I try to keep accessories at a minimum. However, a good silent and durable water filter seems good to have. I expect it will do water aeration and filtration as needed. Which brand would be better to buy? I hate noisy accessories. Will it aerate water well enough?

'Best' water filter is a subjective term, since almost everyone who's going to post in this thread is just going to chime in on their favorites. That being said, I prefer the Marineland Penguin/Emperor hang on back filters. They've always been quiet for me, and they offer excellent filtration at a pretty decent price. Aquaclear filters are pretty nice as well, if you're looking for flexibility in media loadout. Just about any brand of HOB filter will aerate your water sufficiently, although if you feel it's not doing so increase water movement at the surface by using an air stone or powerhead.

What size aquarium do you have? What sort of fish are in it?

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It is 29 gallons. Thank you very much. I will certainly buy one soon.

I have been told that the general rule of thumb is 300gpm is the rate of filtration. I have the AquaClear 70 for a 30g tank. Its quiet, has all the great bio techniques...

You can either go by 2x the rating of the filter (so for a 29 gallon, you'll want a filter rated for a 60 gallon tank or higher), or go for 4x the size of the tank in gallons per hour flow rate (so for a 29, you'll want 120 GPH or thereabouts).

Canister filters are the best for reliability, silence, and effectiveness, of which I would recommend Eheim brand. I have a Haagen AquaClear 50 and it suffices, but if I had the money and space I would definitely upgrade to a canister filter.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

I have an Eheim Classic 2217 on my 29g. Awesome filter.

When I've asked people at my LFS and LPS, they almost unanimously recommend the Aquaclears. The three media, and you being able to mix/match media if you want, makes a huge different in terms of maintaining the bacteria in the tank. Mine's been running in a fishless tank for 2 weeks and it doesn't make a peep, and nitrites/nitrates began appearing in the tank after only 7-8 days or so while cycling it (I don't know how much the filter has to do with this, but I'm assuming quite a bit). After instilling about 10 or so small plants into the aquarium, and me ruining a plant on accident, the water became really cloudy on day 4 or 5 and it took less than 24 hours for the filter to return the cloudy water back into water with perfect clarity.

Also, I haven't been able to find the Aquaclear at my local Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Meijer, etc...further leading me to believe they might be one of the better ones you can buy in terms of HOB filters (since these stores generally stock the cheapest stuff).

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30G planted aquarium with Aquaclear 50 and two Aquaclear 20s. 7 Cherry Barbs, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Golden Honey Gourami, and a handful of Ghost Shrimp.

look on ebay for aquaclear, i got aquaclear 70 for 49 bucks shipped when i bought mine, it was quite, now i have ehiem 2217 canister and its really quite

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What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

I like my rena filstar XP2 on my 29 the best.Easy to setup,large media baskets,a control valve,spraybar,and super silent.My water stays perfect.Plus I have more room now that its under my cabinet as opposed to the ones on the back.And,I feel I get more filtration because the inlet is on the right and the spraybar on the left,for full tank filtration.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

Aquaclear is awesome! It aerates the water well (my water lettuce is constantly swirling around the top of the tank) and can hold 3 different media at once, ex: sponge, carbon and bio-max. You don't have to use 3 media, but you can mix and match which media you do use with this filter. Really quiet too. My "whisper quiet" air pump is louder than my filter and the air pump is almost silent.

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

I've got an AquaClear 50 on my 29 gallon, and I've got mixed feelings about it - when clean it buzzes, especially with the media housing lid on, and it's not self-priming. However, the pump motor is extremely reliable (2 years of hard use on my first motor, still running strong), the inlet has a flow limiter so you can throttle how much you want filtered, and the media chamber is large, so I fabricate my own filter inserts from raw bulk carbon, raw bulk bio-media, media bags, and pads of filter floss. It's also fairly easy to clean, and with most HOB power filters, it is readily accessible and not hard to set up/operate. However, it is obtrusive and easily visible in the tank. In the future, one day I will have an Eheim canister filter with lily pipes, I'm thinking.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

hey Guy, i took alittle ducktape around the top of it around where the lid fits in and it stopped mine, 2 small peices on the side and it was fixed, are you looking for a eheim 2217 filter by any chance, i might have an extra one depending on what my girlfreind gets this weekend for a tank

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What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

I found that tape works to stop the lid from buzzing too - when it did buzz... it doesn't anymore - I don't find that it's obtrusively visible.... I kinda' blends in with the background I've got. (My filter is really old, so it's the old clear brown model - the new ones are a clear grey - and it blends right into the plant/wood background picture on the back of the tank). I can see it being highly visible if there is no background picture, or if it's a blue background. (And your right about the non-self priming... kinda' sucks.... but I find it still works great). All I do is dump water in it before I turn it back on and turn the flow to "high" and it primes and starts running. Then I can re-adjust the flow.

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

Noise question to those saying their HOB filters are quiet:

When you say that the filter is "quiet" to you mean in terms of mechanical noise (no pump noise/clatter/vibration) or overall "quiet"? To me it is important not only to have no mechanical noise, but I don't want to feel like there is a waterfall in my room at all times when the filters are running.

It seems that the best way to get a truly silent setup is to use a cartridge filter as there is no cascading water falling back in.

I would be interested to hear other people's thoughts.

-B

It will make a waterfall noise if you dont have the water level up close to the lip of the filter..In fact most filters will,if they are allowed to splash into the tank like that.Also,every HOB Ive ever had has made a mechanical noise.The brand will depend on the hum.Aquaclears are pretty good,but still,I feel the canisters are the quietest,because its hidden away under the cabinets.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

I'm sitting right next to mine and I can't hear it. (I keep the water filled so it doesn't 'splash' into the tank and make noise). Like I said, my "whisper quiet" air pump (which really is almost completely silent), is louder than my Aquaclear.

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

Same (Aquaclear 50). I hear a little splashing (barely) but my water is a little lower than it usually is, all I can hear in terms of my aquarium are my two air pumps, the filter doesn't make a peep.

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30G planted aquarium with Aquaclear 50 and two Aquaclear 20s. 7 Cherry Barbs, 12 Cardinal Tetras, 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco, 1 Golden Honey Gourami, and a handful of Ghost Shrimp.

That is interesting to hear. I had a Marineland Penguin 200 sitting in this tank for a little while, with the tank as full as I thought I should keep it, and it sounded like I had a waterfall in my room. Is the shape of the discharge on the Aquaclear much different or did I just have a bad filter somehow? I did have the tank full so that the edge of the discharge chute was in the water.

I also looked at I think it was the Tetra Whisper filters, the HOB that has the pump submerged in the water which is supposed to be quieter, but I'm still concerned about the waterfall noise.

-B

In-tank power filters are indeed quiet, however they are VERY obtrusive as far as hardware goes, however if you don't mind a big black filter in one corner of your tank, they are the most quiet of the less expensive filters. As far as the splashing - any filter will do that unless you fill the tank right up to the bottom of the outlet. Canisters will do the same, if you have the spray bar far enough out of the water.

Holly - I just leave the lid off all the time. I don't want to duct tape it since I'm into the filter all the time re-priming it and changing filter media. Dani mentioned rubber banding some cellophane over the top, but I've found leaving the lid off works equally as well.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Agree with all of this.They are super quiet,but take up valuable space,in my case it wasnt worth the sacrifice.


OK if you look in the left in the pic,the whole black spot,with the yellow(filter pad)is the filter.Its the one rated for 30 gallons.This was my 25,so its basically the footprint of a 29 but a few inches shorter,so that should tell you how big they are.But super quiet.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"