What is a good external filter for a 20 gallon aquarium...?

Question

and would it be ok to still use my in tank filter too?

Answer 1

what kind of fish are you looking to keep and if the filter is already running and biologically stable yes keep it .when you get your external use some of the old guts to help the new one get established then remove it.

for a hang of the back filter and hardy fish ,meat eaters? i like Hagen's aqua clear 70 enough power for a 20 long or xtra high if to much water movement turn it down. and a good secondary or backup if you wanna go for a bigger tank

for tropical whisper and emperor will do just fine

Answer 2

I use the Aqua-clear filters in most of my tanks,using only a sponge and the occasional bag of charcoal. Follow the instructions as to aquarium size and it's OK to go a little oversize. Maintenance involves cleaning (rinsing) the sponge in water taken from the tank when doing your weekly water change,(be careful to preserve the bacteria colony in the sponge). Replacement and repair parts are easy to get, and not too expensive. Give them a look. You can of course leave your internal filter running,and should not take it out for at least 6 weeks until the bacteria colonies have formed on the sponge in the new filter. I don't like to rely on only one filter in any tank,it's reassuring to have a back-up in case one filter fails.

Answer 3

I use fluval external filters and they work well. You can run any internal filter along side.

Answer 4

I have had great success with a Penguin Bio-Wheel.