teitelmm

Hello all...I am gathering info as I prepare to dive back into the hobby after a 2 decade absence. I know the tank will be freshwater, community, heavily planted. What filter should I use? I've heard good things about the Bio Wheels from Marineland. Or would I be better off with a canister filter from say, Eheim? Or perhaps both? Don't want to overdo it. I know I'll also need a CO2 system. Any thoughts on this? I'd rather not do the DIY version. Thanks for any help everyone!

sirdarksol

I have also heard good things about the BioWheels. Canister filters are usually unnecessary unless you have a huge tank. If, however, you are planning to have a 100+ tank, a canister filter may be the way to go.

As far as CO2, are you thinking of going with yeast fermentation, or are you thinking of CO2 canister injection?

COBettaCouple

welcome to FishLore. how big of a tank are you thinking of going with? what fish and substrata do you want to put in?

lyndatu

Hello there and welcome back to fish world!

A new filter, eh? Well, I prefer using an overhead filter(trickle filter/wet or dry filter or whatever the name they call it; Hehe) because it's quite complete: Mechanical, Chemical and VERY good biological filtration. It's quite inexpensive and easy to clean, too! If you even add and attach the canister to the overhead filter, your aquarium will be overcleansed! The canister also prevents fry or small fish from being sucked in. But please do not use an undergravel filter! I've been a victim of this filter twice, and all my fish were poisoned because the gunk stored in the plate leaked into the water!

But if you only have a small tank (10 gallons or such?) you can use the box filter but it won't do well in heavily stocked aquariums.

If you have the money yes go for the bio-wheel filter because many say it's the best filter yet but unfortunately for me I don't have money! I have less than 20 bucks! (less than 1000 pesos in our country)

Good luck with your new aquarium(and save yourself from the UGF)!

dvd_wightman

Welcome to Fishlore and welcome back to the fish world! I have never had a planted tank, but from what I have read, canister filters are best for planted tanks. This is because they produce less surface agitation, and a high surface agitation will allow the carbon dioxide in the water to dissolve. Some good canister filters are Ehiems and Filstars. Good luck!

teitelmm

Thanks everyone for the advice. The tank is going to be at least 100 gallons, and since it will be heavily planted, I will probably use Eco Complete for the substrate. I've read that canister filters may be the way to go for planted aquariums, just wanted to make sure that I didn't need both a Bio Wheel and a canister.