Equipment Review and Discussion :: For those with stock tanks

[daredevilgirl013]

Ok I had a horrible horrible time finding filters that would fit my stock tank that I got Michelangelo. My Tetra Whisper 30-60 gallon filter works great on the back, but I couldn't get any other tank filter to fit properly. So I thought after buying over 4 filters and finding out none of them would fit..that it was time to try a canister filter. So I went to Petland, they had them, the one I needed was 189.00. I about died. So I kept looking around because I was not going to pay 189.00 for a filter, not after I just spent over 300.00 on this new tank set up and all that fun stuff. So I keep digging around and I find this Fluval 4plus filter for 69.00. I look at it, and it's an underwater filter. No attachments no nothing, just toss it in and tahdah! So I bought it. Works great! The only complaint i have is that I have to sit a rock on it because its butt wants to float up in the air, but a rock solved that problem. It works great, it has saved me from trying to find a good filter, and it creates a nice little ripple all over the stock tank. So for those of you looking for a filter but don't want to pay big bucks for a canister, this is the way to go!!

[jenaero]

How big is your stock tank? I ask because I had a 50gal tank with 2 res and a fluval 4plus. I had to do a 100% cleaning at least every week, sometimes more.

[daredevilgirl013]

It's a 40 gallon with one turtle. I've got a Fluval 4plus and a Tetra Whisper Filter for a 30-60 gallon tank running in it. So those two should tackle the problem.

[jenaero]

Oh, ok I gotcha. Didn't realize you had 2 filters. I shyed away from canisters at first because I thought they sounded way to complicated for lil'ol'me but I did get a fluval 404. You're right tho...really expensive so I waited til I just couldn't take it with the 4plus anymore.

[marisa]

I used to use the Fluval 4+ filter in a 40 gallon stock tank (probably the same one you bought). I thought it was OK for a while, until my turtles grew and it couldn't keep up with their mess. It has virtually no room for biomedia (don't know about your other filter) and I got really tired of cleaning it. The end does stick up, and a Hagen person told me that it would sink when the media gets saturated. This is true up to a point. I wound up tying a flat rock to the top of it to keep it down (something like what you did).

[daredevilgirl013]

Tying the rock down is a good idea. I think the new one has room for bio media as I have a carbon pad inside the foam pads and I bought some other pads as well that you can slip in. Thanks for the idea about tying it down. Mine is just laying there at the moment and tying it down does sound a lot better!

[marisa]

Yeah, I found that the vibration from the motor would slowly move the rock so that it would eventually look like it was going to fall off the filter. If you can use a flat stone, that would be good--my turtles used to like to lie on top of it. I used nylon rope so it wouldn't rot as quickly. You could also use velcro straps to hold the stone in place.

[daredevilgirl013]

I have a flat rock and I tied it down with a shoe string. I figured that would work well and the turtle would leave it alone.

[daredevilgirl013]

Ok now my filter keeps saying it's plugged all the freakin time. I mean there's nothing in it to cause it to be plugged. I mean it gets one piece in it and it's like AHHH I'M PLUGGED. So now I just ignore it cause it seriously can't be plugged. Anyone else having this problem?

[marisa]

Which filter? Do you mean that yellow button on the 4+? The more the filter needs to be cleaned, the more the button sticks out. If it's the Fluval you're talking about, I've never had a problem with it getting plugged up. For me, I never had an issue with it (the button never popped out), but I did have to clean it fairly frequently (a pain).

What's the output like? If it hasn't diminished, it just might be something with that button...

[daredevilgirl013]

Yep the yellow button on the 4+. I take the media out to clean it and there is literally like maybe only 1/10 of the filter media has stuff on it. The output is fine, it hasn't diminished at all. I have a habit of cleaning the filters at least once a week before they get clogged. So I hope it is just something with the button cause I mean as soon as I clean that filter and put it in the water it was like BOOM THE BUTTON IS UP!!!! I'm like geesh you can't be plugged that quick.