# Submersible Filters - thoughts?



## _ kT (Feb 22, 2012)

hey guys. so i was hoping i could get some input and thoughts from some of you guys on here on submersible filters. i have 0 experience with submersible underwater filters (more specifically, the fluval f4) and was wondering if you guys would have any reviews or anything on it, maybe in comparison to a hanging filter

thanks in advance!


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

What size tank are you planning to apply it's use in?

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## _ kT (Feb 22, 2012)

a 55 or 60g


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

U4 is a great filter both for moving water and provide mechanical. It all depends how you use it. I would not use it in a tank with heavy debris like a pleco tank. The sponge will get clog up quickly and it will require more often to clean it. If you are looking for water movement, get a powerhead. The hydor works really well. If you want filtration, I would get a HOB or canister.


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## _ kT (Feb 22, 2012)

what about general filtration in a community tank?


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

as long as there is not much debris like plant matters, pleco left over food and waste, it is alright.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

Its really six to one and a half dozen to another.

Basic is Sponge and water movement. This can be done with a sponge filter, or a powerhead and a sponge prefilter.

Then you have multi stage filteration
They use mechanical media (sponge), biological (ceramic, bioballs, pot scrubbers, etc), and sometimes chemical (phosphate scrubbing, nitrate absorbers, carbon, purigen, etc)
hang on backs, canisters and sumps all do this with different methods.

For my small tanks, i a maxijet 400 with a dual stage sponge (hole cut wider) on the intake. This gives me lots of flow, and space for debris to accumulate in the sponge through the week.

With Hang on backs and cannisters, you can add a prefilter to atleast stop the larger debris from clogging up the rest of your filteration, but having too fine a prefilter can cause it to clog quickly and block the flow to the filter


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## _ kT (Feb 22, 2012)

so to be clear, a hang on back provides better filtration over a submersible?


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

some submersibles have compartments for different things, but they cant compete with the space a HoB or cannister provides for media


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

My preference is canister, next HOB, next submersible due to decreasing media / filtration capacity. For less than the price of a U4, you can get an AC110 of even cheaper equivalent from Charles (Canadian Aquatics). HOB is easier to maintain as you done have to pull the filter from out of the water.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I use a submersible to prefilter the water for my UV, that's about it. Unless your tank has no plants and you do lots of cleaning/water changes, they really can't handle the load. HOB is the best bang for buck.


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## _ kT (Feb 22, 2012)

Exactly what i needed, thanks!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I agree with gklaw and some of the others that canisters and HOBs are easier to maintain. An exception is the Fluval mini filter for the nano Ebi tank. Over the years, I've used a few submersibles, usually to supplement filtration in a tank with another filter, and I've always found them a hassle to get out of the tank to clean. If you have a hood, then you have to figure out how to get the filter out, dripping wet, and also manage to get the cord out of whichever opening you've run it through, while not dripping water onto your floor or carpet. 

Once they're out, they're usually pretty easy to clean, but they don't hold a lot of media so you have to clean them often if you have planted tanks. Aquaclears, Eheim Liberty filters and Fluval canister filters (the only canister I've tried) are all easier to access, especially over time. With my submersible filters, I usually find that things go well at the beginning, but eventually I run into problems when the suction cup stays stuck to the glass wall or some other tiny part drifts away in the water. If they get too clogged up, they will simply stop on you, too.

That said, some people seem to like them a lot.


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## Ra's al Ghul (Apr 28, 2010)

They are very quiet though


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes, they're often very quiet. That's a plus.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

You can also try our HOB. They are cheap, efficient, and easy to maintain.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

submersibles also heat the water a bit, in the summer thats a bad thing, in the winter it saves a tiny bit on enery costs.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Do you supply HOBs, Charles? Do you make them? I did not know that.



charles said:


> You can also try our HOB. They are cheap, efficient, and easy to maintain.


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## ct22 (Feb 5, 2012)

i like the hang on filters i ust bought a fluval c4 its rated up to 70 gallons i use this and it fliters out everything the submersible are good if you have biger fish that stir up the bottom because the underwater filters are so easy to clean i use it for cleaning the big chunks and every week i rinse it my tank has never ben cleaner those big canisters are really good but i believe a bit overkill unless you have a bigger tank. i give the fluval c series a pat on the back awsome filters


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