Habitat - Indoor :: filter question

[francinemarie]

i have a 50 gallon tank & an Aquaclear 70 (300GPH). my tank is about 3/4 filled

i'm looking at buying a new filter, what's your opinion on this one; the
400 gal./hr.:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2752378

[papoopeepoo]

I haven't used a hang-on-tank filter in a few years, but the last time I did it was a hassle. I would recommend an external canister filter. The bigger the better, thus accommodating for an upgraded tank in the future.

[francinemarie]

I haven't used a hang-on-tank filter in a few years, but the last time I did it was a hassle. I would recommend an external canister filter. The bigger the better, thus accommodating for an upgraded tank in the future.

i would save for a canister filter, but i don't have the space for one :\. i have nowhere to put it

[jozzep]

Like papoopeepoo said, when it comes to turtles, hang-ons are not the first choice.
I would def go with a canister,but if you have no place to put it,you have no choice.

[francinemarie]

Like papoopeepoo said, when it comes to turtles, hang-ons are not the first choice.
I would def go with a canister,but if you have no place to put it,you have no choice.

ah yea :\

[francinemarie]

anyone else have some advice? unfortunately canister filters is not an option for me

[papoopeepoo]

Internal submersible filters may work as well, but they generally have even less space for media than hang-on filters.

[xstefanx]

or go with a combination....

[francinemarie]

Internal submersible filters may work as well, but they generally have even less space for media than hang-on filters.

yea i was looking at the fluval 4 but the GPH isn't as strong as the filter i have now.

or go with a combination....

yea i was thinking about doing that, but i don't want to spend so much $ on 2 different filter medias

[francinemarie]

would anyone know if there's a stronger GPH HOT/HOB filter than the Emperor 400?

[marisa]

I use an Aquaclear 110 on a 40-gallon tank, it's supposed to be 500 gph. Do you like the Aquaclear 70? (I have one of those too, but it's not in use). If you like the 70 and don't want a canister, you might try the 110. I've read they're easier to clean than the Emperor.

[francinemarie]

I use an Aquaclear 110 on a 40-gallon tank, it's supposed to be 500 gph. Do you like the Aquaclear 70? (I have one of those too, but it's not in use). If you like the 70 and don't want a canister, you might try the 110. I've read they're easier to clean than the Emperor.

oh i forgot Aquaclear made a 500 GPH filter. Do you clean the 110 the same way you clean the 70? i was interested in the Emperor because it comes with a spray bar. i thought the Emperor would be easier to clean because you just use change those filter packets whenever they get really dirty.

may i also ask what media you use for your 110? i've read mixed reviews that carbon isn't really necessary, i'm not sure.

[seanwb]

I would avoid a Fluval 4. Pretty powerful, but very small media area

[francinemarie]

I would avoid a Fluval 4. Pretty powerful, but very small media area

will do, thanks for the tip

[marisa]

francinemarie, from what I remember the cleaning is pretty much the same. It sounds like cleaning both the Emperor and Aquaclear is similar---you change the fliter bags/packets (and the Aquaclear does have that sponge that can be rinsed in tankwater for quite a while before replacing it; I don't know what the Emperor has). But even doing that, with the Aquaclear I've had to do a bit of cleaning in the container that holds the media and around the impellar---gunk does collect, at least for me.

The 110 came with a sponge, a bag of carbon and biomax (the biomedia). I've continued to use the carbon in it, mainly because the tank isn't that big. The biomedia eventually will act as biomedia to some extent. But, the carbon does have to be replaced and I suppose you could just add another bag of biomedia to fill the space that the carbon would have taken up.