# What is the best filtration method in your opinion.



## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

just wanted to get everyone's opinion regarding filters.

If i were to get only 1 type of filter for my 75g freshwater that would house either bala sharks, id sharks, plecos (still debating about live plants) what would you suggest?
Canister, Undergravel, Powerfilter, etc....and why?

also, what model or brand do you recommend? (Eheim or Rena or Fluval....is it the xp2, 305 or 2236?)

Lastly, what is your tank to wall clearance (for those whose tanks are up against the wall) What is your recommended distance from the tank to the wall (because I am trying to build/design a DIY wooden stand and also looking for a spot in the living room

You can copy and paste this to respond:
a) Type of Filtration suggested:
b) Brand and Model suggested:
c) Suggested clearance from the wall:

thanks in advance.


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

For that sized tank I would use either a HOB filter or a Canister filter. It depends on whether you like plants or not. A canister filter allows you to better direct the water flow. An HOB is easier to maintain and generally quieter.

I have Rena's and Aquaclears.

I have standardised on a distance of 6.5 inches from the wall. It gives enough room to remove the Aquaclears easily. BTW, if you go HOB, measure the width of the plastic rim on the top of your tank. You may have to cut it to get the filter to sit right.

Lee


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

Thanks, Lee.

Do you think, HOB is better than a canister or vice versa (and why)? or should i incorporate both?

Which brand and model of HOB and Canister do you recommend.

I am not planning on having plants (well, not yet anyways, but perhaps in the future)

Why is it you don't recommend undergravel filter for a 75G?

Also, i am custom building a wooden canopy so i will make sure to make room for the HOB, thanks for the tip.

again, thanks for your reply...i hope this will encourage other members to give me their thoughts.



Lee_D said:


> For that sized tank I would use either a HOB filter or a Canister filter. It depends on whether you like plants or not. A canister filter allows you to better direct the water flow. An HOB is easier to maintain and generally quieter.
> 
> I have Rena's and Aquaclears.
> 
> ...


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## Lee_D (Jun 11, 2010)

I'm not making a recommendation, I 'm just letting you know what I have found through experience. I have three 50 g tanks and I put two smallish aquaclears on each. They worked fine. I decided to replace one with a cannister because I found the outflow from the aquaclear was to rough on the plants below. That also worked fine but the noise level definately went up. Not enough to be able to hear it with the tv on but enough to notice it when the tv is off. For your purposes I'd suggest a couple of Aquaclears. They will be quiet and inexpensive, and you can stagger the cleaning so you don't impact the biological effect to much.

Lee


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Hello,
canisters are generally better since they hold more water so your total volume is increased, also, many HOB filters have bypass paths for water to go through and not through the media ! which is not good. 


for a tank your size, Id go with 2 canisters, I have used Eheim and Rena, and both are quite. and you can clean one each week to not loose too many bacteria. I have two Rena XP2 under my bed lol used for saltwater now but the noise level is not much.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

That's a very hard question to answer because everybody have their own preference. It's different for everybody. Many things determine what kind of filtration method a person choose.
- type of setup
- type of fish
- plant or unplanted
- is your tank in the living or the basement or bedroom.

Just about any kind of filter works. The best for a beginner, would be a canister filter. Even here, there are lots of brands. Eheim being the most popular choice.

I personally like a sump system because it works much better than the others. But it has it faults too. It's noisey, an egg and fry killter, does not work well with plants and water dissipate faster than the other tanks. The good is that they are a better filter method than canister.

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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

a) Type of Filtration suggested:
Canister filter.
b) Brand and Model suggested:
Rena XP3.
c) Suggested clearance from the wall:
3 inches if you go with a canister.

I personaly like a cansiter filter over a HOB because I only need to clean it every 3 to 6 months or if the flow is reduced substantially. It is also far more quiet (read below for more details).

I like to use 2 filters on each tank so if you're not against doing that I would also recommend the Aquaclear because they offer a lot of flexability with sponges and other media.

I have 3 large tanks running 2 canister filters on each and 1 tank running a canister and an HOB and as long as you place the canister filter return just below the water surface they are far more quiet that an HOB which generally creates a splashing sound as the water returns to the aquarium.

I started with all Eheim filters however have slowly switched to Rena and Fluval FX5 because they have far more gallons per hour turnover. If you prefer more biological, the Eheim is best. All my tanks have a lot of fish in them and therefore I prefer the extra mechanical filtration of the Rena and FX5.

Hope this helps.
--
Paul


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## buffalo (Mar 6, 2010)

I prefer the sump also i've been using sump system for many years. My second choice is a HOB filter as long as its not undersized. The key with HOB is to not to over clean it destroying the beneficial bacteria. if possible use 2 pads cleaning one and leave the second, next time you clean clean the one you did not clean the time before etc...


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

buffalo said:


> I prefer the sump also i've been using sump system for many years. My second choice is a HOB filter as long as its not undersized. The key with HOB is to not to over clean it destroying the beneficial bacteria. if possible use 2 pads cleaning one and leave the second, next time you clean clean the one you did not clean the time before etc...


a Sump is by far a much superior filteration system than anything else ...

no comparison there.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

I have use undergravel, sponge, box, powerfilter, canister, and what I found mose important to me is quietness, eheim hands down I have to put my ear to it to hear it.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

IMHO, there's nothing like live plants to maintain water quality. If you have large rowdy fish, or don't want to aquascape use floating plants like duckweed, frogbit, najas (guppy grass) and hornwort.

Of course, you need some mechanical filtration and something to move the water around too, but consider having some live plants as well.

ID sharks are very poor aquarium fish because they grow fast and get large. The main reason they are so readily available is because they are used in SE Asia for aquaculture. Breeders sell small fish to rice farmers who put them in the paddies when they flood them, and by the time they drain them some months later, the fish are ready for sale. This is so effective, that they are now being exported -- look for Basa fillets in the supermarket freezer.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

This is an interesting discussion. I'll throw in my 2 cents worth and probably bend a few noses. Sumps work well enough, but are large and expensive and quite often noisy. They also don't work any better biologically than other types of filtration. Cannisters work well for both mechanical filtration and biological filtration if kept clean. HOBs also work well for both types of filtration, but are easier to clean than cannisters, and generally cost less. Undergravel filtration has fallen out of favour because it is considered a maintenance problem ( I had one going for 13 years without teardown). If it is done with reverse flow, using a powerhead with prefilter, there is no maintenance other than cleaning the prefilter. It doesn't work well with plants or fish that dig, but was used quite successfully for many years. 
Regardless, no filter is perfect, and each has some drawback. A cannister that is left for 6 months, is operating at reduced efficiency, long before the reduced flow is seen. Anything in the filter is to be considered to be still in the tank. Because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's gone. Regular maintenance is the key to any filter operating a peak efficiency. Sumps, for all their size and expense can't lower ammonia and nitrite below zero. Any filter that does that, reducing ammonia and nitrite to zero, is a good filter; and they all do that. Cleaning filter elements in tank water (even vigourously) will not remove the bacteria. Filters work better with the solid debris removed.
So, the bottom line is that the filter that is best for you is the one you are willing to maintain regularly.
Personally, I don't care for cannisters for the work involved. I wouldn't likely have a sump, because the space it takes up could be better utilized by another tank. Most of my tanks run with sponge filters, a few have Aqua Clears (super easy to clean and hold lots of media), and I have a couple of cannisters sitting idle right now.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

Aquarium plants under good lighting conditions and whatever mechanical sponge filtration you choose.
That way you get the best from both worlds. If you want an easy way to keep plants then use only floating plants under lights. 
The only drawback is that you can only keep plant friendly fish but even then you can use a planted sump as an alternative. 
If you want to know more about the benefits of planted aquariums: http://www.aquabotanic.com/plants_and_biological_filtration.htm


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

BillD said:


> Sumps, for all their size and expense can't lower ammonia and nitrite below zero. Any filter that does that, reducing ammonia and nitrite to zero, is a good filter; and they all do that.
> 
> +1 sumps are big and expensive and their performance is questionable but if you can find a 8" diameter or bigger pipe and a minimum of 18" and the longer the pipe the better and diy a trickle tower filter and fill it with plastic pot scrubbers and place this TT filter in the sump and you will get ammonia and nitrite to zero even if you over stock
> 
> BTW, I would go with a Eheim 2217 and AC500


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

Argument against Sump is not correct, as a sump is basically a HUGE filter  you have soo many choices with it, increased water volume, increased surface area, and you can even have a small Fuge with plants (if DT is none plant friendly).

it doesnt have to be expensive, you can drill a hole or get it drilled for 20 bucks, need another tank for sump(50 bucks?), and a return pump. and that's about it. you can fill it up with even kitchen sponges and fishing lines


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## waj8 (Jun 30, 2010)

I vote for the sump. I have tried most filters and like the sump the best. I love how I can hide my equipment, I love how easy the prefilter is to clean, I like adding fertilizer directly to the sump. I especially like the fact that I put it in another room and can't hear it running. I am not a fanatic about it though. Most filters work just fine in the correct application. For a planted tank I think it comes down to canisters or sumps. For non-planted low cost I like ACs. Sponge filter is nice too but a bit noisy. Good for fry though. Best thing to do is to figure out what type of tank it's going to be and then pick your filter.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

I've tried external (Aquaclear), undergravel (8 years) and canister (10 years). Hang-on is fine for smaller tanks, and inexpensive, but loud, undergravel -- in my experience -- is inefficient, very loud, hard on plants and no good for burrowing creatures, and canister is quiet and efficient, though small snails can jam the moving parts.

I haven't tried sump so can't comment on it.


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## Zulfian (Sep 12, 2010)

BillD said:


> So, the bottom line is that the filter that is best for you is the one you are willing to maintain regularly.


probably the most important aspect of this hobby!


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## Acrylic (Apr 22, 2010)

I have HOBs, canisters, sumps, and just filter floss on some tanks. They all do the same thing in the end, and I don't think one has a major advantage over the other. That being said, I tend to lean to eheim cannisters for planted tanks, HOBs for smaller tanks, sumps for reef tanks, and sponge filters/filter floss on my bare bottom tanks. Hope that muddies the water a bit.


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## missindifferent (Jun 25, 2010)

Question: What is HOB?


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## Big Ray (Dec 8, 2009)

missindifferent said:


> Question: What is HOB?


Hang on back


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

I've always used HOB's. I think as people have mentioned, HOB's are loud, and require more maintenance than canisters or sumps, but are also much cheaper to run imo. Another downside of HOB's is the maintenance, which is a weekly/bi-weekly thing for most.

Running an ac70 and a emperor 400 on a 75 gallon is as far as I'm going with hang on back filters. When I get a larger tank down the road I will be spending the money on some good canisters.


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

If you have the budget for it, canister filters are the obvious choice but HOB are much cheaper. I don't like the noise on HOB filters and I prefer doing maintenance once every few months rather than every week so I use only canisters on my 90 gallon. Running a Fluval G6 and an Eheim Pro3


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Hang On Back, ala AquaClear type.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

BillD said:


> This is an interesting discussion. I'll throw in my 2 cents worth and probably bend a few noses. Sumps work well enough, but are large and expensive and quite often noisy. They also don't work any better biologically than other types of filtration. Cannisters work well for both mechanical filtration and biological filtration if kept clean. HOBs also work well for both types of filtration, but are easier to clean than cannisters, and generally cost less. Undergravel filtration has fallen out of favour because it is considered a maintenance problem ( I had one going for 13 years without teardown). If it is done with reverse flow, using a powerhead with prefilter, there is no maintenance other than cleaning the prefilter. It doesn't work well with plants or fish that dig, but was used quite successfully for many years.
> Regardless, no filter is perfect, and each has some drawback. A cannister that is left for 6 months, is operating at reduced efficiency, long before the reduced flow is seen. Anything in the filter is to be considered to be still in the tank. Because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's gone. Regular maintenance is the key to any filter operating a peak efficiency. Sumps, for all their size and expense can't lower ammonia and nitrite below zero. Any filter that does that, reducing ammonia and nitrite to zero, is a good filter; and they all do that. Cleaning filter elements in tank water (even vigourously) will not remove the bacteria. Filters work better with the solid debris removed.
> So, the bottom line is that the filter that is best for you is the one you are willing to maintain regularly.
> Personally, I don't care for cannisters for the work involved. I wouldn't likely have a sump, because the space it takes up could be better utilized by another tank. Most of my tanks run with sponge filters, a few have Aqua Clears (super easy to clean and hold lots of media), and I have a couple of cannisters sitting idle right now.


Best post in this thread!

While I don't agree that canisters are more maintenance (I think we have had this discussion before!), each type of filtration - if used and maintained correctly is effective. You should decide based on things like: what sort of maintenance do I want to do? and what equipment do I want to see in the tank?


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