Better filtration for a 10g

[SkarloeysMom]

I currently have the stock filter Power Whisper 10 that came with my tank. I was wondering what would provide better filtration on a small budget.

Would it be possible to just buy a bigger power filter like one for a 30g to turn the water over more or would it create too much current or trap fish on the intake or something?

Or could I add something to the one I have to make it better? I remember reading something about fluvel sponges but can't find the post.

[tropfish]

30 seems really strong. You maybe could try a 15 or 20. that might work. I'm not really sure though

[A340]

I would go with an Aquaclear 50 (even though an AC 30 would do the trick). They aren't that expensive, filter media is cheap and easy to find. There is only about a $10 price difference between the AC 30 and 50, so might as well go one number higher, more filteration is better.

I'm running a 50 on one of my 10g's and the current/flow is fine. I'm also running the AC 110 on my 29g with no issues what so ever.

[cocoa_pleco]

try a OSCAR mini canister filter for up to 20g. i have one, and it has good flow. it comes with a spraybar and the canister itself can sit on the floor or hang on the tank, and its the size of a softball

[A340]

try a OSCAR mini canister filter for up to 20g. i have one, and it has good flow. it comes with a spraybar and the canister itself can sit on the floor or hang on the tank, and its the size of a softball
Nice. Saw one of those a Petcetera, but was skeptikal about it (as I am with most of their stuff), but I wouldn't mind trying one out. Could you post some pics?

[cocoa_pleco]

i can try to get pics tomorrow, i lent my camera to someone today. i got mine at a warehouse for 30$. it's a good filter

[SkarloeysMom]

Alizee, How's the Aquaclear as far as noise?

[sergo]

i have a whisper 60 on my 10g but i don't turn up more than half way. it's also got 3 small mbunas in it.

[SkarloeysMom]

i have a whisper 60 on my 10g but i don't turn up more than half way. it's also got 3 small mbunas in it.

Hmmm, I wonder if I should just go with a bigger whisper. I know they're quiet and I already have the filters.

[sergo]

i had to modify the light canopy to get to fit but it wasn't a big deal. hell, it looks like it belongs on there and i have plenty of filtration for my rowdy little friends.

[Drumachine09]

With a ten gallon tank, you cant go wrong with a penguin 100 with the biowheel. ITs an AWESOME filter, and as long as you keep the knobs on the end of the biowheel clean from debris, it is an EXTREMELY quiet filter.

[SkarloeysMom]

I've found both filters online at Animalworldnetwork.net for a good price. I'm either gonna go with the AC50 or the Whisper 40. For a dollar more I could go with the AC but I don't know what how the noise compares to Whisper. Anybody out there had both brands and could comment?

[Rue]

AC is the better of the two...and from a couple of comments...likely quieter as well...

[Incredulous_Ed]

Definetly go with AC. they are quiet and provide much better filtration than Whisper.

[cocoa_pleco]

the bigger the better. i had the LARGEST aquaclear on a 10g for a while

[A340]

the bigger the better. i had the LARGEST aquaclear on a 10g for a while
Are you serious? The AC110 is almost bigger than the tank ... lol :hmm3grin2orange:

[SkarloeysMom]

I order the AC 50 today. I can't wait to see how well it works. I decided to go with the AC because it turned over the water at 200gph and had a flow control. My 5g will the old Whisper 10 so Skarloey will have better water too. Its a win-win for two of my tanks!:19:

Thanks for all the advice.

[RobbieG]

I love my AC filter

My next purchase is going to be a couple of AC 110's for my 30 gallon tanks

[marcryan11]

We always buy larger filters as they do a better job and aren't working too hard. One thing you will want to watch for is the volume it produces and what that does to your tank. We had a bio180 on our 10 and 18 gallon, (filter was for a 30 I think), the filter slammed the water into the tank so hard that it tossed the fish about. One thing you can do to counter that is to take a 1 liter soda bottle, strip off the label and thouroughly rinse it. Cut off the top and bottom of the bottle, and cut one side so it will fold flat (sort of), now take that and put it over the filter outlet (the lid will hold it in place). you still get the same filtration and flow from the pump, but it disperses the water to the sides making the fish happier.

[A340]

I love my AC filter

My next purchase is going to be a couple of AC 110's for my 30 gallon tanks
You'll be very happy with them, I've got one on my 29g and it works like a charm.

[~Erik3.8.07~]

you'll be very happy with the ac, i dont have the 50, but i got an ac30 on my 10 and it works awesome! I dont hear a single sound

[gm72]

I have the AC 30s on my 10s and they do wonders. A 50 will be a great choice.

[SkarloeysMom]

With a ten gallon tank, you cant go wrong with a penguin 100 with the biowheel. ITs an AWESOME filter, and as long as you keep the knobs on the end of the biowheel clean from debris, it is an EXTREMELY quiet filter.

Do you have a Penguin 100 right now that you could measure for me? I need to know how wide and how far it sticks out from the back of the tank.

My 2.5g tank has a in-tank filter that takes up a lot of swimming room and I'm considering a HOB filter for it but the hole in the hood is very small, only 5" x 1". I think the Penguin may be the only one that will fit.

[YaYgoldFish]

I use the Fluval 2 underwater filter. It's good for a 24g and i think costs about 75$ Its expensive, but probably one of the best. I have 2 little turtles that are super messy and the water is always crystal clear. Even while their eating a fish!

[cocoa_pleco]

i had a old fluval underwater too. i bought one of wal-marts old acrylic fish show tanks that they used to sell fish out of before they used one-filter systems. my fluval was good.

i had so much trouble with my bio-wheel 100 i chucked it. i went through 3 and within a day they would barely pump water. after exchanging so many times i chucked it. i never have had trouble with whispers or aquaclears though. whispers are really good. mine for 15g takes care of my 33g. i just filter the 33g with LR and the filter alone and my levels are perfect

[modster]

My 10g has a whisper 10 with some biomax in it and it works pretty well. If you are getting a new filter, definitely get AC.

[SkarloeysMom]

My Whisper 10 works great its just to big to fit in my 2.5 g and there's no way to modify the tank hood to allow more room. That's why I was looking for something smaller. Of course, I really don't know if its smaller because I can't find any measurements online for the Penguin.

[dev]

I've never seen a whisper, but I can reccomend Hagen AquaClear which is good. And there is no reason to buy the overpriced special made filtermedia. You can use filter wool, blue filter spounge or bioactive media in a filter bag.

For a 10 gallon tank I would go for the AC 30, but since these are adjustable you could get away with an AC 50 at a low setting.

[cocoa_pleco]

for small tanks, azoo's are good, theyre HOB's as big as your fists. i had trouble finding mine a few months ago but now theyre much more common

[SkarloeysMom]

I'm getting the AC 50 tomorrow to replace the Whisper 10 in my 10g. Then I bump down the Whisper 10 to my 5g. I've given up on finding a HOB filter to fit my 2.5g. I was really just trying to give Ketchup more space to swim by replacing his in-tank filter with a HOB. Oh well, I'll just get a bigger tank! HAHAHA!

Dev, thanks for the tip on using filter floss, etc. instead of buying the AC replacement stuff. That will save me some $$.:19:

[SkarloeysMom]

for small tanks, azoo's are good, theyre HOB's as big as your fists. i had trouble finding mine a few months ago but now theyre much more common

Thanks Cocoa! I found that Azoo filter online and although it may actually fit it only processes 16gph and my Whisper 10 in-tank supposedly does 90gph. But you know when you think about it, its hard to believe its turning over that 2.5g that many times an hour. Anyway, would it be better to just stay with the in-tank that filters the water more?

[gm72]

I'd stay with the larger filter. Larger filtration is almost always a better idea.

[dev]

I'd stay with the larger filter. Larger filtration is almost always a better idea.

While I agree very much on a larger filter being a good thing, the gallons per hour describes the amount of water being moved through the filter by the pump, it does not describe the size of the filter (eg. filtering capacity).

I would give more thought to the amount of filtermedia, and just make sure the pump can turn around three times the tank volume (so at least 7.5g/hour for your 2.5g tank).

Some manufacturers build filterpumps that have large media capacity but slow water movement, while others build them with high turnover and less media. The first ones makes a lot more sense to me, so I prefer those.

I also believe a small filter with good filter media (like the bioactive Ehfisubstrat from Eheim) can be better than a larger filter with simple filter wool or blue sponge.

[Lady Hobbs]

I have a penguin 250 on my 10 gallon.

[gm72]

Dev has a great point, and coincides with my comment about a larger filter. That is one of the reason I am such an advocate of the Aquaclear filters. Lots of options for media placement.

[SkarloeysMom]

OK, I got the new AC 50 today and put it together and got it on the tank. I only have one problem...it makes a kind of loud motor noise. Does it take a while to break it a new filter?

Its sure got a lot of filter media types! I can see myself going to Dev's method once the media that came with it gets too gunked up.

One other thing I was a little concerned about was having a mini cycle because the filter is so brand spankin' new. I haven't done a PCW this week because Nitrates were only at 10 yesterday so I'm thinking its going to be OK. Should I be concerned?

[gm72]

Aquaclear filters make next to zero noise when working properly. Make sure you have the filter intake seated properly. Make sure there is no air inherent in the system. Make sure the impeller is seated.

[kurly]

Skarloeysmom,
How is your AC 50 working out on your 10 gallon tank? I need to buy a filter for my 10 gallon tank but wasn't sure what kind to get. Are you satisfied with yours?