I'm a long term AC user. In fact, I've run nothing but AC 200s on my 20 gallon through 33 gallon tanks since I can remember. I like the big area to put in whatever media I want to use to filter the tank, and I love the simplicity. However, I recently moved a 20 gallon long tank into my bedroom, and the AC 200, even with water level high enough, was too loud to sleep with (I like it quiet!). For a truly quiet filter, I knew I needed either an internal filter or a canister filter. Being cheap, and also fearing any sort of external link that can come with a canister filter, I opted for an internal filter.
Many years back I had run both a duetto filter and a fluval internal filter in a 20 gallon shellie tank. I remember the fluval being a pain to clean, but had good memories of the duetto. Checking at both my local petsmart, and petco, both fluval and duetto still have internal filters, but only petco carried the duetto (online retailers are cheaper, as usual, for all filters). I opted for the duetto 100 because the comparable eheim internal was bulkier. In addition, the design of the duetto allows you to use whatever media you want (big chamber for media) and also allows the filter to be pulled from the tank for cleaning without releasing gunk back into the aquarium (a big plus for internal filters).
I've had it running for 3 weeks now, and I love this little filter. Rated at about 100 gph, it creates more current and is cleaning my tank better than my AC200. I was truly shocked by this - maybe pulling in water underwater instead of up a siphon tube allows for a true 100 gph. In addition, most HOB filters allows some water to bypass the filter media, but the duetto does not allow this. My tank, which had developed too much algae over the past year, is now losing algae instead of slowly gaining algae. I have changed NOTHING in my tank maintenance and feeding schedule/amounts except the filter, so I have to consider the filter itself as the most likely cause for the decrease in algae.
The filter comes with a pre-filter, sponge, and carbon cartridge. Since I wanted to keep my existing AC200 media so the tank wouldn't crash, I cut one of my 2 AC200 sponges I had in my current filter to fit into the duetto for both the pre-filter and the main sponge. The duetto pre-filter and sponges cost more than I want to pay, but AC200 sponges are cheap and I have plenty on hand...so I just plan to cut and use those. The carbon is really not necessary, but I went ahead and left it in. It's nice to be able to buy these cartridges in case you need to remove medicines. You can break open the cartridge and put in your own carbon, or you can remove the cartridge and put in bioballs or AC Biomax media...whatever floats your boat. In many ways, the duetto is like the AC of internal filters since you can fill the media area with whatever you like, and I like that kind of versatility.
Speaking of versatility, you can position it so it doesn't break the water surface at all (a plus for planted tanks), and you can run an airtube to the filter for increased aeration or use the tube to disperse CO2 if you're into that. However, the O2 or CO2 will make the filter noisier as the O2 or CO2 disburses. Still, it's nice to have this option.
I have been pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the filter is to clean. I'm likely helped by the fact that I have a hinged full glass top, so I can simply move the light forward and flip open the back. You do have to pull it off the glass to remove the filter to clean the media, but overall this takes me no more time than the AC to clean. If you have a plastic top that is not nice and flat, this could be a bit more difficult. In addition, if the impeller needs cleaning, it's much, much easier to clean than an AC or emperor filter. You also must keep the glass clean where the filter is to go, or it will pop off the wall. This isn't a big deal to me, but it might annoy some people.
All in all, this is a great little filter. I've not tried the new eheims, so I'd love comments or comparisons to the duetto if you have one.
The biggest negative to me is that there are only 2 models - the 100 or the 50, so they're limited to handling tanks of 20-25 gallons or less.
Eric
Many years back I had run both a duetto filter and a fluval internal filter in a 20 gallon shellie tank. I remember the fluval being a pain to clean, but had good memories of the duetto. Checking at both my local petsmart, and petco, both fluval and duetto still have internal filters, but only petco carried the duetto (online retailers are cheaper, as usual, for all filters). I opted for the duetto 100 because the comparable eheim internal was bulkier. In addition, the design of the duetto allows you to use whatever media you want (big chamber for media) and also allows the filter to be pulled from the tank for cleaning without releasing gunk back into the aquarium (a big plus for internal filters).
I've had it running for 3 weeks now, and I love this little filter. Rated at about 100 gph, it creates more current and is cleaning my tank better than my AC200. I was truly shocked by this - maybe pulling in water underwater instead of up a siphon tube allows for a true 100 gph. In addition, most HOB filters allows some water to bypass the filter media, but the duetto does not allow this. My tank, which had developed too much algae over the past year, is now losing algae instead of slowly gaining algae. I have changed NOTHING in my tank maintenance and feeding schedule/amounts except the filter, so I have to consider the filter itself as the most likely cause for the decrease in algae.
The filter comes with a pre-filter, sponge, and carbon cartridge. Since I wanted to keep my existing AC200 media so the tank wouldn't crash, I cut one of my 2 AC200 sponges I had in my current filter to fit into the duetto for both the pre-filter and the main sponge. The duetto pre-filter and sponges cost more than I want to pay, but AC200 sponges are cheap and I have plenty on hand...so I just plan to cut and use those. The carbon is really not necessary, but I went ahead and left it in. It's nice to be able to buy these cartridges in case you need to remove medicines. You can break open the cartridge and put in your own carbon, or you can remove the cartridge and put in bioballs or AC Biomax media...whatever floats your boat. In many ways, the duetto is like the AC of internal filters since you can fill the media area with whatever you like, and I like that kind of versatility.
Speaking of versatility, you can position it so it doesn't break the water surface at all (a plus for planted tanks), and you can run an airtube to the filter for increased aeration or use the tube to disperse CO2 if you're into that. However, the O2 or CO2 will make the filter noisier as the O2 or CO2 disburses. Still, it's nice to have this option.
I have been pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the filter is to clean. I'm likely helped by the fact that I have a hinged full glass top, so I can simply move the light forward and flip open the back. You do have to pull it off the glass to remove the filter to clean the media, but overall this takes me no more time than the AC to clean. If you have a plastic top that is not nice and flat, this could be a bit more difficult. In addition, if the impeller needs cleaning, it's much, much easier to clean than an AC or emperor filter. You also must keep the glass clean where the filter is to go, or it will pop off the wall. This isn't a big deal to me, but it might annoy some people.
All in all, this is a great little filter. I've not tried the new eheims, so I'd love comments or comparisons to the duetto if you have one.
The biggest negative to me is that there are only 2 models - the 100 or the 50, so they're limited to handling tanks of 20-25 gallons or less.
Eric
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