# which filter is better?



## champion_qh (Apr 23, 2010)

hi folks,

I have two filters, which filter is better for my 10 gal planted tank?? I attached their pictures


thanks!


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

The whisper works fine, I've never tried the aqueon though with that said. The whisper you just fill with your favourite media (ceramic rings, filter floss and what not) and it works without issues.

Personally I rather go with a bigger filter, one designed for up to 40 gallons for a 10 gallon tank, but that's just me, I like over kill.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

The Hang on back will give you more water volume in total and less clutter in the tank, otherwise I would suspect they will both do adequately for a 10 gallon.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

those aqueons work quite well btw i gave the one that came with my 37G to a friend for her 20G and its working really well for her


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

i try to overkill my filteration.

i aim for roughly 3 times the recommended. My 5 gallon has a 15gallon capacity filter on it. My 10 a 30 gallon filter. My 29 gallon tank doesn't quite hold true to this because its on an XP1 (which used to be on a 10 gallon tank that ended up leaking)


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> i try to overkill my filteration.


Fx5 should do the trick than 

What's the point in overkilling it..? Wont harbour anymore beneficial bacteria.. it will increase your circulation... but not everwhere. Circulation is GREAT and needed in a planted tank, but that's what powerheads are for. Deadspots are bad in planted tanks... but over filtering to increase circulation is the wrong way to go about it.. powerheads my friends  probably not so much for a 10 gallon.. but i'd say upwords of 25 gallon and over.. In my opinion


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

I want an fx5 for my current setup. Fx5 for a 10g would be suffice.
Back to the original post: the HOB is best as it'll be less clutter in the tank which will allow for more water volume as per the above posts have mentioned.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

lol fx5 for a 10g, the fx5 is probably more than 10G of volume on its own hehe


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Nicklfire said:


> Fx5 should do the trick than


Darn, and I was just going to get an Ebi and drill it for a 75 gallon sump.


jobber604 said:


> I want an fx5 for my current setup. Fx5 for a 10g would be suffice.


I would just use the FX5 for the tank instead. It could be a chinese style goldfish pond. 



Mferko said:


> lol fx5 for a 10g, the fx5 is probably more than 10G of volume on its own hehe


Nope, not quite. I've measured in my maintenance routine and it's just about 5 gallons.

I guess I won't suggest and Eheim 2262 then.


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## hgi (Jun 13, 2010)

My gf has that same filter in her 2.5g beta shimp tank, we ended up pulling a old socking over the bottom (where the water goes in) so baby shrimps don't get sucked into the impeller and pulled the cartage that came with it out (found that it just created more issues than filtering). We then filled the whole thing with ceramic rings and stuffed half of a nylon pot scrubber(cut one in half) on the top to help make it quiet. It works wonders now and the lady hasn't had a problem with it since and you can't hear it running. 

As you want a planted tank I think the whisper would be a better choice than a hob for 2 reasons, main reason is a hob will create a lot of surface movements that releases the beneficial C02 from the water and the whisper can easily be hidden with drift wood and plants. Also with the whisper if you decide to make a DIY C02 bottle you can put the air line down threw the top of the whisper and right beside the impeller, it's what the gf did before she pulled it out cause her plants were growing to fast for her liking.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

Nicklfire said:


> Fx5 should do the trick than
> 
> What's the point in overkilling it..? Wont harbour anymore beneficial bacteria.. it will increase your circulation... but not everwhere. Circulation is GREAT and needed in a planted tank, but that's what powerheads are for. Deadspots are bad in planted tanks... but over filtering to increase circulation is the wrong way to go about it.. powerheads my friends  probably not so much for a 10 gallon.. but i'd say upwords of 25 gallon and over.. In my opinion


imo having a powerhead in a smaller tank is a waste of space. You can easily adjust the circulation even with a HoB filter. Sometimes moving a piece of wood a 1/2 inch works wonders. The extra power from the oversized filter do help. And theres my son too. He likes to "help" a lot with the tanks, having the extra room for mechanical filteration helps a ton. Plus theres more room for bio to expand if needed, especially if fish have fry, or you need to relocate a fish for a while because its being picked on.

Oh and then theres the bigger tank syndrome, its nice not needing to get a new filter if you dont need to.

as for the co2, no injection having the greater surface agitation is more beneficial. And with diy, you can modify HoBs to reduce surface agitation without affecting flow much (pop bottle mod for instance). Oh and +1 to the pot scrubbers, they are in every filter i own  rather than a sock a fine prefilter (or a sponge filter's foam ring) works great. Keeps your filters media from being mucked up as quickly.


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