Hey, everybody...

I've just had it with my Aquaclear filters. Maybe I'm a big ol' doofus, but they're too much maintenance for me. With 4 of them (2 200's on the 20 gallon and 2 300's on the 30 gallon), I feel like I'm cleaning out the mechanism, the impeller, or rinsing sponges every other day. And while my 20 gallon is pretty clear (although the cycle crashed yesterday), my 30-gallon is NEVER clear, and that's with 2 sponges in each filter.

The Aquaclears are good and inexpensive, and I know a LOT of people on this board have used them for years with great success. But I've got to try something else--if not on both tanks then certainly on the 30 gallon.

Can anyone recommend a good, quiet, low-maintenance filtration system?

Thanks,
Kristi

Ooh, I'll push the bio-wheels. Either a penguin 330 (330 gph) or a
emporer 400 (400 gph)should do the job. The penguin is a little easier
to clean, while the emporer has bigger baskets for extra media.

Or, how about a canister, like a Fluval 404(340 gph). I have no real
complaints for any of them. Here's prices for all 3 found at
bigalsonline.com:

penguin 330-$21 plus s/h

emporer 400-$40 plus s/h

fluval 404-$93 plus s/h

All of them get you over the magical 10 times filtration for a 30
gallon tank. Happy filter choosing!

Thanks!

I hesitate on the Penguin--I started out with one early last year and found the siphoning noise too loud.

I've never used a canister before--how steep is the learning curve?

Kristi

I have two Penguins (a 330 and a 170) and though they were noisy when I first got them, they have gotten much quieter. I find them easy to clean and easy to "work" around (when cleaning the tank). Also they add extra aeration so I don't have to worry about my fish gasping for breath

i have ac300 to me easy to clean but i also have a rena filstar xp3 on my 46 gal with my ac 300 and water is clear and it is easy to matain. i think i paid $88.00 from dr foster

Just a little suggestion for you to try before you install your new filters. On your AquaClears, you could try putting some filter floss on the top of the two sponges. Just a thin layer of about an inch or so. I buy the floss that comes in sheets, rather than loose fibre. I cut a piece and just lay it on the top of the top sponge. It really picks up a lot of the fine debris that the sponges don't and you may find your water a lot clearer .