best + cheap HOB filter?

I'm going to be setting up a 20 gallon long tank. I'm kinda on a budget, and didn't want to spend $50+ on an aquaclear filter. Is there any good and cheap HOB filters I could buy other than the expensive aquaclear? I was looking at the aqueon quietflow.. are these good? Any other suggestions?

 

Well first off, where are you getting your stuff from? If you shop online you can get stuff way cheaper. Bigalspets.com for instance has the Aquaclear 20 (for tanks up to 20 gallons) for $27 right now. You can get the next size up if you wanted some over-filtration, the Aquaclear 50 for $38. LFS tend to overprice things especially filters and larger equipment.

If you were still wanting to go another route, I really like Marineland Penguin and Emperor Filters. A Penguin 150 would be ideal for your 20 gallon tank and it's only $17 right now at bigalspets.com.

Another option would be a canister. Now granted a canister would be a bit of overkill for your 20 gallon tank, but you could baffle the spray bar to slow down the out flow a bit, and you would be ready if you ever decided to get a bigger tank. The SunSun HW-302 is only around $30 right now including shipping, on ebay. You would need to spend another $10-15 on filter media, and you would have a great canister. I have one on my 40 gallon and my tank is always super clean, I love the Sunsun's.

 

I have been looking at both online and in-store. I was going to purchase a filter meant for a 40 gallon because I'm getting a fancy goldfish and they are kinda messy. Maybe I'll give the marineland filter a try. They seem pretty nicely priced

 

If you are getting a 40 gallon, then I would highly recommend getting a canister like the SunSun HW-302. It is only $30 including shipping to your door. They are great and can be used on tanks up to the 50 gallon range. Works great on my 40 gallon.

 

Hmm I never thought of a canister filter. Are they hard to setup? I looked on how to set one up and it seems very confusing and wordy. Intake tubes, valves?? All if these things I haven't really heard of. do you use the media that comes with it? How often do you replace it?

 

Look into a sponge filter. Can't get cheaper or easier.





You need a filter for a 20 gallon. And the model 10 air pump will work just fine. You don't need much air to run the filter. To clean this filter you just have to rinse and squeeze out the sponge in tank water. I have sponges here that are ten years old you rarely have to replace them so you save money there also.

Imo canister and hob filters are made to maximize profits for the manufacturer and the store you buy them from. Constantly replacing sponges and media such as carbon is only a money grab.

 

Er I thought sponge filters weren't good for goldfish because they produce so much waste? I could be wrong though

 

Er I thought sponge filters weren't good for goldfish because they produce so much waste? I could be wrong though

I've never heard that but I'm no expert on Gold Fish. Would they produce more wast than say 40 1.5" African Cichlid fry feed three times a day? I've done that using a 20 gallon tank as a qt tank with the above linked filter for a month with no problems.

 

A sponge filter for a 20 gallon would not be enough filtration especially with goldfish. Considering that you are wanting goldfish and plan on upgrading the tank a canister is the way to go. They are not confusing at all, once you realize what your dealing with. It's basically a large pump, with a box/case that you put some filter media in, usually into baskets like the SunSun filters. Here is a link that shows what the SunSun comes with and how to set it up....



In my setup I filled my 3 baskets like this...

1st basket (first that the water hits) - I have 2 blue coarse sponges to pick up large debris, then 1 white fine polishing pad to get smaller stuff.

2nd basket - 1 white fine polishing pad some Seachem Matrix bio-media, some mixed in old filter media from my old HOB filter (cut up the filter mesh into little chunks and mixed in)

3rd basket (last one the water hits then is returned to the tank) - a lot of Seachem Matrix then lastly 1 white fine polishing pad.

This combo works great for , as you don't really need carbon or chemical filtration as it will need to be replaced after time. I buy packs of the filter pads from ebay for around $6 including shipping, they include 1 blue coarse sponge and 3 white fine polishing pads. Seachem Matrix can be found many places, I like bigalspets.com, kensfish.com, andpetmountain. You will need a 1 liter container usually around $9-10. So you would need around $15 of media, as the SunSun's do not include media, but for $30 including shipping, you have plenty of extra money to spend on media.

 

I've never heard that but I'm no expert on Gold Fish. Would they produce more wast than say 40 1.5" African Cichlid fry feed three times a day? I've done that using a 20 gallon tank as a qt tank with the above linked filter for a month with no problems.

Yes goldfish produce a ton of waste. Fry are tiny and eat very tiny amounts of food. Goldfish are voracious. Sponge filters are good for fry, as the water is calmer, but would be a horrible idea for a goldfish tank, as they also lack any good mechanical filtration. I do like sponge filters, but they also have their place.

Personally I run an air driven sponge filter in both of my tanks for extra filtration on top of the canister or HOB filters that I use. Here is a link to the sponge filters I use, they cost around $6 for the larger size, and that includes shipping right to your door....



The dual sponges are great so you can stagger the cleaning so as not to disturb too much beneficial bacteria at one time.

 

Wow I never knew they produced that much waste. Thanks for the info.

 

I also do what Dolfan does. I use my main filter AND an additional small sponge filter, usually tucked away behind some plants in a corner. Plus sponges create surface agitation, which in turns increases gas exchange which is important with goldfish who like more oxygen in their tank than many fish. The sponge is mainly as a backup in case something either happens to the main filter or I could easily put the sponge filter into a QT tank.

If you want a HOB filter that can support some media like a canister, try to find a deal on the Fluval C power filter series. I have heard nothing but good things and I have one that I'm going to put on my new tank once it's running. You can usually find a sale somewhere.

Or if you want a small canister, you could try Tom's Rapid minI canister filter. They usually get decent reviews online. The only negative that you may see is that it is made cheap, mainly the tubing. This can be remedied if you really want to. They have numerous videos of it online. I would not put this on anything bigger than a 20G though as the flow rate is not super impressive. Just another option. It also hangs from your tank like a HOB btw.

 

Or if you want a small canister, you could try Tom's Rapid minI canister filter. They usually get decent reviews online. The only negative that you may see is that it is made cheap, mainly the tubing. This can be remedied if you really want to. They have numerous videos of it online. I would not put this on anything bigger than a 20G though as the flow rate is not super impressive. Just another option. It also hangs from your tank like a HOB btw.

I have one of these on one of my tanks! Excellent little canisters at a superb price. Meant for up to a 20G but I have it on a 10G. I've not had any issues with the tubing, but then again I don't handle them roughly when doing canister maintenance.

One step up from that one is the Finnex PX-360 minI canister. This is a solid and phenomenal little canister meant for up to 25 gallons. I use it on my 20 gallon cichlid tank and I absolutely love it. It also hangs off the back of the tank just like a HoB.

I love both canisters, but if forced to make a choice between them I would choose the Finnex simply because of the way the compartments are set up inside.

 

A little off topic here but where can I find the SunSun canister for $30 with shipping? Am I not looking in the right places? The ones I find are $50+.