanks. I will always be using filtration in my tanks.

Ps please. I asked one simple thing. Let's not talk about irrelevant issues


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

In this hobby there are few absolutes. Most of us do not use carbon media unless there is a problem that needs it.

AC media can last for years if taken care of and ac filters seem to last forever. I have half a dozen or so running and all were bought used and work great

if you are using the aqueon 10, sounds like its probably for up to max 20 gallon tanks. I would recommend an ac30 also.

The only one who can answer your question is yourself by trying different things and seeing what works. We can just give ideas and recommendations.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

monk21 said:


> 1. What u are showing me has a filter
> 2. No thanks. I will always be using filtration in my tanks.
> 
> Ps please. I asked one simple thing. Let's not talk about irrelevant issues


The filter does not have any media in it, therefore it is really only a power head.

As for your question, the simple answer is, if you can fit the media in the HOB, then it will have an effect. It might not be an optimal effect due to the shape and water flow configuration of the HOB, but you're the only one who can determine that.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Well, I have one of these filters. It is still in the box. Came with a tank. So I have not really looked at it. But I have had an assortment of little filters that originally came with various inserts, and I don't like paying for inserts. I also don't care for the fact that most of them have carbon in them, something which I rarely use.

So I usually toss whatever insert came with the filter when it gets dirty, and replace it with something like a piece of sponge cut to fit the space that's available inside the filter. If there is room I'll add floss as well, because it is cheap and easy to rinse out and lasts a surprisingly long time before it begins to fall apart. 

I have one very tiny, so called 'betta' filter. Came with an insert that is held in by a very flimsy little piece on the bottom, which holds a plastic frame. The frame has a pocket of mixed carbon/ceramic media plus some floss type stuff, all held in by heat sealed non woven 'fabric' of some type on either side of the frame. I tore that fabric off one side of the frame, and tried to stuff floss in so the other side would hold it in place. But that didn't work so well. It kept falling out the bottom and once it jammed the impeller which is at the top of this filter. 

So I removed the frame entirely and cut a piece of sponge that just fits inside the space. The bottom piece covers it, but the sponge stays in on it's own, so the fact that bottom holder is kind of flimsy does not matter. Works a treat, but has to be cleaned often because it's a very small sponge, and the filter is actually pretty efficient for it's size.

I have another very small inside Fluval filter. If you overfill it, the impeller won't turn, so I had to try a few times to get some sponge pieces that filled most of the box, but not so much that it stopped the impeller. It works very, very well with just sponge in it and even though it's small, does not need cleaning all that often.

So yeah, I think you can replace the inserts the Aqueon came with, and use something else that's cheaper. Depending on how much space there is inside and what shape it is, you might fit in a bit of ceramic media, tied into a piece of netting to keep the media together, which you can rinse out like a bag of ceramic. A piece of almost any kind of sponge that is tank safe will usually be fine and floss usually works too. Coarser sponge won't clog up as fast as the finer pored stuff does. 

The main issue with floss is that it as it gets dirty it can tend to get pushed up by the water flow, as it can get quite clogged with debris. So if there is nothing to hold the floss down, it may rise up and that may cause the filter to overflow. Just be sure to rinse it out before it overflows.

No need to buy the purpose made inserts unless you want to. I'd skip using any carbon unless you really need it, either to remove colour from the water, such as from driftwood, or if you have used meds in the tank. Carbon removes most meds.

Enjoy experimenting to see what works best in this particular filter.


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## boun (Feb 16, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your experience FishFur. That was very helpful. 

I also have acquired a few of these HOBs from a pre-packaged tank kit. I like them since there is no need for priming. The blades for these impellers are located at the bottom instead of at the top like most filters, and water is pushed to the side. This helps prevents hard debris from getting clogged in the motor housing. 

There blue plastic pieces that acts as bio medias. One of these is a grated sleeve that holds the filter cartridge. If you remove the filter cartridge, what would be missing is a mechanical filtration. All that is needed is a sponge or filter floss cut to size of the blue sleeve. You might need to tie the sponge/filter floss to the sleeve by using a couple of twist ties. But I find that is not necessary

Hope this helps.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It's always nice to know I've been helpful. Knowledge should be shared after all, and I am a hopeless gadget freak who can't resist tinkering with things to see what I can do with them. Sometimes it works out really well, sometimes not so much. But I nearly always learn something useful.

I have several of those plastic bio media inserts from a few filters. I never even tried to use them. I didn't much like the way they looked and if you put them in you don't have room for floss or sponge. Which is what the manufacturer wanted, of course, because they want you to buy those inserts as often as possible. To me the ones I have look a bit like a curry comb for a horse or a dog, to be honest. Eventually I will remember to toss them in the recycling bin.


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