Anyone Used Topfin Filters From Petsmart?

Has anyone ever used petsmarts topfin filters? If so what was your experience like?

 

Has anyone ever used petsmarts topfin filters? If so what was your experience like?

Depends what your using it for and what tank size. The one that comes with the 5 gallon is made for a 10 gallon and has way to much current! In a ten gallon it works great for some fish. DO NOT use for bettas as their fins can get stuck in the filters!!! Also to start it you have to fill it up with water and then plug it in.

 

Depends what your using it for and what tank size. The one that comes with the 5 gallon is made for a 10 gallon and has way to much current! In a ten gallon it works great for some fish. DO NOT use for bettas as their fins can get stuck in the filters!!! Also to start it you have to fill it up with water and then plug it in.

But is it as good as other filters like Aquaclear and Marineland?

 

But is it as good as other filters like Aquaclear and Marineland?

Never will be! Aquaclear has many sizes and different things to put in it. As Well as marineland. I haven't used them as I have sponge filters for my bettas and one for my community tank but I researched it and they seem awesome!

 

I have a Topfin 10 on my 10 gallon (just completed fishless cycle so no inhabitants yet). It is nice and quiet, and self-primes pretty quick after being turned off for water changes (great when the power goes out briefly too!) I've got a pre-filter sponge on the intake so I don't have to worry about anyone;s fins getting sucked into it.
The only downside is that the media compartment is tall and thin (as opposed to a more 'boxy' compartment in my Aquaclear) so you have fewer options for what media you put in there. I've currently got 2 of the floss cartridges that are designed for it, plus a tall flat plastic screen with bumps (this is supposedly the bio filter) and I've added a trimmed piece of a Fluval flat square sponge that I'm seeding for eventually cycling my 20 gallon. That's pretty much all that will fit in there.
That said, it's done a great job of keeping the tank clean (as much as possible anyway) during my fishless cycle. I've stirred up the sand a bunch of times, and had some plants die in there, but it's done a great job.
If I was buying a stand alone filter in the future, I'd likely go with the Aquaclear, it does a great job too, but only real difference to me is the amount of space in there for media.

 

I'm not really big on them. They are too skinny. I also think that the stuff they provide to you for your tank isn't rated high enough for the tank. So if you have a 20 gallon tank and it came with a Topfin 20 filter, it's just not good enough to support the tank.

It's really, you get what you paid for.

 

I guess it depends a certain amount on what your stocking is. If your tank just has a single betta, for example, a basic filter like these are quite sufficient for the small bioload of the tank. If you've got lots of poopy fish and snails in there, different story

 

Never will be! Aquaclear has many sizes and different things to put in it. As Well as marineland. I haven't used them as I have sponge filters for my bettas and one for my community tank but I researched it and they seem awesome!

So a top fin will suck a betta's fin up but an AC won't ? There's some logic.

 

Has anyone ever used petsmarts topfin filters? If so what was your experience like?

They are ok. But I don't like the media inserts.
Also put a prefilter on the intake of any filter to keep it from sucking up fins or little babies ECT.
I have an aqua clear also and I love it so much more than my top fin

 

I used to have one of the topfin 75 hobs. Wasn't terrible but after awhile stopped working. Sand got stuck in it and quit. They're kinda made of cheap material too. Media isn't very good. They do however have crazy high flow and seem to keep tanks clean.

 

So a top fin will suck a betta's fin up but an AC won't ? There's some logic.

Like I said ive never used a aquaclear. Same rules go with putting some nylon over it or a sponge on the intake.

 

So if I have a penguin 100 Marineland filter and I replace it with a top fin, will it hurt my tank?

 

All I can say is: It's not the filter brand that will hurt your tank.

 

All I can say is: It's not the filter brand that will hurt your tank.

Well the tank cant be hurt but the fish can. Bettas fins and some filters are a disaster. That's why I ask what type of fish for what filter.

 

Well the tank cant be hurt but the fish can. Bettas fins and some filters are a disaster. That's why I ask what type of fish for what filter.

Ok, what model top fin, and remind me the tank size? Sorry if you mentioned the size of the top fin earlier, I missed it.

 

Ok, what model top fin, and remind me the tank size? Sorry if you mentioned the size of the top fin earlier, I missed it.

Top Fin 20

 

Without knowing exactly which model 20 Topfin is fine. The HOB Topfin Silentstream 20 HOB says it filters 100 gallon per hour. That is a 10x roll over on a 10 gallon. Probably good for normal fish, maybe a little high for a betta, especially a new one. I have used Topfin hobs, I have used the topfin 10 HOB and a little internal by them. As to quality, it's not a good as a name brand only in name. The design is comparable to quite a few others on the market. The Aquaclear is best for cusomization, the marineland are pains to deal with the wheel, and the Topfin HOB is not customizable but will do the job.
As for fins getting sucked in, meh not so sure about that with a healthy fish. Unless you put a rather large filter on a small tank, maybe.
The key is a healthy fish. Size the filter for the tank. Everyone on Fishlore has an opinion on brand name.

 

Without knowing exactly which model 20 Topfin is fine. The HOB Topfin Silentstream 20 HOB says it filters 100 gallon per hour. That is a 10x roll over on a 10 gallon. Probably good for normal fish, maybe a little high for a betta, especially a new one. I have used Topfin hobs, I have used the topfin 10 HOB and a little internal by them. As to quality, it's not a good as a name brand only in name. The design is comparable to quite a few others on the market. The Aquaclear is best for cusomization, the marineland are pains to deal with the wheel, and the Topfin HOB is not customizable but will do the job.
As for fins getting sucked in, meh not so sure about that with a healthy fish. Unless you put a rather large filter on a small tank, maybe.
The key is a healthy fish. Size the filter for the tank. Everyone on Fishlore has an opinion on brand name.

So now that I replaced the marineland, what do I do with the biowheel?

 

Toss it...unless your going to use the filter somewhere else no need to keep it.

 

So now that I replaced the marineland, what do I do with the biowheel?

Deal with it. It is your bio home for bb

 

When I was younger, in the late 60's and 70's my parents did a lot of fish. I remember probably 30 tanks in the basement. I remember they sold the babies to local fish stores. Anyway, they used mostly hang on back and sponge filters. But the HOB's then were not the same as today. They were only a box with a water pump. No cartridges. You would use your own media. Which back then was some quilt batting on the bottom, a sponge in the middle, and a mesh bag (pantyhose if I remember) full of activated charcoal on top. They worked fine. By the way, did I say no cartridges?

Anyway, that to say I have a Topfin 100 I am trying to build/cycle (newbie alert). I have removed the cartridges and replaced them with---batting on the bottom, a sponge in the middle activated charcoal in a mesh bag on top. Does anyone use panyhose and are they aquarium safe? I will probably lose the plastic blue bio insert sheets they use as I can't imagine they do much.

I would have liked the Topfin to have a larger or more square space for my own media. I don't think I need to upgrade anytime soon if my modifications work. So...newb alert... I know mostly nothing about fishkeeping except what I learned from osmosis from my parents. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

And Logan Bright, it seems that discussions about which filters are the best can make peoples heads explode. At least on youtube.

 

From the start I ditched those silly disposable catridges for blocks of aquarium foam. Still using my original one from 14 years ago. Cut pieces off to seed new tanks from the old tanks, never had to cycle anything other than my first aquarium! The old ways are still the best ways in my opinion.

I believe most pantyhose is aquarium safe. I buy the cheap knee-highs in the plastic eggs when I need to use carbon. They will run and get holes if not careful though! I double or triple layer just in case. (Knot and then wrap again in the opposite direction.) Stick with neutral colors, the blues and blacks are dyed and they do run heavily when washed!

 

When I was younger, in the late 60's and 70's my parents did a lot of fish. I remember probably 30 tanks in the basement. I remember they sold the babies to local fish stores. Anyway, they used mostly hang on back and sponge filters. But the HOB's then were not the same as today. They were only a box with a water pump. No cartridges. You would use your own media. Which back then was some quilt batting on the bottom, a sponge in the middle, and a mesh bag (pantyhose if I remember) full of activated charcoal on top. They worked fine. By the way, did I say no cartridges?

Anyway, that to say I have a Topfin 100 I am trying to build/cycle (newbie alert). I have removed the cartridges and replaced them with---batting on the bottom, a sponge in the middle activated charcoal in a mesh bag on top. Does anyone use panyhose and are they aquarium safe? I will probably lose the plastic blue bio insert sheets they use as I can't imagine they do much.

I would have liked the Topfin to have a larger or more square space for my own media. I don't think I need to upgrade anytime soon if my modifications work. So...newb alert... I know mostly nothing about fishkeeping except what I learned from osmosis from my parents. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

And Logan Bright, it seems that discussions about which filters are the best can make peoples heads explode. At least on youtube.

I believe the top fin flows back-to-front not bottom to top so layering your media doesn't do any good, it gets bypassed

 

I believe the top fin flows back-to-front not bottom to top so layering your media doesn't do any good, it gets bypassed

Yes leftswerve, I see several things that I did wrong. I did some remodeling on the filter last night. On the standard topfin 100, the water come in thru a hole in the bottom rear and then flows up and forward through the vertical cartridge filters with about a 2 inch square vertical bypass area on the side. What I did was place a shelf of egg crate just higher than the input hole and it runs the length of the filter. I then blocked off the bypass with a piece of plexiglass. Then I put the batting, sponge, carbon stack back in on top of the egg crate shelf. The water then exits the input hole freely under the shelf and is forced up the stack of media and out the top. I will attempt to draw a diagram or take a picture. Then I will start my own thread Apologies to Logan Bright thread owner for partially hijacking the thread).

 

Yes leftswerve, I see several things that I did wrong. I did some remodeling on the filter last night. On the standard topfin 100, the water come in thru a hole in the bottom rear and then flows up and forward through the vertical cartridge filters with about a 2 inch square vertical bypass area on the side. What I did was place a shelf of egg crate just higher than the input hole and it runs the length of the filter. I then blocked off the bypass with a piece of plexiglass. Then I put the batting, sponge, carbon stack back in on top of the egg crate shelf. The water then exits the input hole freely under the shelf and is forced up the stack of media and out the top. I will attempt to draw a diagram or take a picture. Then I will start my own thread Apologies to Logan Bright thread owner for partially hijacking the thread).

Its all good. I need all the help I can get

 

I have a Topfin 10 on my 10 gallon (just completed fishless cycle so no inhabitants yet). It is nice and quiet, and self-primes pretty quick after being turned off for water changes (great when the power goes out briefly too!) I've got a pre-filter sponge on the intake so I don't have to worry about anyone;s fins getting sucked into it.
The only downside is that the media compartment is tall and thin (as opposed to a more 'boxy' compartment in my Aquaclear) so you have fewer options for what media you put in there. I've currently got 2 of the floss cartridges that are designed for it, plus a tall flat plastic screen with bumps (this is supposedly the bio filter) and I've added a trimmed piece of a Fluval flat square sponge that I'm seeding for eventually cycling my 20 gallon. That's pretty much all that will fit in there.
That said, it's done a great job of keeping the tank clean (as much as possible anyway) during my fishless cycle. I've stirred up the sand a bunch of times, and had some plants die in there, but it's done a great job.
If I was buying a stand alone filter in the future, I'd likely go with the Aquaclear, it does a great job too, but only real difference to me is the amount of space in there for media.

What kind of Pre filter sponge do you have because I was looking to get one

 

It's a Fluval, seems to be the 'standard' one in all my lfs and Petsmart. Was about $4. Does the job!

 

It's a Fluval, seems to be the 'standard' one in all my lfs and Petsmart. Was about $4. Does the job!

Do you know exactly what it is called because I can’t find it on pet smart and was wondering if I could find it on amazon. Also do I need to replace pre filter sponges

 

It's a Fluval Edge. On the bottom left corner of the box it says A1387 I think. Hope that helps.
No need to replace it, it will hold up just fine and will actually hold some of your tank's beneficial bacteria. Just swish and squeeze it out in old tank water when you do water changes.