Get away with power filter?

Question

I am going to have a 20 gal freshwater tropical community fish tank. Can i just have a power filter or do i need to also
buy an under gravel filter?

Answer 1

If anything, the under gravel filter would cause more problems. Though gravel has an ok surface area, that of a power filter would be much more. The undergravel filter is very outdated, and few use them. For a 20, instead of falling to the luring ads of bio wheels, try out an aquaclear 50. The reason of this being that few people that have both aquaclear and penguin or emperor still like the bio wheels. Penguins pump water through super tiny, easily clogging, hard to reuse, and expensive cartridges, then hopes that a spinning piece of paper eats up ammonia. The aquaclear pumps water through a reusable, huge chuck of bacteria laden sponge, than either through carbon or any other media of your choice, then through a super high surface area bio-max. I hope you can see the difference. The aquaclear 50 pumps 200 gallons per hour putting you at 10x turnover, a very good idea, infact if you want, maybe get 1 aquaclear 70/300, or 2 aquaclear 30/ 150's, there is no such thing as overfiltration

Answer 2

I think the power filter should be enough for a 20 gal tank.

Answer 3

do not turn the filter out off at nighttime. once you've any stay flowers, it quite is at the same time as they use the O2 in the water (rather of utilising CO2) so it quite is at the same time as your water needs the most oxygenation. besides, use your discretion. Can they get away the present and the suction? Do they continuously appear like they're suffering to get faraway from it? if so, then definite, your filter out is too effective. Do you've a sponge filter out or a HOB filter out (carry close off the decrease back)? have you ever considered the AZOO palm filter out? it really is miniscule, and could be more desirable suited. even with the undeniable fact that, you may do some issues to shrink the circulate and cutting-edge. are you able to boost your water factor? The closer the water factor is to the output of the filter out, the a lot less agistation there'll be. you may also wrap a nylon sock around the filter out intake (shelter it with a rubber band) - it is going to shrink the quantity of water the filter out can suck up, and the nylon pores will 'clog', slowing the comprehensive aspect down. at the same time as having 2 small filters on a tank, like the man above suggested, is basically a sturdy theory, it may reason issues. rather of having agitation on one side of the tank, you've it on both side, causes the water currents to blend. In a 30 gal it really is no longer so undesirable because it really is deep adequate, yet in a small tank it would want to reason too a lot cutting-edge. also, once you've flowers, you get an excellent form of bits of plant products, or snail shells, or shrimp molts, and a small filter out on a large tank could have its sponge clogged immediately. I also propose that you're taking the filtration score on the filter out with a grain of salt. A filter out rated for 30 gallons is fairly basically sturdy for filtering a fifteen gallon tank. i take advantage of filters rated for 20 gallons over regardless of tank length that is. My 10 gal has a 30 gal filter out, my 30 gal has a 40 gallon filter out, my ninety gal has one ninety gal filter out and one 50 gal filter out and so on...

Answer 4

Just a powerfilter is fine. Undergravel filters suck. Pockets of anaerobic bacteria can form under the filter plates and if released can instantly kill your fish if you dont remove all the stuff that gets trapped below the undergravel filter.

Answer 5

A power filter is fine by itself. I recommend (if you don't have one yet), a penguin brand. They have biowheels and that helps keep the beneficial bacteria alive.

Answer 6

power filter is fine

Answer 7

I have both, plus a bottom feeder/algea eater