Aquarium Filters Explained, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
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Ick Medication: bit.ly/3fkZZoS
Love the cat in the background pawing at the fish that are the same size as the cat. 😂😂
Yay fur fish!! ❤
Why not cover Under Gravel Filters? These are very cheap and can be pimped with power heads (albeit with gentle flows) and you can include floss or sponge beneath. I have used Under Gravel filters as the only filtration in a deep subrate fully planted 250 litre for five (5) years straight. Great plant growth and crystal clear water.❤
I'll second that!
I have never tried them planted however, was told it wouldn't work. Did you literally use gravel or something else?
@@drea4195 Aquasoil and Gravel (3 inches deep)
John says for those who are constantly worried about leaks. Yep that me. That is exactly why I have 5 tanks with sponge filters or internal filters. I worry a lot about everything.
I once had a Fluval canister explode on me where the hoses meet the canister(luckily I was nearby) and I live in earthquake country so I feel ya.
@@DavidDavis311😳😳😳 I would actually die. That very moment my soul would leave this world.
Same here. I love my small internal filters. And I would probably prefer having two of them in different corners of a tank instead of having an canister filter for a bigger tank. Mostly because I'm worried about leaks. And yes, I do think it's extremely scary to fill up new aquariums with water as well... Luckily, once they're up running, I can relax. Most of the time...
@@NinniAquariumslol we are twins
Lol, leaks are a no go.. my philosophy is "Keep the water in the tank!"
I've used seachem products for quite the while and I advocate for the Tidal series filters, definitely one of the better HOB setups out there.
I second this. I have 2 and they are the only hobs I've had that haven't leaked or had the motor burn out.
I agree, best HOB on the market but they can leak too if not maintained and leaning forward. When they clog, water has to go somewhere and if it's not even or leaning towards the tank they can leak behind the tank. I use them in combination with my canisters as a backup and extra filtration.
I do maintenance on my canister filters about once a year ... I have prefiler sponges on the intakes that get squeezed out in water that I have just taken out of the tank for a partial water change every two weeks ;)
Carl stole the show 🤣🤣🤣 great breakdown of filters in one video ... genius! The only leak I've ever had happened while I was at work when my cats kicked the return of my eheim 2215 over the top of the tank😬came home to about 3 inches of water left in the tank and a ton of water through to the basement😫 amazingly all fish survived! 😅
Great video! I used them all except sump. And canister filters are winning it for me. Adding volume of water to my tanks, quiet, working great and not too much obstruction inside the aquariums. Love these!
Totally agree, sponge filters aren't filters in my opinion. They have their place in the hobby but not for larger populated tanks where you want some water movement. The new sicce pro looks great but it's massive and a total eye sore imo. Sumps and canisters all day for me!
I love my canister filters, and in my opinion priming is only an issue if you don't know how to do it. You can prime the filter manually by filling up the hoses with water right to the top.
I have 2 eheim 2262, priming is the least of my concerns when doing maintenance.
Have used all except the sump. Have also used corner box filters (still do). For the latter , started with one back in 1971 with bone charcoal and glass wool. Also , with a powerhead , am a fan of undergravel filters. Still using one I bought 30+ years ago.
Me too. Thank goodness for nylon wool. Those glass spicules got everywhere.
My go-to filters are always internal. The fish I keep are small, so I just add more substrate, as opposed to stronger filtration. To me, unless you’re keeping monster fish, sump and canister filters just seem like fish keeping with extra steps.😅
HOBs are great with mods. Replace the cartridges with poly foam and other sponges. Best for mods are Marineland bio wheel that you’re showing and AquaClear. Both are great but I’ve had issue with noisy impellers on AquaClear my Marineland is barely audible.
I run five sponge filters off one air pump and i love the efficiency, also one of my tanks doesnt get water changes just top ups and i have moss algae and monte carlo growing out of it and i think it looks great
My canister filter next to my bin & both filter and bin are roughly the same height, round and black .
When a friend crashed over for the first time, she said a few things that i still remeber
▪︎why have i got 2 bins in my room.
▪︎why cant she open the lid to my bin
▪︎why has one of the bins got tubs attached to it.
She was pointing to my canister
Love your cat! Mine do the same thing, always jumping on the tank lid 😂
I absolutely love my canister filters. It's so satisfying to take everything out and clean it. 😅 I also run sponge filters in all of my tanks as backups/just extra biofiltration.
In Europe the most common starter filter is internal filter in every starter kit. Hang on backs are very rare and the first time I heard about them was in fishkeeping videos..
When I started fishkeeping, it was confusing because a lot of folks used pump and filter as same terminology and clearly different. It took longer than it should to understand and this broke things down nicely. Thank you!
I haven't had an aquarium since the early 80's, do people still use under gravel filters? Ok you answered my question at the end of the video, I decided to leave it up anyway. I can't imagine people not using under gravel filters they were pretty much standard in my time, there were some fish that they were not recommended for, but they were pretty standard back in the day. Wow! It sounds like things have really improved, I have really enjoyed your videos. It has inspired me to get back into keeping fish. Of course I have a lot of catching up to do. I will be watching a lot more of your videos as well as others besides reading, doing research and visiting nearby aquarium and pet stores. I plan on buying an aquarium in June. A hundred gallon is the size I'm thinking of. I'm going to put in it 9 Platies, 6 Sunset groumies, 20 Cardinal tetras, 6 Pencil fish, 10 cherry barbs, 6 hatchet fish, 3 Hillstream loaches, 6 kuhla loaches, 8 green Corydoras catfish, 10 Hariquin rasboras, 10 Otocinclus and maybe some shrimp and mystery snails. And of course live plants, rocks and drift wood. A Sunset groumie is similar to a honey groumie it's smaller than a dwarf. Well this is my plan, but like I said I have a lot of catching up to do.
I custome built my sponge filter and made it a Lil special 😁 It's freaking epic and easy to do. And increases the efficiency 100 fold. Also, you can attach plants by the roots to the sponge to hide them. The roots love all the nutrients they pull in.
100% will always use my custom filters over anything else on the market.
Thanks John, I ended up buying a large air pump and using sponge filters in my fish room when my electrical bill went over $500.00! One pump and a bunch of noisy sponge filters is well worth the savings!
Only one missing is the All-in One Tanks. Essentially a built in sump. Most often seen in the salt water side of the hobby, but I run a big acrylic all in one freshwater. Easiest to maintain tank I've ever had. Also...dead silent.
Thanks! Saving this for reference. Still researching my options for the 5 gal I’m setting up.
4:20 😂 the cat showing up, what timing.
My first fish tank was given to my by a friend (sold) and it came with a pretty old hang in the back cascade 300 filter. it has the WORST cartridge slide filter media things. I once bought a replacement to see if I liked them but I hated everything about them so removed it and made my own with sponges, ceramic rings, carbon and a very fine wool type of material. Now it catches absolutely everything, is VERY easy to clean as you can just disconnect the filter, pick it up and drop everything on a bucket which helps avoid the internal/sponge filter problem where removing it will inevitably make a cloud of fish poop. I also have an internal filter to help move water around and help with filtration as I introduced it when I had driftwood in it but I hate how it gets clogged up SO quickly. I recently got a 120 gallon tank with a canister and it's currently cycling and so far it's been great, so much room for filter media, UV light on a timer, great setup, has a skimmer and has everything you would need. It was expensive and so far I love it. I haven't cleaned it yet but I can avoid getting the floor and myself wet by putting it inside of a bucket when opening it up for cleaning.
Everyone should be scared of leaks if they own a home. Water damage is no joke and costs a lot to remedy.
Hmmmm then we just be careful or.....prepare properly 🤦🏿♂️🤦🏿♂️🤦🏿♂️
I will take my under gravel filter (plenum set up) any day over all the filters you talked about. set up once and no other costs. no parts to replace, even continues to work if the power goes out.
I use sunsun 304b's and fx6's. I've only ever primed it the first time I bought it. The trick is to just fill it most of the way up with tank water, enough to be able to close the lid without Splashing. Canisters and internal canister are the only filters I use. As far as internals go marinelands internal are definitely my favorite. Most powerful and largest amount if space for media especially of you modify it the way I do mine
Loved the video !!!
Ive got 7 Aquariums 3 small ones run sponge filters..
3 have Cannisters and 1 has a HOb...
By far the lowest maintenance are the sponge filters...
But i love cannisters for the amount of water they add and they just work for the big tanks and fishes.. ( i use them for my 2 turtle and 1 oscar tanks...) And i have an internal filter in each one of the 3 tanks for the debris.
Loved this video and how it went through each filter type. Shared it quite a bit ...
I have 2, 40 gallon whisper filters that I rigged up to an underground filter system and it works perfect for me. I love it it’s quiet I get the aeration from the spill. I get some current and my perimeters are near perfect with a few water changes.
Hold up. We need a video about why you don’t like bio media
Agreed.
Another thing to consider with canisters and up, you can add inline heaters or cO2 infusers to minimize intank items
Thank you for your Channel I'm a rookie who recently decided to get a fish tank again and of course I made all the wrong mistakes right off the bat there were a lot of TH-camrs out there and it was quite confusing then I came across your Channel Channel and it helped me sort everything out now I have a beautiful tank Happy Fish and a schedule for taking care of my tank doing water changes and keeping a happy environment and yes I do have live plants and I'm trying to create a healthy biosphere. I got a 20 gallon tank and I'm so loving it with the natural plants the wonderful fish I'm really excited about my future with tanks and now I feel adequately prepared to take care of it thanks to you guys. ❤
Another great video. Bulk Reef Supply has an excellent video difference between cheap or expensive sumps. The automatic roller Matt filters to all types of baffles, trays, etc.
Great video! I have kept fish 30 years. Started with HOB filters. I’ve also used internal and sponge filters. Then I discovered canisters. They are awesome. I have considered trying a sump but my 2 - 125 gallon tanks are in my living room. The noise would not work for me. Plus they are not drilled.
I’ve seen a zillion filter videos but this kept my interest and was very informative. I’d like to share my experience with sponge filters; I had a near catastrophe/flood when the air pump power cord somehow disconnected, and water was pouring from the hose rather quickly but luckily I was home. I had not yet learned about safety valves!!! I now have them on all air pump hoses and I feel much more relaxed about the possibility of a line disconnect or power outage. Ps: Hi Carl 🐈⬛
Love the video good and valuable information talking about ugly sponges I have a brother who comes over every week for a BBQ and never brings beer 😄
The noise that comes from a sump and overflow box i used to run a reef tank and I went to canister filters and have not looked but what I do like is you can put your heaters in there and if you use filter socks they are really easy to replace you could reduce your return pump outage to quite your tank down
I have an under gravel on my 75 with two power-heads (50 GPH each) combined with my Eheim canister and Marineland 400 hang on filters, I'll never have a large tank as part of my system, I totally respect and understand your different of opinion, but I still love your shared opinions and knowledge that I do learn from. (you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but YOU DO add to them).
Thank you guys for the great and consistent content over the years
Tried sponge, hob, internal (pump and air driven). Sump for the main 300 fallon, sponge pump driven for axolotl, internal for daughter's guppies 50 gall. Nice vid, enjoying the channel from belgium
Another thing you might've wanted to mention about sumps is that cleaning them can be a nightmare. It's basically a small fish tank below your main tank. the glass gets dirty, the corners get dirty, yeah you can have a lot of media to grab most of the waste but it's like a hang on the back filter, it will get dirty everywhere. Most other filters you can take them out and get all of the media out rinse the container and you're done but a sump you can't just grab dozens of kilos of glass and take it somewhere and clean it there.
I personally moved from HOB filters to cannister . I use a Penn Plax Cascade 1000 for my 36 gallon bowfront... I have been using it for 9 months now and have no complaints.. It works extremely well , is silent and comes at a fraction of the cost of some of the other options (FLUVAL I am talking to you) . They are simple and effective, and actually simpler then the F luvals as well. I loved my Tidal 55 , but the cannister filter makes fish keeping life so much easier.
Yessssss!!!! I have 4 Penn Plax Cascade 1000’s and I agree it’s an absolute amazing canister!
I had a 55 gallon tank with a hang on the back filter and I love it
Looking forward to the Brand Filter video.
Ordered the Beta fish shirt today , looks pretty cool ! 😊
1) I HAVE to know what a "dead nut" is???😂
2) Sumps terrify me - Noah's Ark flooding! Power goes out (no battery on yer pump), tank is all over the floor!
3) all my cannisters sit in totes or 5 gallon buckets w/plant trays w/casters underneath 😅
When plumping any kind of sump system you should add a one way valve on the pump return in case of power outages.
Don't know if you would agree but Rena Filstar XP series of filters, the original one made in France was one of the best Canister filters they ever made.
I agree, I have 7 of the Rena Filstar XP canisters, along with 4 Eheims that are almost as good ;)
😂 love the cat in the background with perfect timing! And appreciate all of this helpful information.
I like the hang on the back. I like the current it puts in my tank, and as the water lowers, it goes from quiet to noisier.
I like having parts of my tank have a water flow and parts where it does not. I think this gives the fish exercise time and rest time, which I think is healthy. One of my tanks is a 55, and I have a blue side and a white side. It is very interesting which fish prefer which side. When the lights and air toys go off, I see some fish leave their daytime hiding place and move around.
Hey John, good to see you doing well! Been out of the loop for a few years, the moustache really suits you, love you guys 😁
I have to agree with you John on Sump filters. By far my favorite to use.
I love the saying "Dead Nutz!" Haha yall are awesome, keep making great videos. 👍
Very thorough pros and cons of various types of filters. So far I’m happy with my sponge filter - easy and cheap, and its green finish blends in with the plants!
Thanks for this, especially as I consider what to get to start cycling a tank or 2 that'll be in my bedroom, I'm seeing the shark or similar as the only decent option. For the much larger setup that I'll be spending another 4 months minimally to build in my basement (2 floors down)- it's also obvious, that I'm getting a sump, as there it'll just be my chickens steadily hearing it & at this point I just expect my basement to periodically get "flooded", even if that's just my hosing down the floor.
when i started fish keeping 25 years ago, the most available filter system in my country was trickle filters, using a powerhead + trickle system. I still use it this system today... While I acknowledge the benefits the sump system, as a person who has back problems, I prefer the overhead trickle for easier maintenance...
A wonderful and very informative video. I was wondering if you should almost included plant life as another natural filter. And you could have list the pros. And cons of that as well.
As not having anything above 55 gallons currently I still use HOB Filters and I don’t use anything but Seachem Tidal series and I won’t ever use anything else because I agree with you after using them that they are the best!
I love the setup I'm using. Seachem Tidal 75 hanging on the side of my 75-gallon tank. 1 course and 1 fine sponge filter. My parameters are usually perfect and i don't fight algae. Some might say it's excessive, but it works.
You could even go with the 110. Can never have too much filtration.
Sumps are the best. Customize it to however you want. Create a rack system so you only need one sump for 20+ tanks. Can create backup mechanisms in case of leakage. Only con is the initial knowledge about how they work
for my filters that had cartridges, I just bought a $5 bag of poly-fil and just use that. works great and lasts for probly over a year :)
23:51 just heard you say pretty much the same thing lol, thank you for this video I'm tired of my sponge filters
It look like your cat love the fish keeping too the way he walks on top of the tank 😂😂 love your videos by the way
I use pretty much only Aquaclear HOB filters. I have an occasional leak (once a decade or so) but I set them to lean towards the 5 tanks they are running on, from 10 to 90 gallons. I sometimes use in-tank powerhead in a bottle with some floss to take out debris after a water change, but since I got the 90 running a couple fo years ago, I use a pump for water changes and it disturbs the tank much less than pouring in a bucket of water.
You are missing two common types that could be added, the overhead sump/top box filter and the matten filter.
Love the sponge filter
I just run multiple AquaClear 110s on my 125 and 180 gallon tanks. Been doing it for years with no issues.
why dont they design CANOPIES for the HOB filters to HANG ON THE SIDE... this way it is easier to get to the filter to clean and saves all the wall space behind the tank.... HANG ON SIDE FILTERS with special canopies.
I totally second this, it's literally the only reason my HOB is actually on the back instead of the side.
Except sumps i've tried all of these filters to finally choose... undergravel filter. Why ? No motor inside aquarium, no water outside aquarium, low noise and as efficient as the most expensive canister filter. The only cons that i see is you need a deep substrate.
Undergravel filter is by far my favourite filtering solution. 0 maintenance and more efficient than a canister filter with half the flow rate ( requires less energy ). Plus it adds oxygen !
I wish I could talk to you. I have an underground and... I need help.
Undergravel one of the better options in my opinion unless you have inhabitants that dig
Exactly @sewerrat7612. There is an explanation why people have moved away from undergravel filters: Dutch aquascapes and the engineered or earthy soils that go with them most of the time. But for those who simply want to put in a mat of moss and epiphytic plants - and you only need to watch a few TH-cam videos to see that this is the vast majority of aquariums - undergravel filters are absolutely perfect. You simply have to take precautions when installing and accept having a thick substrate. And they are way more efficient than any other type of filter with just a 2 or 3 ratio of aquarium volume in air flow per hour. Typically external filters needs ratios of 5.
I love the sump conversion kits for the 40 breeders and 20 longs.
Fluval FX6 every time.
I've had two FX6s and one FX4. They are my absolute favorite filter. Bought them all used on FB for cheap. I'd never buy one new. Way too expensive.
Very informative video
John, in my own humble opinion!! Just a suggestion, it would have been very informative for you to point out the price range of all the filters that you reviewed!! 😊
If I recall, you had a leak on the big tank sump after ww set it up when you moved to NC, right? I don't recall what the issue was, though. Fitting went bad? Hose developed a pin hole?
Great video John Great video. Hyperthetical scenario: I have just bought two 150 gallon Aquariums. I fill one with the Bichirs, Oscars and Severums and the other with the largest school of Neon tetras I can Would I use the Same type of filter in both Aquariums. Are my choices fish or aquarium size dependent?
i find using HOB filters the best and if ur cartridge wears off, just add filter floss
I personally love the look of the sponge filter, it just feels nostalgic in a way
Great video!
Canister filters are not dead silent by any mean unless you are deaf, there is always a hum, always and this hum might change in frequency and level depending on mileage and dirtyness. The worst I ever had was a fluval fx that was rattling for no reason.
Haha the cat in the back playing with Oscar's! 😂 Awesome
What about a step below the sponge filter the small plastic box in the corner connected yo air pump with charcoal or media inside.$10 or less?
I think people have too many complaints on everything in this hobby, the work as you call it is part of the fun, if it's not, your in the wrong hoby.
FX series cannister filters are my favourite I hated my sump filter on my 6ft tank would never get a sump again
You are so right, sumps and canister filters scare the hell out of me, I have my canister filter sitting in a 5 gallon Loew's bucket, and 3 battery water alarms surrounding the back and under the cabinet of my 75 gallon Marine tank.
Team KG tropicals awesome video John love all the content the channel puts out I myself run the hang on the back with the pump in the water which like you said works awesome if you ever have a power failure but I do run them on the side of the tank so I’m able to put it right up against the wall just another way around it see you on the next one
Great video👍😃😃 But what about HMF filters🤔 Have 2 of them in a 185 gallon. 4 inches thick and 10 inches wide with 2 Eheim 6500 Streamon pumps - 1 in each filterand my water is crystal clear 😃😃😃 kind regards Jesper from Frederikshavn in Denmark🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰😉😃😃 PS: And I filter 13000 ltr pr hour using only 12 watts per hour😳😉😃
What is a HMF?
So you have the corner HMF matten filter?
Have you tried insulating under tanks with sound proofing on inside doors and walls to get lessen the sounds of your sumps? Love the shirt
Wait some people are against biomedia?!! Why? WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS OF BIOMEDIA!! Also for your video about filter brands don’t forget eheim classic canister filter! Every part is replaceable (and cheap), the most silent canisters on the market, and NO OVERFLOW which means that no matter if you filter is a little gunked the water has no other path other then filter media! That does mean that you have to watch the flow if it’s reduced you need to clean but having a no overflow filter was the best decision I ever made! I have 8 Eheim 2217 and love all of them! And they are TANKS I mean my oldest 2217 is litterally 24 years old!! None of my other filters have ever come close to being as rock solid as those filters!
Hey! Random question here, but what size Eheim would you put on a well-stocked, planted 29g, if you want gentler flow?
Awesome, can I do a water change with canister filter still running or do you need to turn it off?
@KGTropicals you said your against bio media is there a reason why?
A pro for canister filters, you can connect an in-line hang on the back U.V Sterilizer to the same out put line to the tank.
the set up i have that i like the most in a 29 gallon is a under gravel with a hang on the back loaded with live plants been running for many years and no problems and no problem finding them around here
Under gravel and an Aqua Clear (now Fluval) HOB is the absolute optimum price and efficiency point for filtration from 29 to 90. People who do not like under gravel do not understand the the nitrite, nitrate cycle and the advantage of 5 trillion bacteria on the gravel. One of my LFS has been in business about 40 years and they are exclusively under gravel...and they have the cleanest water of any of my LFS. I was 9 years old when I got in the hobby and had a somewhat crude UGF and a tiny box filter...tank was set up 9 years with zero trouble and water I would have drank if the tap stopped working.
Ordered the Oscar shirt!!! Awesome design
Great video! I LOVED my Eheim, but now I think they're being phased out. My Fluval is great as well. I just think the impeller on my old Eheim was better.
I use ehiem for years,with no leeks ,they sale in the uk,,but you can find on the internet, a little pricey but worth it ,so won't hear utubers promoting it cause ehiem don't need to use utube to sele or pay and give free stuff ,to utubers ,but it a work horse
You can easly put a plant in front sponge filter or rick you may use for decor
On my 75 the only HOB that will fit over the rim is aquaclear 110 all others are 1.5 inches and i need 2. Is there anyway around this? Or do i need to go with a canister?
John. Your beard is impeccably nice in this video. That is all.
I agree🤭🤭
What about under gravel filter power head on each tube, I used them in my 55 gal tank , I also used a back filter. My water was clear & the plant grew like crazy. If I get another tank someday I will use them again
❤
Filters are like heaters, buy two of them and all the spare parts available (filters parts that is). I have two Eheim canister filters and two Marine Land 400 filters for my 75 gal Marine tank, multiple heaters, Warranties don't mean squat in the middle of winter when they fail, and you need one on the spot, I keep my condo at 63 F, I have two heaters in the tank, I had a heater fail, I just ran down in the basement grab another, YES one day when one of these heaters fail, I will go for the five-year warranty, so I have a better piece of mind . My filters are over 20 years old, and they re-designed them, so my parts don't fit the new models (sound familiar ?) but I have enough spare rotors, filter bodies, etc. to keep things going till that time comes. I also bought a gasoline powered generator to re-start my fish love when we had a 3-day lost of power one year, also bought battery powered air pumps and stones in case it happens again.
The FX is not that bad All you have to do is hook up your Python to the drain valve at the bottom of the filter and drain the water out then pick it up. Fluval has come up with a pretty darn good canister filter there. Plus you can get an aquarium vacuum kit that hooks up to that drain valve and you could clean your aquarium without having to add water to it it pumps it back in.
Anyone else love their hang on the back filter/canister filter making the flow noise to sleep?
I also wholeheartedly felt that sigh at the thought of electric cars
Sidenote; love the cat on top of the tank 🥰 That's very familiar (10 cats, 6 tanks), greets from Finland 😅