what is better, an aquaclear or sponge filter?

Michael_G said:
whew!! i can afford a tank then.for a 55g would a ac 300 be ok they say so on their site. the skimmers at big als is 16$. not as bad as 150$
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You can never overfilter. I have an AC300 and a Fluval 404 running in my 55g (1-oscar, 1-pleco). Also, I figure if either ever breaks down, one or the other can handle the bio-load by itself for as long as necessary. For smaller fish, I'd watch out that you are creating too much current for their happiness though. Maybe multiple smaller filters are better than 1 or 2 huge filters in the case of small fish. With only an AC300, my 55g would have a lot of dead zone though.
 
well the tank is brackish so plants are a no-no. so maybe i sould do a sponge filter at one end an a pengiun or ac at the other end?ill do the ac cuz they have an adapter skimmer for ''salt creep''(thanks oriongirl)no dead spots?
 
That sounds like a good plan. I would get the biggest AC you can afford. I like to make sure there is a good amoutn of filtration and the AC 500 is really nice. But if the 300 is all you have the cash for and you can add in the powerhead then that is probably going to be just fine.
 
welkl theres this sponge filter for 80gallons they say and its cheap(14$can)then theeres a 270 gph powerhead that i could afford . with that at one end an an ac300 at the otherend with the skimmer thang.i guess i if i get a good summern job i could pull it off in about a month.i calculated with the tank fish filter heaterect ect abd it would come to 700$. is that ok for a 55g with all the fixins?
 
Should be fine. I have an AC300 on my 55's, and have always been pleased with them. One 55 was a tad overstocked for a while, and I never had any problems. I clean mine every week, but could go longer without worries. I have one on the end of a 55, and then have a few small powerheads scattered around the tank for circulation--one larger one would work very well.
 
so i woulnt even need the sponge? the powerhead i want is called power sweep . the nozzle rotates to make current all over the surface.would this be good?would prevent salt creep
 
I'd put an AC 300 on either end of your 55g. Typically, sponge filters are for special uses, where you can't have a lot of water current (fry tanks, etc.). Seems like a wasted effort if you can use power filters. Not sure I'd use a powerhead either with two AC300's. They move plenty of water. The only use for my Penguin 660 powerhead was to aerate (came with a neat little tube that sticks out of the water), but I stopped using it months ago. I use a Penguin mini-bio wheel now for aeration....uses less power and now I'll always have an active cycled small power filter. Also, if you shim up the AC filters about 1/2-inch, they aerate (disturb the surface) better. 1/2-inch is about all you can go though, else they'll fall off.
 
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