Will an Aqua Tech 20-40 be enough filtration for my 20 gallon tank? It pumps 160 gallons per hour. It is the same as a Penguin 170 and I will be buying the parts to turn it into a Bio-Wheel.

Generally you want the filter to pump 10X your volume of water per hour. So you'd want one that pumps 200 GPH.

Well I have a Penguin 150 on there now, so would it be better?

The more the better.

I got a used one today. What is the best way to disinfect it and get the mineral deposits off?

Ive heard that white vinegar works wonders on mineral deposits. Wipe it on, wait awhile and wipe it off. You may have to do this several times depending on how thick it is. Dont use any soaps or detergent.

Also, if the vinegar alone doesn't do the trick put some baking soda on the mineral deposits, add a little vinegar, let it fizz for a bit and then try scrubbing it off. The baking soda acts as an abrasive and oxidizer (or swhatever makes it fizz, lol). I got all but the worst ones off using this method (thanks to Bak2it for the idea- I think). Putting the vinegar into the spray bottle made it easier. Good luck!

I may try that sometime. I put it on my tank so when I take it off to clean it, I will try that. How often do I need to take it off the tank to clean it?

You actually don't ever want to take your filter off and clean it unless something drastic happens like parasites or something. Not sure if you know about cycling a tank...I sure didn't until I came here!

I'll give you some links to read about cycling at the end, but I will try and explain it a bit too.

There is good bacteria that can develop in your tank as a result of the natural nitrogen cycle, which is basically when your fish poo it turns into ammonia, and then into nitrites which are both bad for your fish. But once you have this good bacteria in your tank, it will cause the ammonia/nitrites to turn into a less toxic substance-nitrates. The nitrates are supposed to be in your tank once it is cycled and then you keep an eye on them by testing the water, and when they get to 30 or so you change some of the water to lower the nitrates.

I didn't explain that very well... but what i am trying to say is that you want your filter to grow all that good bacteria and you don;t want to clean it out unless you absolutely have to. If the floss (looks like cotton batting) gets too gunked up and is no longer working, just pull it out and rinse it around in some used tank water, like the water you are removing during a water change. If you wash that floss or any part of your filter with chlorinated (tap) water you will kill that good bacteria that you need. Not sure if the Penguin 150 has an extra media basket (a grid looking thing), but if it does you can put extra stuff in there like ceramic cylinders odr scintered glass which will grow even more of that good bacteria. The more of that you have the easier it will be to keep your tank healthy! If the filter floss actually starts falling apart you can change it, but try and mess with your filter as little as possible. You do not need to change the cartridges monthly or whatever the package says, it just isn't necessary and will harm your cycle. There is some good bacteria that can grow in the gravel as well, but you still need to do regular gravel vaccuums, which will not hurt the good bacteria. The worst thing you can do for the cycle is to change all the water at once, wash the gravel and clean your filter. A water testing kit (ph, nitrites, ammonia and nitrates) will be your best friend while your tank cycles!

Here are those links I mentioned, as i am not doing a very good job explaining this!

http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/cycle.html
http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...?showtopic=7981

Apologies if you already knew all that, I just like to type a lot and am generally pretty long-winded...

I know about everything there is about the cycle. I always put a different filter while running my old filter for a while before I clean the one I use.

Sorry about that then, I wasn;t sure...some people come here and already know a lot and some people come here knowing nothing, or worse yet, have horrible information from pet shops.

Good luck with your new filter...I just got two used Emperor 280's and had to clean them and everything and I am about to plug them in to see if they work. Let me know how you like the Penguin 150, I am thinking of getting a 350 for one of my other tanks. :-)

R u keeping goldfish? If not, the aquatech should be enough.

I am keeping the 2 fantails in a 20 gallon tank. I love the 150, but I needed more filtration so I removed it. But I do love it and if I have a chance, I will buy a Penguin 200.