New power filter and/or lighting for 10 gallon

[b_dog]

Good morning,

I currently have a Whisper 10 Power Filter (the one that came with the tank basically) for my 10 gallon. I also have the standard hood that came with the tank that only has the two sockets for incandescent bulbs. All that is in my tank are 4 tetras and 2 oto's, no plants at all.

1) I have never liked the way the clear glass incandescent bulbs look and would like to replace them more than likely. Would it be best to just buy the 10W or 20W Compact Fluorescent u-shaped ones that can screw into this type of hood (I think they are like 8$ each for the 10W). Or just buy one of the hoods that has the right flourescent fixtures (like 25$?). Or should I even change them because all I have is fish in the tank.

2) Is the Whisper 10 ok for this tank? I think it does a decent job but there are times that it seems water movement on the opposite side of the tank is very stagnant. I read on here a lot about the AquaClear 20 power filter and it looks very appealing. I even read somewhere about someone replacing their Whisper with a Aquaclear and in 1 day it was crystal clear, no algae etc.

Any thoughts on these 2 ideas I'm contemplating? Thanks!

 

[robinos]

Go ahead and swap out the incandescents. I found that they were heating up my 10 gallon to uncomfortable temperatures. The hood I had came with tubular bulbs with a protective silicone ring. Since most compact flourescents have a thick base, I had to unscrew the inside panel and reverse the silicone gaskets to make them fit. Everything's working fine, and the flourescents are much brighter than the original bulbs.

Any particular reason why you don't have plants in there? Your otos would certainly appreciate it. I've got a few plants doing rather nicely with just two 15W flourescents and a little bit of bottled fertilizer every now and then.

Good luck with the tank.
-Rob

 

[b_dog]

never really thought about putting plants in, i'd like to put some in there though not a bad idea at all. Any suggestions on ones to start off with?

 

[Star_Rider]

I swapped my whisper 10 for an ac20 I like the ac design better(you can still get some spill/overflow.

the ac pushes water up thru the sponge (or other media) the whisper dumps the water behind the filter..
the best reason for the change is the different set ups for the ac. tho youcan modify thw whisper to a degree

 

[robinos]

What kind of tetras do you have?
Jave fern is as easy as it gets. I've got mine planted in the substrate, but I hear it works best when attatched to driftwood or a rock. My otos like scooting along the java's wide leaves. I've also been making some progress with ludwigia repens. It's a stalked plant and my pencils like swimming through it. It turned yellow for a while after I planted it, but it's coming back strong after a few weeks. Pick up a bottle of seachem flourish and add a drop a couple times a week. A lot of fish show more natural behavior and color in a planted tank

-Rob

 

[anonymousadrian]

as for your light.. just retro fit a 18" t8 bulb in there.. u can go to home depot for it.. its only 13 dollars... not including the bulb.. pm me you want to know how to fit it..