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RogueGypsy · 04-28-2011, 12:41 PM

Plants are the best filters around and don't cost a dime to run. Just add a Coralife circulator for some water movement and do a 25%-40% water change weekly. I have 4 tanks. Three with filters and one planted as above. The planted tank is clearer, healthier, looks better and requires less maintenance than the others. Don't believe all the hype about watts/gallon for plants either. There are a ton of plants that do very well in low light tanks. 1 watt/gallon will grow just about anything that's not a low growing ground cover type of plant like 'baby tears'. But it's still enough to grow some low growing Crypts very well.

If you really want to go with a filter I've had good luck with:

Marineland canister filters; they're a little bit of a pain to clean, but I've never had one fail.
Marineland HOB (hang-on-back) filters; good filter for the money, but only seem to last a couple of years.
Eheim Eco Canister filters; I use one of these on my Goldfish tank -read tons of debris to filter- and it works like a champ. The design is almost identical to the Marineland canister.
Ehiem Pro Canister; this is by far the easiest to clean and reinstall. Has a huge volume so cleaning is a semi-annual event instead of monthly and it runs silently. This is, however, the only filter I've ever had any real problems with. Nothing mechanical, just a seal that likes to leak. I may have just gotten a bad seal in mine. Everyone else raves about these filters, for both their effectiveness and ease of use.

Knowing a little more about your set-up would be helpful. What kind of fish, how many, type of lighting.............

04-28-2011, 12:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
RogueGypsy Insane Location: The Great NorthWet	Plants are the best filters around and don't cost a dime to run. Just add a Coralife circulator for some water movement and do a 25%-40% water change weekly. I have 4 tanks. Three with filters and one planted as above. The planted tank is clearer, healthier, looks better and requires less maintenance than the others. Don't believe all the hype about watts/gallon for plants either. There are a ton of plants that do very well in low light tanks. 1 watt/gallon will grow just about anything that's not a low growing ground cover type of plant like 'baby tears'. But it's still enough to grow some low growing Crypts very well. If you really want to go with a filter I've had good luck with: Marineland canister filters; they're a little bit of a pain to clean, but I've never had one fail. Marineland HOB (hang-on-back) filters; good filter for the money, but only seem to last a couple of years. Eheim Eco Canister filters; I use one of these on my Goldfish tank -read tons of debris to filter- and it works like a champ. The design is almost identical to the Marineland canister. Ehiem Pro Canister; this is by far the easiest to clean and reinstall. Has a huge volume so cleaning is a semi-annual event instead of monthly and it runs silently. This is, however, the only filter I've ever had any real problems with. Nothing mechanical, just a seal that likes to leak. I may have just gotten a bad seal in mine. Everyone else raves about these filters, for both their effectiveness and ease of use. Knowing a little more about your set-up would be helpful. What kind of fish, how many, type of lighting............. __________________ Methods, application and intensity of application vary by the individual. All legal wavers must be signed before 'treatment' begins. Self 'Medicating' is not recommend. However, if necessary, it is best to have an 'assistant' or 'soft landing zone' nearby. Any and all legal issues resulting from improperly applied techniques should be forwarded to: Dewy, Cheatum & Howe, Intercourse, PA 17534. Attn: Anonymous.