Just the canister

[pirasha]

So I've been looking for a decent canister filter for my 10 gallon. The problem I'm having is there are few canister filters I'm seeing that have enough flow to be placed on a shelf under my tank that aren't that expensive. I've been looking a few options like the finnex 360 which seems okay, but also seem like it gets a little iffy about being put under the tank. I've heard that eheims are nice...but sadly they are a little out of my price range at the moment. I, however, have been seeing just the canister pop up in places for cheap...so I figure the canister has all the important bits right? I mean I can acquire filter media pretty easily and get hoses and such from any hardware store...sooo let's play a game..good idea or bad idea?

I don't know..seems simple enough but I feel like I'm missing something important..or maybe not...what do you guys think?

[l8nite]

I recently removed the media from one of my canisters and just put a small amount of lava rock from the garden center and some wool stuffing from the crafts store in...

From what I gather, with plants, the biological filtration capabilities of your filter (eating ammonia) isn't quite as important. Your plants do a pretty good job at that so the canister primarily acts as a mechanical filter (i.e., catches debris).

Assuming you can find one for cheap with a working impeller/motor, I'd say go for it.

[sayurasem]

Another option is stick with an HOB if you are on a budget. I use Aqueon quite flow 10 for my 10 gallon and it does really do a good job of keeping ammonia and nitrites down (Discarded the floss with carbon and fill the space with seachem matrix). I agree with l8nite on plants absorbing most of the nitrates out. Frogbit and duckweed covers half of my water surface and nitrates reading are mostly 0 except on last day before water change which is like 5ppm.

[pirasha]

thanks for the suggestion but I have HOB filter that works fine. The problem with is it the only place I could put my tank is in my room at the foot of my bed. So I want to be able to view the tank from the front and from the back when I'm in bed. right now I get the sad view of the filter..not pretty. So what I would like to do is have the hoses and spraybar on the sides of the tank thus allowing me to see everything. I can't hang the filter on the side due to the light right now.

[tiggity]

I vote for a fluval 106. It is good enough for a 10g. Or place your HOB on the side of the tank

Or get a cheap sponge filter