Ripper Hollow

I’ve been using the Fluval 205 for a little over a year now, and I love it.  I have it installed on my 26 gallon planted aquarium.  I use the Fluval foam sponges, Fluval Pre-Filter and the Fluval Bio-Max.  This cannister filter is for aquariums up to 200 litres (40 US gallons), and pumps a hearty 180 gph.  It has a total of 3 media baskets, and holds 4 foam sponges.  I also have a pre-filter sponge on the intake to protect my small fish from accidentally getting stuck to the intake.

Maintenance is a snap.  All you have to do is close the suction/discharge valve, unplug the filter, and disconnect the Aqua-Stop Valve.  I only clean my filter once a month, and I don’t clean the whole thing.  I clean 2 sponges, and one media basket, and I always rotate which baskets and sponges I clean.  That way, I’m not destroying all of the beneficial bacteria that lives in the filter media.  After I clean the filter, I reconnect the Aqua-Stop Valve, open the suction/discharge valve, and the filter automatically fills itself with tank water.  Once all the air is out of the filter, I plug it back in and I’m done.  Very simple.

Each filter comes with: Instant-prime system; single-motion lift-lock clamps; clog-proof intake strainer; dual-layer foam screen; and instructional DVD to ease set-up and use.

Fluval has plenty of other filter media available, including carbon, peat, Zeo-Carb, ammonia remover, nitrate remover, and water polishing pads.  For my planted aquarium, I do just fine with the foam sponges, Pre-Filter, and Bio-Max.

I definitely recommend this product.  Lots of flow, great media, and easy maintenance.

Disclosure: I did not get paid to review this product.  However, the image above does link to my Amazon Affiliate account.

Popularity: 70% [?]

I recently purchased an EHEIM 2232 Ecco External Canister Filter for my 20 gallon el natural tank. I installed it on my 26 gallon high tech aquarium to seed it with beneficial bacteria.

I really like this filter. It was super easy to set up. The only thing I don’t like about it is that is has ugly green hoses, filter and intake. But that’s easily replaceable.

It’s increased the flow in my 26 gallon tank. I have a spare Fluval 205 that I’ll add to it once I have the 20 gallon tank set up and move the Eheim over. I’ve also been considering putting a power head in the tank instead if the second Fluval 205. If I do that, I can create great flow for the carpet plants I plan on putting in the 26 gallon tank.

I really can’t say if I like it any more or less than my Fluval 205 though. They both work very well, and I haven’t had problems with either. Anyway, the EHEIM 2232 is good for tank sizes up to 35 gallons, which is plenty of flow for my 20 gallon tank.

The flora and fauna that I’ll eventually put in it will love it.

Popularity: 14% [?]