The Puffer Forum

What brand filter do some of you use? I've seen mixed reviews for all of them, and now I'm up in the air about what to get. I was planning on getting one today, but am unsure.

Twice now i was going to get a 30gal aquarium for free (from a friend and then family). Seems everyone has changed their mind about giving them up after hearing what I was getting. Pulling the old 20gal out of the attic today and starting the cycling if I can find a filter. Expect a pic with 1 Fig8 in it after I'm done cycling.

Recommendations tend to be coloured by personal experiences; some people have had bad experiences with one brand but not with another, so argue that the first brand is inherently bad. My own personal experiences have been limited to Fluval and Eheim filters, both of which I have found to be reliable. Fluvals tend to be less expensive, so if money is an issue, these can be a very good value. I will also add that the design of the current series of Fluval external filters seems to be very good and easy to work with. But many people like Eheim filters, and they're certainly among the best on the market.

Fundamentally, for a single fish in a fairly large aquarium given the size of the fish, the filter brand doesn't matter. Any filter -- even a properly maintained undergravel -- will handle the ammonium/nitrite issues just fine. Nitrate issues are handled with water changes, and obviously the filter doesn't matter in that regard. I'd suggest choosing whichever filter suits your budget and brand loyalties, and focus more on ensuring adequate turnover (5-8 times per hour) and the most efficient biological filtration medium you can afford (such as Siporax).

Hardware doesn't make good fishkeepers; all it does is allow good fishkeepers to get their work done more easily.

Cheers, Neale

I go fluval every time, I think Eheim are way overpriced

I find the Eheim internals to be much quieter than the Fluvals, I find both Eheim and Fluval reliable though.

For internal filters, I only go for Fluval. Very good filters, and really quiet! They are very easy to handle, too. No other filter can compare with them IMO (the only one I have tested from Eheim is Aqualball, so I don't know how the others are. But Aquaball can't compare with Fluval)

For external, I don't have so much experience yet. I only have two, and one of them was set up yesterday

Thanks.

Money is an issue for me at the moment. My girlfriend is in between jobs right now and our daughter is a sponge when it comes to having extra money.

I think RTR said he had Fig8s live longer in their own tank and since I'm new to all of this, 1 Fig 8 in a 20gal seems to be a good place to start anyway.

What to do with all the extra snails I'll have shortly...

Rena XP canisters are what I use. Much cheaper than the Eheim and Fluvals and work just as good IMO.

I'll probably get a HOB Eheim.

Ahh, for HOBs, I think Aquaclears are the best.

Yeah, my Aquaclear HOBs haven't let me down, and they are a great value if you get them in the right place. I've provided a link to where I got my Aquaclear 110 (500 gallons per hour) new for $60 less than what they sell them for in local stores here.
http://www.animalworldnetwork.com/bpowerfiltersb.html

I didn't think I would need a canister for a 20gal with 1 puff in it. Saw fluva etc...

I'll go by price then. Thanks again.

Going by price can be a mistake. I've had nothing but problems with cheaper biowheel filters and am replacing all of my more inexpensive Whisper filters with Aquaclears. Aquaclears are comparable in price but far superior in quality and function IMO.

Sorry, I meant by price for the ones mentioned here.

Looked at Aquaclears just now. They seem to have more consistent good reviews and are fairly cheap.

Yes, my solitary F-8s did live much longer than co-housed F-8s. That is not just a puffer thing for me however - it is pretty much a general case for non-schooling fish in my tanks - puffers, cichlids, goldfish, non-schooling catfish, and assorted oddballs. If you want a fish to achieve maximum longevity, keep it alone, in a larger-than-minimum tank, keep the water as clean as you can achieve, and give it a good diet -appropriate to that particular fish type. Schoolers need community of their own kind, and even the solitary types seem to benefit from some external activity - adjacent tanks or people/pets/whatever - they are less spooky for me in such situations. I do better with adjacent-tank dithers or con-specifics than with co-housed ones by some margin,

I picked up an Aquaclear 70. It was on sale for the same price as the 50's normal price and with the flow control can be cut down to 100gph from 300gph. So, hopefully the larger filter inserts will last longer and mean less maintenance. Since I'm such a novice I think I'll be able to keep a single Fig8 healthy easily with this set up . Thanks for the help.