I just posted my intro in the intro spot and figured i would jump right in here and ask away!

I have a 20G tank that is populated and been running well for a small chunk of time. My questions is this though. I have an aqueon small mini filter deal ( i dont recall the model off the top of my head) but it is a single cartridge/medai filter, and i find myself having to replace it every month or so for the carbon insert, ( i typically put the new one in, and leave the old filter right in front of it to promote biological transfer) But i am looking to upgrade to a filter with multiple inserts and or changeable media without having to remove the mechanical part often ( if at all). I would prefer to keep it a clip on right now... any suggestions?

(((Future plan is to use the old 10 gal i upgraded from as a planted tank kept bellow the 20 gal and gravity feed water to it and pump some back up to promote filtration and the whole biotope as a whole. It will also allow me to add fresh water more readily and buffer it accordingly. but this is months and months out)))

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When you pay that cash or swipe that card you are making a bond with that animal that you will treat it with love and respect, and its needs will be met, first and foremost (unless you have kids...) I don't care if you have to eat ramen noodles or nothing at all to feed your cat dog fish rat whatever. That's the bond you made! Life is precious!

you should consider the aquaclear hob filters. You can reuse the filter sponge over and over and there is room for other media of your choice. Very quite and reliable.
I have used these for many years with great success. Get at least the aquaclear 50.

Aquaclears are way to go for HOB. I have them in both my tanks. AC50 will be good for your 20 gallon IMO.

i just bought an aquaclear 70 for my 40g and from what ive seen so far i think i want to get a smaller one to replace the aqueon quiet flow 10 i have on my 10g, i like that you can change ONLY the carbon and keep the rest of the media alone to do its job

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10g- 2 hi-fin fm platys, 3 koi & red wag sword fry
40g Breeder- 6 danios, 4 female swords, 1 male swords
"I was born with nothin and I still got most of it left."- Seasick Steve

I also LOVE the Aquaclears! On my 20g I have an Aquaclear 30 and an Aquaclear 20 running... so 50g's of filtration.

Love how there is tons of room for media! You basically rinse out the sponge and biomax every few months in the dirty fish change water, and keep using it, (until it falls apart or won't hold it's shape,) so potentially for years. You can change the carbon monthly, or keep it in for a few months for extra space for the bacteria.....or, nix the carbon and put more sponges or biomax, or even filter floss in.

They are super quiet as well!

What ever you choose, run the old filter on with the new one, until the new media is properly seeded with bacteria so you don't throw the tank into a mini-cycle. Or, put the old filter media into the new filters.

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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

thats another thing i really like about them, theres plenty of room to put the old media in there with the aquaclear media

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10g- 2 hi-fin fm platys, 3 koi & red wag sword fry
40g Breeder- 6 danios, 4 female swords, 1 male swords
"I was born with nothin and I still got most of it left."- Seasick Steve

AquaClear as everyone has said. They are quiet, efficient, and with the media options there is nothing that really compares.

Thanks for all the replys guys! (and gals) My thoughts as follows. I still have about a 6 month supply of the old media's from the aqueon, So i will purchase an AquaClear 20 and dual run them! that way the prefered bacteria will have plenty of time to take hold while the two filters run.

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When you pay that cash or swipe that card you are making a bond with that animal that you will treat it with love and respect, and its needs will be met, first and foremost (unless you have kids...) I don't care if you have to eat ramen noodles or nothing at all to feed your cat dog fish rat whatever. That's the bond you made! Life is precious!

sounds like a great plan and i doubt you'll be disappointed

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10g- 2 hi-fin fm platys, 3 koi & red wag sword fry
40g Breeder- 6 danios, 4 female swords, 1 male swords
"I was born with nothin and I still got most of it left."- Seasick Steve

aquaclears are the best, if you can spring for a 30 or 50 its all the better. Little extra filtration never hurts, then if you upgrade to a 29 or 40 gallon tank you still have a very usable filter.

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90 gallon, 1 Iridescent shark, 2 Pleco, 3 Goldfish, 5 Cory cats, 2 Nerite snails
5 gallon hex, Blue Crowntail Betta, 1 nerite snail,

I have an AC50 on my 20, or had before sponge filter. I never look at it from a more flow perspective, I look at the media area. The larger the area, the better off you are.

I have aquaclears, marinelands and aquanovas - all very good machines (with the aquaclears best, aqua novas second, marinelands third, IMHO). All can easily be modified so that you never buy inserts. I cut humidifier sponges to convert marinelands into bio filters - ditto for aquanovas. With aquaclears, I use a layer of plastic scrubber pads below and the sponge on top.
You can re-use synthetic coarse sponges like the ones Hagen sells with the aquaclear for many years.

sorry I can't help as the only filter I use is live plants.

Perhaps you will find out why when you do the 10g planted.


my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

I have two aquaclear 50's on my 26gal bowfront. One on each end of the tank. I use the second one for media only. Works out very well and water flow it more even than one bigger filter.

So i went ahead and got meself an AquaKlear 30 to supplement the filter i have now, I will focus with the AK30 on biobuildups and a a small carbon pouch and exhaust my aqueon 120's (i think) supply of cartridges.

Is there any known problems with keeping media in place with exhuasted carbon inserts? more specifically, the carbon insert is inside the aqueon filter, after a few weeks they rate it as gone, ( i know this is totally dependant on a tank by tank basis and is a guidlines) but is there harm in keeping depleted carbon in there?

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When you pay that cash or swipe that card you are making a bond with that animal that you will treat it with love and respect, and its needs will be met, first and foremost (unless you have kids...) I don't care if you have to eat ramen noodles or nothing at all to feed your cat dog fish rat whatever. That's the bond you made! Life is precious!