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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

best filters

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03 Feb 2008 16:29 #1 by tonycfc (Tony O Connor)
i know theres different filters kinda for different things
but was just wondering in peoples oppinion and experience what is the best filter or filters on the market leaving out the undergravel

ive got fluval 405 on turtle tank
2*f;uval 405 on 6*2*2 ft tank
fluval 305 on my community

ive never used any other type of filter so dont have really that much knowladge on others in the market
used under gravel
used internal canister

thanks guys tony

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03 Feb 2008 17:31 #2 by scorphonic (Kieran Crosbie Staunton)
I use the Tetratec EX700 external filter and I swear by it, any external filter I'm sure is as good or better and I find the Tetratec is so easy to maintain. Every Month I change the fine white filter, and every 6 months I either change the other rough filter sponges or just clean them out. They say to change them every 6 months but I know I can get years out of one sponge. Sure afterall they are there just for mechanical filtration anyway! The bioballs that hold the bacteria can be kept indefinately since they are solid plastic...Its a great unit to buy! :)

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03 Feb 2008 17:48 #3 by arabesque (Mick Veale)
tony.. where did you get your 6x2x2 and any idea of the cost?

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04 Feb 2008 00:06 #4 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
I use Tetratec, Eheim, Cascade and Fluval.
The Tetratec and Ehime are IMO a hell of a lot better then the Fluval or the Cascade.
I would go with the Tetratec. You get more for your money and an easy filter to maintain.

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04 Feb 2008 00:34 #5 by yellow (yellow)
Replied by yellow (yellow) on topic Re:best filters
Eheim hands down, i have fluvel and eheim, and stopped using the fluval as it just gets too loud.

Frank

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04 Feb 2008 01:25 #6 by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Replied by KenS (Ken Simpson) on topic Re:best filters
I have the Fluval FX5 and 305. The FX5 is a great filter that I can't fault. My only advice is to change the water polishing media regularly as it can lead to serious blockages and loss of water flow. The 305 isn't sealed very well and prone to seeping/leaks. I think that has been well documented on the forum - the x04 and x05 filters are prone to this.

I have an internal Interpet filter that hasn't put a foot wrong in three years and I would highly recommend. Many recommend the Ehiems which seems to justify their price premium.

Regards,

Ken.

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04 Feb 2008 09:37 #7 by Peter OB (Peter O'Brien)
Tetratec, wins hands down. Its super quiet, easy to maintain and powerful.

Smoke me a Kipper, I’ll be back for breakfast.

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04 Feb 2008 12:42 #8 by hh5 (hh5)
Replied by hh5 (hh5) on topic Re:best filters
Jebao or Astro, They use Eheim parts and cost a fraction of anything you will get in an LFS

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15 May 2008 21:06 #9 by Macca (Niall Joyce)
Replied by Macca (Niall Joyce) on topic Re:best filters
Any one used an \"aqua one\" \"Aquis 1000\" external filter !!! Any opinions? Thinking of getting an aqua one 200 Litre tank and that is the filter that is supplied with it.

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15 May 2008 21:06 #10 by Macca (Niall Joyce)
Replied by Macca (Niall Joyce) on topic Re:best filters
Any one used an \"aqua one\" \"Aquis 1000\" external filter !!! Any opinions? Thinking of getting an aqua one 200 Litre tank and that is the filter that is supplied with it.

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15 May 2008 22:34 #11 by platty252 (Darren Dalton)
I have never used an Aqua one filter but if it comes with the tank you want then i would say go for it. If you have any problems with it just bring it back to the shop or if you dont want the filter they may do a deal with you on another filter instead.
External filters are basically just a large plastic box with a pump inside.
IMO what make a good filter stand out from a bad one is the quality of the pump, parts (seals,primer,etc) and how easy they are for maintenance.

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15 May 2008 23:55 #12 by serratus (Drew Latimer)
Tetratec externals are the best imo, however, it all comes down to the individual fishkeeper, going back to basics.....test your water regulary, filter maintainance etc. n the fish will look after themselves!!!!!!!

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15 May 2008 23:56 #13 by nomad (pat murphy)
Replied by nomad (pat murphy) on topic Re:best filters
True what you say about externals so thats why i would give theTetratec externals my vote hands down over Fluval or the others from my personal experience of using them before.The tetratec is a great pump,im using the tetratec 700 on a jewel 180 and besides the fine matter problem i have with the water it performs its biological function to the welfare of the tank to a tee.Cleaning and maintanance are without question a breeze,no sudden unwanted release of waste water from pipes etc not like the internal filter on the jewel tank that after a part change when turned back on spurts some amount of fine mulm back into the tank....

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16 May 2008 23:30 #14 by sheag35 (Seamus Gillespie)
I believe that filters are the heart and soul of the aquarium wiyhout a good reliable one your tank dies, i've tried internals, undergravel filters but IMO external are the best, i've tried fluval 205's and 405's and personally could not reccommend them, i find they clog way to easily and have a tendency to stop when they want, i got sick of returning mine to my lfs so i got an eheim, then another and now all my aquariums are eheim filtered and i've never had a minutes problem with them... i now would only reccommend eheim to anyone buying and external..yes they may be a little dearer but you pay for what you get and in this case its pure quality
Seamus

Fishkeeping the Only way to get wet and wild

currently 25 tanks, and breeding is the aim of everything i keep
location:Limerick

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18 May 2008 21:21 #15 by komalley (K OM)
Replied by komalley (K OM) on topic Re:best filters
Hi Folks,

To add my tuppence worth........

Have a couple of Eheim 2226's and a 2229 and never had a days trouble. OK the kit (filters & media) is expensive but just for peace of mind that it will work the extra investment is well worth it.

kom

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19 May 2008 08:23 #16 by Macca (Niall Joyce)
Replied by Macca (Niall Joyce) on topic Re:best filters
Thanks for the info ill try and see if my lfs will do deals on other externals but to be honest all i seen in the shop is the aqua one ones. hence the reason om asking about them.

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21 May 2008 08:45 #17 by Macca (Niall Joyce)
Replied by Macca (Niall Joyce) on topic Best filters
Well i bought the \"aqua one\" \"Aquis 1000\" external filter,and a 200 litre tank. its up and running since last night and you would nearly have to put your head beside it to hear a slight hum the bio balls rattle every now and then but im going to add a few more balls and that will cure that but its not a problem.there seems to be a very good flow from it so time will tell.

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21 May 2008 10:28 #18 by darragh (Darragh Sherwin)
I have a Fluval 403 (not the newer 404 grey canister) that is still running on a tank for 13 years after buying it 2nd hand from the Trop Shop. They were a brilliant filter, I have only ever had to change the impeller on it once.
On my newer tanks, I am using Eheim filters. They are bloody expensive but they feel like they are built to last.

Just my 2 cents

Darragh

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21 May 2008 12:20 #19 by mickeywallace (Michael Wallace Cath Woods)
HI There
just a small note i added 205 to my tank in December i did have one temporary problem a pH drop so just for a while watch for this it should settle down after a few weeks and return to normal.

I just added some bread soda which brought it back up to acceptable levels till things returned to normal. i used the the trail and error method to find the correct amount a measured amount of water in a jug and added the soda till i got the right reading then worked out the amount i need for the tank. which i added slowly over a few hours to avoid pH shock.


PH shock :evil: :evil: :evil:is one of the biggest killers of new stock in some people opinion

Mickey Wallace & Cath Woods

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22 May 2008 15:49 #20 by pointer28 (Noel Lambert)
I bought my first external filter a few weeks ago and I really cannot believe the difference in my tank. I used to think the water was clean, but now it's completely crystal clear and the fish are far more lively and energetic and seem to have grown in the last few weeks.

It's a TetraTec EX600, and I would quite happily give it 10 out of 10 and I will definitely be buying a TetraTec EX700 for the 4' tank I have waiting to set up.

A child could install and start it.

It's completely silent, in fact I'm constantly paranoid that it's not working because I can't hear anything. I now have an airstone near the inlet pipe so I can see the disturbance in the bubbles and know what the flowrate is like.

I had a Fluval internal before this and I won't ever be going back.

Once again, I really can't believe the difference it has made. I just wish I had taken a picture of the tank before and after the filter change.

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