Category
Canister, hang-on-back and sponge filters, filter media, air pumps and UV sterilizers.
Sponge first, then biomedia, then floss or carbon if you want them. Here is what each kind of filter media does, the order it goes in, and what to rinse versus replace.
Tetra's Whisper is the air pump most tanks need. Here are the quiet, adjustable, nano and battery-backup alternatives, and how to size one to your tank and sponge filter.
Which filter type fits your tank, and the one we would buy at each size: a sponge for bettas and shrimp, Fluval's AC30 up to 30 gallons, the 307 canister for 40 to 70, and the FX4 above that.
Coralife's Turbo-Twist 3X is the UV sterilizer most tanks under 125 gallons should start with. Here is what UV does, what it does not, and which type fits your filter.
Fluval's 307 is the canister most mid-size tanks should start with. Here is how it compares with the 207, the FX4, EHEIM's Classic 250 and OASE's heated BioMaster.
Fluval's AC30 (the new AquaClear) is the hang-on-back filter we would put on a 20 gallon tank. Here is how it stacks up against Seachem's Tidal, Marineland's Penguin, Tetra and Aqueon.
Hikari's Bacto-Surge is the sponge filter we would start with. Here is how to size one, which air pump runs it, and when a double sponge or a tiny nano sponge is the better buy.
Under 30 gallons, a hang-on-back filter wins on price and ease. Over 40, a canister wins on media and quiet. Here is the side-by-side, using Fluval's AC30 and 307 as the examples.
