So what filter do you use?

[justintoxicated]

None of my Aquaclears have been giving me a problem. How is your sponge getting clogged up so easily?

I Noticed some Aquaclear sponges are course, and some are fine.

I had a fine sponge for my Pre-filter on the intake and it got plugged up fast, I have since switched my pre-filters to course sponges and threw one of the fine sponges in my Fluval 204's filter baskets.

I wish I could understand in what ways the eheims are so much better than fluvals, mine primes and refils itself after media changes/cleanings (rinsing media in bucket). Just pop the top back on, and open the valve, and it primes itself so well it will actualy pump water back into the aquarium before I even turn it on.

I don't know if it will last as long as an eheim but I have a fine filter spong before the impeller to prevent any pre mature damage. It was only 1/4th the price of an eheim and is dead silent.

I have the aquaclear 50 (200) on my 10-gallon and the Fluval 204 on my 20.

You might try a course sponge on the bottom of the stack followed by a fine sponge that might help you some, im not sure. I have a diffuser spong on the output as well to decrease surface agitation in the tank, however it seems with these filters there will always be surface agitation on the water before it goes back into the tank, where as there is agitation in a canister it is simply shot back into the tank.

 

[RTR]

I don't use Fluvals so can't say, but is very easy to set an Eheim such that there is dead calm surface with no agitation at all if you so choose. That should be the case for any decent canister filter. Current and surface agitatio should entirely under the operator's control.

Eheims are better because they are engineered and made better, and last as long as you care to use them.

 

[TKOS]

Fluvals can be easily setup to minimize surface agitation just by adjusting the output nozzle to point down. Works in my tank.

 

[Ray Pollett]

I use Emperor 280 & 400s on all my tanks.

 

[Puffernewbee]

Emperor 280 (29 gallon), Penguin mini (10 gallon), Eheim 2217 and 2215 (72 gallon(a little overkill I confess but the water is crystal clear)). LOve all of them.

 

[Paccula]

sponge

Yeah, I put a sponge in my filter (Dynaflo). It works awsome!
if your filter is smaller you can cut the sponge cube smaller to fit, or use more for bigger filters.

I'm happy with my Bio-Wheel. I have heard (and will soon be trying it) that you can ditch the replaceable cartridges and use sponges from other filter (Fluval 104 is the best fit I think) and take your maintenance costs down to nil. Just rinse out the sponge in the water you take out during changes to get rid of debris. Leaving a sponge in there almost permanently instead of using cartridges you are supposed to replace every few weeks also amps up your biological filtration since more nitrifying bacteria will embed in the sponge as well as the stuff already on the much heralded wheel.