# Deciding the best filter for planted tank



## Joswan

Hey I want to buy a new filter this christmas, what is the best filter for planted aquarium? What kind of filter do you have for your planted aquarium?

Is reverse flow undergravel filter is the best to have? Someone suggested me using that.

Thk you and merry xmas!


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## spypet

I suggest you stop listening to "someone" for planted tank advice.
under gravel filter systems is often a counter productive method,
that should only be used for large pebble sized river substrates
that cannot properly host the mulm living on your tank bottom.

you want to focus on canister filter designs, not hanging filters.
since plants produce Oxygen, planted tank keepers do not use
hanging filters or air pumps in order to keep the Carbon Dioxide
your plants need dissolved in your water for as long as possible.

as for which canister to choose, they are all good, it's just a
matter of subtle differences regarding maintenance and priming.
my advice is to try to get a canister rated higher than your
tank size, then fill it with mostly biological media, such as
sponge and micro pours rock, not carbon and disposable floss.

Joswan - I suggest you update your profile to display what
Location you are in - it will help us provide support that is
most suitable for your region.


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## AquaBarren

How big is your tank Joswan?


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## niko

Get the biggest filter you can afford. The one that can hold the most filter media.

When you decide keep in mind the image found in this thread:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...nimalist-iwagumi-6-months-old.html#post571874

--Nikolay


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## Joswan

Well, I'm in USA and this type of filter attract me because it available in petsmart, near by my area.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754145&lmdn=Brand
is it good filter or not? 
I'm still in 10 gallon beginner tank and my tank stats could have be seen from my previous post.

I really new to filter stuff, not yet imagine how is it works unless it similar to my whisper hanging-waterfall style filter, which of course not good for planted aquarium, it takes a lot of co2 out of aquarium and it has carbon too.
I dont know what is a canister?

Is niko suggested that I'm using external filter like these?
http://www.petsmart.com/family/inde...pe+1/External&fbc=1&fbn=Type+1|External&fbx=1

Thanks for all the helps!


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## Karebear

Hi Joswan
With a ten gallon tank I would try a small internal filter, say a fluval 1 or even a hagen mini elite. You do not have a lot of spare space in your tank so try to keep it small. A canister filter would be overkill for your tank. I hope this helps


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## JustLikeAPill

I disagree. I really like canister filters and an Eheim 2213 would be perfect for you, and not overkill. It is 113 GPH and probably has an actual rate of 90-100 GPH after its hooked up and running. A turnover rate of 8-10x per hour is recommended, so a 2213 is perfect.

Internal filters take up space and you don't have that much to spare in a small tank. Hang-on filters are IMO ugly and don't offer much media space at all. Why mess with internal or Hang on filters when you can have a real canister and look at a pair of lilypipes and hide the actual filter?


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## geeks_15

Not trying to cause confusion, but I have a 10 gallon tank with no filter, soil based substrate, and easy to grow plants that is doing very well.

There are many ways to run a successful aquarium. Do some research, decide what goals you have for your aquarium (what type of fish you want to keep, what type of plants, what type of maintenance schedule) and then pick you filtration. There is tons of good info on this website.

And remember, patience is one of the aquarium keeper's most valuable attributes.


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## Franco

I love the AquaClear HOB series for smaller tanks as long as you keep the water level high. You just don't want a lot of surface agitation (offgases CO2) and that is where canister filters come in handy.
Reverse flow undergravel filters only work well with a main HOB or canister filter and in fish only tanks.


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## UNV_Rasta

Yea i think a HOB is also your best bet. Enough circulation and, as Franco said above, a high water level to minimize surface disruption. I myself am looking into getting a Fluval C3 or C4 for my 20 g


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## totziens

I have outdoor planted tanks without filter. I also have a planted tank with HOB filter. I also have planted tanks with canister filters.

I would not recommend you to go without filter as it could be very messy after a while.

Between HOB filter and canister filter, I would decide based on the following factors:

1. How much are you willing to spend?
2. How particular are you towards losing CO2?

If money is not an issue, go for canister filter. You will have more space in the tank, unlike internal filter which will take up space when space for a small tank is already limited. I personally dislike maintenance of canister filter as I find it more troublesome than HOB filter. Anyway, you don't have to do it very often (maybe once in a few months is sufficient). This is the best option if you're concern about losing CO2. Lots of filter media can fit into a canister filter. Eheim 2213 is a good option in terms of quality as I have one that I accidentally slipped and kicked it..then broke a less unimportant component of the filter...after close to 10 years, it's still functioning.

If you have tight budget, HOB filter is the way to go. If you are concern about losing CO2, fill up the water at the same level as the outlet of the HOB filter. It is easy to clean up HOB filter. Not much filter media can fit in but I heard AquaClear is pretty decent in having sufficient space for media (better than Eheim). However, I heard a complaint from a friend that his AquaClear broke down and failed to find replacement part (AquaClear is not very popular in my country, so it's hard to get any replacement part). As for Eheim HOB filter I have one that has been running for more than 10 years without any issue. HOB filter will take up space on top corner of the tank. Some HOB filter cannot easily fit into a tank with protective bars blocking the way.


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## Method

spypet said:


> I suggest you stop listening to "someone" for planted tank advice.
> under gravel filter systems is often a counter productive method,
> that should only be used for large pebble sized river substrates
> that cannot properly host the mulm living on your tank bottom.
> 
> you want to focus on canister filter designs, not hanging filters.
> since plants produce Oxygen, planted tank keepers do not use
> hanging filters or air pumps in order to keep the Carbon Dioxide
> your plants need dissolved in your water for as long as possible.
> 
> as for which canister to choose, they are all good, it's just a
> matter of subtle differences regarding maintenance and priming.
> my advice is to try to get a canister rated higher than your
> tank size, then fill it with mostly biological media, such as
> sponge and micro pours rock, not carbon and disposable floss.
> 
> Joswan - I suggest you update your profile to display what
> Location you are in - it will help us provide support that is
> most suitable for your region.


Regular undergravel filters are not recommended for planted tanks, largely because they tend to clog. Reverse-flow undergravel filters are perfectly fine. I run one on my 75 gallon. For a ten gallon, you could buy a small powerhead, hook it up to a DIY set of PVC pipes, and be good to go. You'll still get mulm deposition. Make sure the total area of the holes in the PVC is the same as the total area of the outflow of the powerhead. Keep pi X r squared in mind.

Otherwise, you could use the same small powerhead to run a sponge filter.

Either of these solutions is very effective and much cheaper than a canister.


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