Kashta - What size tank do you run it on? If you don't mind me asking, why would you not trust it as your only filter? It's rated as 250gph which should be more than enough for my 29 I think, but I could be wrong on that... Thanks!
Hi jencheung,
From what I've seen of my filter... yes, I think it would work great for a 29 gallon tank. I'm really impressed with it. I also like the micron filter that works as a water polisher. So I think that's a good reason to run one as a primary or as added filtration. I really like sparkling, clean water.
My tank (the one it came with) is 110 gallons. For that volume, it's pushing this filter way too far by itself. And I use at least two filters anyway, which is recommended to do for anything larger than 50 gallons. Plus, mine is stocked with goldfish.. so I pretty much quadruple the advertised gph rating for that reason too. Goldfish are messy and carry a much higher bio-load than tropical fish.
Another thing about gph ratings.. don't rely on that promised performance figure too much. Those are really just marketing figures and aren't a true measure of what the filter actually does for you in real life. So if I see 250 gph on the specs, I figure.. well, maybe... if the water is running downhill and there's no buildup of slime inside the tubes and the filter media isn't full of muck. Lots of things will slow down that water flow. In reality, it might only be pushing 100 gph through the tubes but we can't tell the difference. Another reason then to make it a habit of over-filtering.
I'm also sort of a filter snob, too. I don't mind cheap tanks or lighting, but I'd rather upgrade to a more top of the line filter like Fluval or Eheim if I can afford to. Then, just use the more economical ones like this one as a secondary.. or a backup.. or just to run for a while collecting beneficial bacteria so I can move it over to new tank that needs to be cycled.
