Best Pre-filter for HOB
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I use the Zoo Med 501 pre-filter because it uses a more coarse foam, holds up better, and clogs less often.
(It's been a while since I bought it, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was.)
(It's been a while since I bought it, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was.)
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209 Posts
Like this? http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Block-Turtle-Filter/dp/B0002DIRX2
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434 Posts
Yes, I have used that one and it worked well, but the one I'm currently using is the same coarse foam, but black. I think it's a generic foam prefilter I have now, but the blue Zoo Med works well too.
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I think the Zoo Med sponge I bought at petsmart is black
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=a3969bf7-4f07-11e2-b779-001b2166c62d
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=a3969bf7-4f07-11e2-b779-001b2166c62d
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Fluval Edge pre-filters are some of the best in the business. They are very fine mesh, and pick up more particulate out of the water column, and more quickly, than any other pre-filter I've ever used.
IMHO, the reason people complain about them getting clogged easily is because they don't know how to use them properly, to obtain peak efficiency out of them.
These pre-filters do the job so well that they need to be rinsed frequently.
Many people leave them on without touching them for many days, and even weeks - so of course they're going to get clogged up badly, quickly !
You need to remove them and rinse them well, vigorously, at least twice a week to get the best performance out of them.
I do mine evety 2 or 3 days, at most, and my water is crystal clear all the time.
Not only that, but they keep all of the media in your filters particularly clean and free of 'crud', so that you need to rinse/clean/exchange that media far less often than would normally be the case.
That's my take - try it, they work like gangbusters.
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This is why I hate them. I have a filter to get rid of particulate matter. I use a pre-filter to keep large debris and shrimp out of my filter. I think the fluvals are garbage because they need to be cleaned and replaced frequently. I can leave the zoo med on for months with little loss of flow.
I agree with slavecorps...I have the fluval sponges on my aquaclears, and they do TOO good a job of filtering. The sponges inside my ACs end up really clean, and the prefilters are loaded with junk. I'd bought a few boxes from petsmart because they were on sale, but I think I'm going to switch to something coarser. I mainly use prefilters to keep sand from making it's way to the impeller and a coarser sponge can do that job and require less cleaning.
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Yep, both work. If you don't want to clean the pre-filter every few days go with the zoo med, they last much longer in my experience also.
When you go to the store (I know petsmart carries both the fluval and the zoo med) open the boxes and check out the differences in the foam. The fluval has a fine pore size and the foam is nowhere near as durable as the zoo med. Fluval works well for filtering very fine particles, but clogs quickly and wears out fast.
Zoo med requires less maintenance but won't polish the water as well as the fluval, but also will not clog easily.
Both work for keeping shrimp and fry out of the filter.
When you go to the store (I know petsmart carries both the fluval and the zoo med) open the boxes and check out the differences in the foam. The fluval has a fine pore size and the foam is nowhere near as durable as the zoo med. Fluval works well for filtering very fine particles, but clogs quickly and wears out fast.
Zoo med requires less maintenance but won't polish the water as well as the fluval, but also will not clog easily.
Both work for keeping shrimp and fry out of the filter.
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http://www.kensfish.com/ati-pond-pre-filters.html
The #3 is the reticulated foam (coarse stuff everybody's talking about)
http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/ati-filter-max-3.html
These come with all the parts (elbows, straight pieces, reducers) to attach it to the intake of your HOB and work wonderfully. I recommend them.
I too have used the Edge prefilter and its too fine for most situations. These #3 are perfect for the Aquaclears.
The #3 is the reticulated foam (coarse stuff everybody's talking about)
http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/ati-filter-max-3.html
These come with all the parts (elbows, straight pieces, reducers) to attach it to the intake of your HOB and work wonderfully. I recommend them.
I too have used the Edge prefilter and its too fine for most situations. These #3 are perfect for the Aquaclears.
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They go over the intake strainer of the HOB so they are inside the tank, not inside the HOB.
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i use prefilters on all my tanks... yes the fluval keep your media cleaner... and if you have shrimp they LOVE eating the stuff on them and in my shrimp tanks i never have to clean them... i use the corse stuff in my betta tanks and the filter media is WAY dirtier.. but as they are small tanks i wanted a smaller pre filter...
what SS pre filter are you using? i like the slim lines of them SO much better!
what SS pre filter are you using? i like the slim lines of them SO much better!
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