Canister filter or Hang on back filter? Which is better for a planted tank?
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Which ever one you will clean regularly.
Canister's can hold more media to trap particulates than most HOB filter's but it doesn't really matter much if neither are kept clean.
HOB filter's can work well if you keep water level high enough to prevent water fall effect from the filter return.
Rippling is good,water fall effect not so much unless you are injecting the gas(CO2).
Canister's can hold more media to trap particulates than most HOB filter's but it doesn't really matter much if neither are kept clean.
HOB filter's can work well if you keep water level high enough to prevent water fall effect from the filter return.
Rippling is good,water fall effect not so much unless you are injecting the gas(CO2).
why is the water fall effect not so good besides the noise being annoying?
The Canister filter seem to also hold a lot of bio media such as fluval biomax ceramic rings and tons of other biological media. I think maybe this will allow you to have a larger bio-load?
My Aqueon filters have a tiny piece of plastic with holes in it which is suppose to be for biological but I don't know how that can compare to 2 boxes of fluval biomax rings. The one I got on Ebay also have UV sterilization built in. Pretty cool.
The canister also seem to be more quiet however you are right that cleaning them out is a big deal. I normally take long trips so I can't really change then that often anyway. Perhaps a combination might be good.
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Are low concentration's of CO2 produced naturally in the aquarium through biological activity in/at substrate (organic carbon), and also as by product of fish respiration.
In low tech tank's ,you want to try and keep it from out gassing too quickly as would happen with water fall effect from HOB filter or sponge filter's.
Not so much of an issue in CO2 injected tank's where one can increase the CO2 fairly easy.
Yes,canister's will hold more biological media but only what is needed for amount of food/waste available from fishes and feeding's.
Bacterial colony that processes the waste is found not only in the filter, but on all hard surfaces in the tank.The glass,the substrate,the wood,rock's,plant leaves,inside hoses of filter's and inside wall's of filter.
Bacterial colony grow's to what is needed to deal with the waste, but it can easily be overwhelmed by sudden addition of more fish ,and more food usually offered with additional fishes.
Plant's are good biological filter's also, as they can use the ammonia,nitrites,nitrates, for growth much faster than bacteria it is said.
Believe is why most use mainly pad's ,sponges in their filter's with good plant mass.
In low tech tank's ,you want to try and keep it from out gassing too quickly as would happen with water fall effect from HOB filter or sponge filter's.
Not so much of an issue in CO2 injected tank's where one can increase the CO2 fairly easy.
Yes,canister's will hold more biological media but only what is needed for amount of food/waste available from fishes and feeding's.
Bacterial colony that processes the waste is found not only in the filter, but on all hard surfaces in the tank.The glass,the substrate,the wood,rock's,plant leaves,inside hoses of filter's and inside wall's of filter.
Bacterial colony grow's to what is needed to deal with the waste, but it can easily be overwhelmed by sudden addition of more fish ,and more food usually offered with additional fishes.
Plant's are good biological filter's also, as they can use the ammonia,nitrites,nitrates, for growth much faster than bacteria it is said.
Believe is why most use mainly pad's ,sponges in their filter's with good plant mass.
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The whole biological filtration thing is often over prioritized by people. Like above, the bacteria is everywhere and lots of people seem to have the misconception that if they add bio material they will have more bacteria which is untrue.
That being said, if you want to go cheap and want the best filter off all time, get an aqua clear hob. These things are set up like canister filters, and last forever, I have like 6 of them with some of them being 15 years old of more.
That being said, if you want to go cheap and want the best filter off all time, get an aqua clear hob. These things are set up like canister filters, and last forever, I have like 6 of them with some of them being 15 years old of more.
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