Pros/Cons of Various Filtration

[jaws7777]

I'm lazy, I have Eheim canisters that I haven't cleaned in years running on tanks.

So am i, a reason why i hate cans

 

[dan518]

My tank is a named item on my house insurance, not only covers me for water damage but also the tank, stand, all associated electrical equipment. In order for it to be valid every thing has to be made by a main stream manufacturer, this means I need to use canisters or hobs. I would prefer a sump but I like the peace of mind knowing if some thing major happened and my living room is wrecked I can have it all replaced new for old. So I will stick with canisters for now.

 

[jaws7777]

My tank is a named item on my house insurance, not only covers me for water damage but also the tank, stand, all associated electrical equipment. In order for it to be valid every thing has to be made by a main stream manufacturer, this means I need to use canisters or hobs. I would prefer a sump but I like the peace of mind knowing if some thing major happened and my living room is wrecked I can have it all replaced new for old. So I will stick with canisters for now.

Wow that interesting. So it wouldnt have been covered if you were to plum a sump ? Why is that

 

[dan518]

Wow that interesting. So it wouldnt have been covered if you were to plum a sump ? Why is that

In the UK at least, alot of insurance companies don't like DIY. If I plumbed my bathroom and it resulted in flooding the house some insurance companies would refuse to pay as I am not qualified.

 

[Ogertron3000]

I used to run one in a 30 long. My biggest problem with it was that the gunk would build up underneath no matter how much you vacuum and clean. Eventually it becomes a nitrate factory and you have to do a complete tear down to fix it. Rinse and repeat... It is also a source of confusion if you have any other issues. You can trouble shoot everything else to find your problem, but you’re blind as to what’s going on under there. So guess how you find out. That’s right! Also, the buildup restricts flow and exacerbates the problem. IMO it’s more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t have the room for a sump, or the know how for that matter. I run an Eheim pro 2 and Rena filstar 2 canisters underneath in my cabinet. Both have quick disconnects and are easy to clean. The only sound coming from my setup is the water movement at the surface for gas exchange. Until I have a proper aquarium room where I can set up a sump system, I’m quite happy with the current setup.

I don't recommend traditional UGF alone for delicate fish. Too much maintenance in-tank required, which stresses the fish.

Also UGF needs reverse pressure on occasion to blow out all the mulm. Unless you run reversed all the time.

Before I started reversing them 100% I had a powerhead with a reverse flow setting. It worked, but not enough for me.

I would take the powerhead off and dissassemble it to clean, and at that time I would stick a hose in the pipe and blow the gravel up hard. Then I'd siphon the water off 80%+ & reassemble everything.

I had a heavily stocked tank (five big silver dollars and a big pleco in a 30 tall) so I did this on a regular basis. But I never bought one filter, sock, sponge or pad for that tank over the first 15 years running that tank.

BUT I WAS NOT RAISING DELICATE FISH!

I was raising the hardiest fish I could find.

AFAIK no big fish sellers use UGF as they once did, because of labor to clean tanks. They use central carbon filtration and change that. That would have been too expensive back in the days of cheap labor.

BTW I have been keeping fish 48 of my 60+ years, and my mom sold fish at the dimestore when I was a kid. UGF was all they had.

I think I will give the under gravel a miss and just use the canister. Sounds like it could be more trouble than it's worth. As I am thinking sand substrate it probably wouldn't work anyway.

 

[Niki_up]

I’m a fan of aquaclear hob filters, they are easy to clean and easy to fit a sponge over the inlet tube and you can modify the media how you like. Some of my hob filters have lava rock inside, ceramic rings, sponges, the dollar store scrubbies, the options are almost unlimited