40 Gallon Tank Should I get a canister filter or keep my HOB filter?

I have a 40gal aquarium that I plan to fill with live plants and fish. I am planning to put in a betta, 12-18 cherry barbs, 12 zebra nerite snails, and 12 amano shrimp. I have a HOB filter that the tank came with, and I am wondering whether it could be worth it to upgrade to a canister filter, or would I be fine with the HOB filter. Thanks.

 

I would add the canister AND keep the HOB. Double filtration is the way to go. Redundancy - we need more of that in the aquarium hobby to make our tanks safer. With two filters you can clean one without losing the bacteria from the other. And if the motor on one fails, the fish won't die from oxygen depletion.

 

Your proposed stocking is light / moderate and will be fine with just the HOB if maintained properly. Just don't clean or change out all the media at the same time. More filters is fine, but it's also more cost and more to maintain. Certainly not required, especially in this case.

 

From what I gather, Bettas don't like too much water movement, so factor that in on what you decide. Personally, I prefer a good quality HOB.

 

From what I gather, Bettas don't like too much water movement, so factor that in on what you decide. Personally, I prefer a good quality HOB.

I have a nice solid structure of rock and driftwood in the middle so I do not think flow will be a big deal.

 

12 nerites in a 40g seems like alot. I have 5 in an overstocked 50g and they keep it spotless. I only have one in a 29 and she doesn't need any help. Also, with 12 nerites, the eggs are going to be a main feature in your tank.

 

12 nerites in a 40g seems like alot. I have 5 in an overstocked 50g and they keep it spotless. I only have one in a 29 and she doesn't need any help. Also, with 12 nerites, the eggs are going to be a main feature in your tank.

This sounds like a valid point. I've never had nerite snails.

 

Nerites are great, so many designs to choose from, but those white eggs are impossible to remove. if you changed your mind, consider rabbit snails. What kind of betta are you getting? I worry that the cherry barbs may be nippy. I have never had them, mostly because I worry that they might be nippy.
Soo, the filter,
You got a filter that came with the tank? does it have any media? like bio wheels, or sponges? Or is there room to add stuff in the back once the filter cartridges are inserted? even if it does 2 filters are better then 1. I would probably just get another HOB.

 

12 nerites in a 40g seems like alot. I have 5 in an overstocked 50g and they keep it spotless. I only have one in a 29 and she doesn't need any help. Also, with 12 nerites, the eggs are going to be a main feature in your tank.

The shrimp wouldnt eat the snail eggs?

Nerites are great, so many designs to choose from, but those white eggs are impossible to remove. if you changed your mind, consider rabbit snails. What kind of betta are you getting? I worry that the cherry barbs may be nippy. I have never had them, mostly because I worry that they might be nippy.
Soo, the filter,
You got a filter that came with the tank? does it have any media? like bio wheels, or sponges? Or is there room to add stuff in the back once the filter cartridges are inserted? even if it does 2 filters are better then 1. I would probably just get another HOB.

Its a aqueon filter that I bought a while ago. It has a sponge and removable filter pads. I am almost positive there is one more filtration stage in there though, but after that no more room. I already decided just to go with a eheim canister just because I don’t want things to go wrong because I cheaped out on a filter. The betta is a dumbo platinum betta. I thought the betta would be fine because the cherry barbs would have a large school, large tank, lot of plants, and lots of hiding places. And I figured the snail eggs would get eaten by the shrimp.

 

The shrimp wouldnt eat the snail eggs?

The eggs are really stuck to the glass, hardscape and plants. You need a razor blade or similar to remove them, but that's not practical for plants and hardscape.

 

The eggs are really stuck to the glass, hardscape and plants. You need a razor blade or similar to remove them, but that's not practical for plants and hardscape.

hmm, thank you

 

I never clean the eggs off. They disappear after a while. Somebody seems to be eating them?

 

I do clean them very occassionally, but I agree, some do disappear in time. Otherwise, they don't bother me. Here are a couple pics of my Olive Nerite caught in the act.

I commented in another thread recently that she never lays her eggs on the glass.