Filters for 20 gallon

[Guest]

Hello! I am working on setting up my 20 gallon nano reef, and was wondering what the best filtering options there are. I will of course be using a powerhead, specifically a 400 gph one, but need ideas and info on what other filtration methods should be used. 
 

I currently have available a canister filter, that seems like since it is oversized for the tank would work great, but have heard some reservations to canister filters, I also have A slightly underside in tank filter, but don’t know what size I need.

 

I plan on having a couple of macro algae plants, a few coral, some crabs, and max 1-2 fish, although for the first few months I will be sticking to macro algae and crabs.

 

edit: yes I will have live rock

[DISQUALIFIED-QQ]

My reef (link in the signature) runs an Aquaclear 70 and rated at 300 gallons per hour. However I do not run it at the highest flow setting since it is a pretty shallow tank (about 11-12" depth of water).

 

For powerheads I actually divided it up with two Koralia 240 powerheads. I like the idea of having multiple in case one of them fails I still have flow. Also multiple smaller flow powerheads can create nice eddies and swirls in the tank, reduce or eliminate dead zones, and you could set some on timers so you can really make it variable. You'll also need some heads pointing upwards for more surface area for gas exchange.

[j.falk]

On my 20 gallon I'm running:

 

Koralia Nano 425 - for pushing water from one side of the tank to the other.

Koralia Nano 565 - placed high and aimed at the water surface to cause surface agitation.

Aquaclear 50 - set at the highest setting.

 

I have everything placed so that it creates a circular flow that constantly moves from left to right and back again.

[jservedio]

I used a canister on my tank for a few years and they are great if you actually keep up with maintaining them and keep them clean - if you are coming from freshwater and ran a canister for a long period of time and are used to it, they work just as well on a reef. With an HoB you can get lazy with and they are easier to maintain, but you have a filter hanging off the back of your tank. A lot of people like the AquaClear filters, but really anything will work just fine.

 

In reality, you don't even need a filter so long as you keep up with maintenance - the filter is just doing some of the work for you and providing a little bit of flow. I haven't run filtration on my 20g in quite time time. The filter you chose is not going to matter to your corals or fish, it's only going to matter to you and how much work you need to put into it to keep it running how it's supposed to - there is no right answer.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, jservedio said:

I used a canister on my tank for a few years and they are great if you actually keep up with maintaining them and keep them clean - if you are coming from freshwater and ran a canister for a long period of time and are used to it, they work just as well on a reef. With an HoB you can get lazy with and they are easier to maintain, but you have a filter hanging off the back of your tank. A lot of people like the AquaClear filters, but really anything will work just fine.

 

In reality, you don't even need a filter so long as you keep up with maintenance - the filter is just doing some of the work for you and providing a little bit of flow. I haven't run filtration on my 20g in quite time time. The filter you chose is not going to matter to your corals or fish, it's only going to matter to you and how much work you need to put into it to keep it running how it's supposed to - there is no right answer.

Wonderful! This is good to know, I am not planning on slacking offf on maintenance and definitely understocking it, so I think with two power heads to get rid of dead spots, I am just going to use a small Hob filter to help a little with floating debris.

[jservedio]

1 hour ago, FreshwaterFishMan said:

so I think with two power heads to get rid of dead spots, I am just going to use a small Hob filter to help a little with floating debris.

Pretty much standard on a nano 👍

[WilliamBowman]

My personal favorite is Whisper IQ Power Filter. What I like about this filter is quiet operation. This is one of the features that a good in-tank filter should have.

[Guest]

Hello all! As I was digging around in me extra equipment bucket I found 2 roofing job filters. One for a 10 gallon and one for a 20 gallon, I have since added both of these for a total of 49 gallons in freshwater filtration, mainly for surface agitation, do you think this would be enough to not have powerheads? Here is a vid of what I have right now:

[jservedio]

1 hour ago, FreshwaterFishMan said:

Hello all! As I was digging around in me extra equipment bucket I found 2 roofing job filters. One for a 10 gallon and one for a 20 gallon, I have since added both of these for a total of 49 gallons in freshwater filtration, mainly for surface agitation, do you think this would be enough to not have powerheads? Here is a vid of what I have right now:

Nope, still need a powerhead or two.

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, jservedio said:

Nope, still need a powerhead or two.

Okay, should I keep the other filters on still? 

[jservedio]

10 hours ago, FreshwaterFishMan said:

Okay, should I keep the other filters on still? 

Unless you have a real reason to have 3 filters in your tank, pick one. If you go with an HoB, I'd personally go with the bigger one for more room if the only size difference is it's width since it makes it easier to get your hands in there and keep it clean, more volume, and more flow.

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, jservedio said:

Unless you have a real reason to have 3 filters in your tank, pick one. If you go with an HoB, I'd personally go with the bigger one for more room if the only size difference is it's width since it makes it easier to get your hands in there and keep it clean, more volume, and more flow.

Okay! Sound good 🙂