what is the best filter for me

[ghandidawgg]

I have a 29g all glass aquarium. not drilled, no everflow, no sump, no fuge, no skimmer... hehe. A little embarassing but it is a very simple setup.
I amcurrently using a hang on back filter with a pouch of PO4 remover, live rock rubbles and a sponge.
I hate my filter and think it is pretty much worthless. I clean the sponge of my maxijet 1200 every 2-3 days because it gets very dirty fast. I clean the sponge of of my filter weekly and do not get half of the dirt that I collect on the powerhead. anyway. the filter is an aquaclear 50. I want to buy a new filter. I want to know what filter is going to be the best for my application without having to change my tank. I want a filter with a high water turnover rate, that will REALLY clean my water. the aquaclear 50 runs at 200gph. my tank runs at 1600 to 1700 gph + the 200 for filter. so high turnover rate without being too much for this tank. god, I hope this makes sense. Thanks.

 

[patsfan1130]

Mechanical filters are good for water movement and for running GAC IMO. I strongly suggest you invest in a protein skimmer for your tank. There are some good HOB skimmers out there that wont break the bank. The Octo HOB comes to mind. that in conjunction with live rock is all you need for "filtration" I like mechanical filters for "polishing" the water..but not for a main source of filtration.

 

[mouserusker]

I agree. Go with a skimmer. I have a 65-gallon rated model from Coralife, and I like it. It's HOB (or sump, if you ever go that route), and Foster's has them for about a hundred bucks.
Any skimmer will do wonders for water quality.
If you just want to upgrade the power filter you have, I'd suggest a Penguin Emperor 400 bio-wheel. It's got good 3-stage filtration and about 400 gph flow. I can personally speak for it's great performance, high level of versatility, and low maintenance requirements.

 

[Guygettnby]

here is what i recomend you do. go out and buy yourself a skimmer. if you are concerned about money issues then i would go with a coralife needle wheel skimmer. keep your aqua clear filter and convert it into a small refugium. with having a decent skimmer and turning the aquaclear into a refugium your tank will look great and should stay nice and clean. later on down the line if you decide you want to run carbon or another form of chemical filtration then i would pick up a Media reactor wich dcan be bought for around $50.

 

[ghandidawgg]

thanks guys. I think I will go with the octo HOB. which size?
as for the idea of converting the aquaclear into a fuge, I like the idea and thought about it before but seen it done on the 100 model. Can I do it with the aquaclear 50 or too little? if yes, how?