Filter For 20 Gallon Tall

I am looking to upgrade my filter from my silent stream 20 (not so silent) that came with the kit, to either an Aquaclear 50 or Aquaclear 70.

Which would be better? I feel that the 70 may be too much flow and wear out the fish.

Any other suggestions for good HOB filters?

Thanks

 

Depending on what you have stocked in it you could do the AC50 or you could do a fluval 206 canister if you want a very quiet filter and less maintenance. Also with the AC they have flow control so even if you went with the 70 you could turn it down some and use it when you upgrade to a bigger tank

 

What all fish do you have in the tank?

 

I might suggest a Seachem Tidal 55 at 250 gph.

The have these advantages over all other HOB filters.

1. A flow knob to control 80% of the water flow. Each notch is a 10% increase or decrease so you can manage your water flow to slow your water so it stays in contact with your media longer which is better for beneficial bacteria.

2. Draws water from three locations, top (skimmer), middle and bottom for better water filtering, not just the bottom.

3. Another knob to totally shut off the bottom intake if you only want to filter the middle and top of your tank only.

4. If the mechanical media at the lower portion of the media basket ever gets clogged it has a slightly higher bypass in the basket so the water will still be filtered through your media and continues to run efficiently.

5. Media basket locks in place so it will never rise up pushing the media cage up possibly causing an overflow and flooding your floor.

6. Removable no spill media basket comes out for easy just cleaning using the lid as a no spill carrying tray. No need to turn the filter off either just remove the basket.

7. Self priming w/submerged under water pump so it’s quiet and you never have to worry about it not starting recovering from maintenance or a power failure, especially if you are not home.

8. Includes the best media, Seachem Matrix, that handles 100 gallons that can harbor anaerobic bacteria needed to reduce Nitrates.

9. Self cleaning impeller. From Seachem Support: The self cleaning feature of the Tidal Filters can be explained by the structure and build of the impeller housing. There is a groove in the Tidal 55 that goes through the slot where the impeller stays and it will continuously clean the impeller of any debris or buildup. For Tidal 75 and 110, where the impeller goes that continuously flushes a little bit of water through the back to keep it cool and quite clean. The 75 and 110 have the same mechanism.

 

What all fish do you have in the tank?

As of now I have 6 JuliI Corys and 8 bloodfin tetras. Planning on adding 1 bolivian ram in the future.

 

adamd9 , at the very top of the Filters and Filtration page of the forum, there is a thread that may interest you (LINK).

I own the same filter. I moved it over to my 10 gallon and have it turned down to 50%-75% flow. Mine is basically "silent".

What type of noise is yours making? Have you cleaned the impeller assembly and made sure it is seated properly when reassembled?

If you perform a couple of DIY media mods to that Silentstream filter that is mentioned in the thread I have a link to, it will boost your mechanical and biological filtration. I stopped using cartridges in it over a year ago.

Here is one example to hot rod a Silentstream for a couple of $$.....

Top Fin Silenstream Intake Assembly w/ Top Fin Sponge Filter

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Top Fin Silenstream Intake Assembly, Top Fin Sponge Filter and zip tie (impeller is upside in...

Top Fin Silenstream w/ Intake Sponge, AC50 Sponge, PolyFil and Large Bag of Bio-Max

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Top Fin Silenstream w/ Polyfil, AC50 Sponge and small bag of Bio-Max (pic 2)

• Islandvic
• Dec 24, 2018

Top Fin Silenstream w/ Polyfil, AC50 Sponge and small bag of Fluval Spec Bio-Max refill bag

Add a sponge filter driven by an air pump, and it should handle your stocking. An ATI Hydro Sponge III would work well in the corner of the tank to supplement filtration.

If you want another filter, check out the Aquaclear 30, and run it next to your Silentstream.

I own (2) AC30's. I like them a lot. They can hold a lot of media.

AC30 media basket 1

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

AC30 media basket 2

• Islandvic
• Nov 18, 2018

 

The Seachem Tidal is a fine filter if you do not use your own filter media.

Seachem decided to use an oddball shape for the media compartment. 4 quick and straight scissor cuts for aquaclear media.

If you want an aquaclear I'd use the AC70 model and turn down the flow if you desire.

 

The Seachem Tidal is a fine filter if you do not use your own filter media.

Seachem decided to use an oddball shape for the media compartment. 4 quick and straight scissor cuts for aquaclear media.

OMG just 6 quick and straight cuts for the Seachem. That's terrible.