Aquaclear 20

[inuudo]

I have an Aquaclear 20 on my 5.5 gallon betta tank and I really like it.

I took out the carbon and added more biomass (and a bit or crushed coral because I have a snail and soft water).

I have one of the Fluval Chi intake sponges (the cylindrical one) and a block of sponge on the outflow (attached with a rubber band). The outflow is too strong for my betta without the sponge baffle, partly because I keep the water level about an inch below the top of the tank. There's still a little bit of waterfall effect which he seems to like playing in occasionally.

I don't know about the other filters you mentioned, but I would definitely recommend the AC20.

[finnfinnfriend]

Thanks but I don't think the Aquaclear is what I'm looking for. Anyone have experience with the other two filters?

[pittipuppylove]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

Okay now I am torn. Please help me decide:

Azoo mignon 150 (not the palm, it's the next size up)
Or
Marina Slim s10

It's for a 5.5 gallon non planted single betta tank.

Thanks!

I have three Slim s10 filters in 5.5 gallon tanks at the moment, and I really like them for this size tank. Since the motor is actually inside the tank, they're self-priming and nearly silent. It comes with a sponge to cover the intake, which is one less thing to have to add later. The flow is very adjustable - at the lowest setting, it's only a trickle. I still have to baffle one of the three because it's for a HM dumbo male with extremely heavy fins, but the other two (one for a CT male and the other with a female) do perfectly well without a baffle. It's rather low profile, as well; while the Slim is longer than most comparable filters, it's not nearly as wide which makes it nice for placement on a desk or against a wall. Changing the filter media is super easy - just slip out the old card, and place the new media into the slot.

However, I'm not overly fond of the media itself. They only offer two types of media, both of which include carbon (which is fine if you want it, but it removes some of the nutrients my plants need as well as most of the fertilizer I add). I don't think it has as much surface area for bacteria as the AquaClear media - in all honesty, I'm probably going to try retrofitting AquaClear media into the Slim to allow for more bacteria growth. I personally wouldn't use the s10 for much more than a 5 gallon - I'd upgrade to a s15 or s20 (or, better yet, an AquaClear).
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