What is the best recommend filter?

[Fish_Tank_J]

I have a 70 gallon fish and reef tank and I was wondering what was the best filter to get?

 

[EriksOasis]

No sump? I would recommend the aqua clear hang on the back filters. Easy to clean and change media. They run silent and are reasonably priced.

 

[Dabbin_with_reefs]

Fluval 406 or fx5... Really easy to maintain and filter replacement and insert possibilities are huge.

 

[Waters]

What type of filter are you looking for? Do you need biological, chemical, mechanical, or all three? Also, do you have live rock and do you currently have a sump?

 

[Fish_Tank_J]

No sump? I would recommend the aqua clear hang on the back filters. Easy to clean and change media. They run silent and are reasonably priced.

Thank you for your recommendation I was not planning on doing a sump yet maybe down the road.

 

[Fish_Tank_J]

What type of filter are you looking for? Do you need biological, chemical, mechanical, or all three? Also, do you have live rock and do you currently have a sump?

Definitely mechanical but what would you recommend for all three.

 

[EriksOasis]

Like I said canisters can be used but require more maintenance to keep clean and working properly. Hang on the backs IMO are easy to clean and change media quickly. I’ve also seen hangbon the backs used as refugiums.

 

[Fish_Tank_J]

What type of filter are you looking for? Do you need biological, chemical, mechanical, or all three? Also, do you have live rock and do you currently have a sump?

Also, I currently do not have a sump but I do have 60 lbs of dry live rock.

 

[zachxlutz]

Also, I currently do not have a sump but I do have 60 lbs of dry live rock.

What are your goals with filtration?

 

[Fish_Tank_J]

What are your goals with filtration?

I am probably planning on a hang on back filter or a canister filter. Which would you recommend for a 70 gallon tank and which brand?

 

[zachxlutz]

I am probably planning on a hang on back filter or a canister filter. Which would you recommend for a 70 gallon tank and which brand?

Are you looking to add in mechanical filtration, a place to add media or what? If you're just looking for somewhere to add in a bag of carbon or gfo, I'd just suggest a small HOB filter. Not sure what your goals are.

 

[lion king]

The problem with a HOB filter is flow, it's easy enough to cure though; the Seachem Tidal is ready to go in this regard. HOB filters until the Seachem the water would just dump into the filter box section with no planned or efficient flow. The Tidal has an insert that diverts the water and it to flows up through everything you put in. It comes with matrix biological media; and you stack your mechanical, biological, and chemical. The insert pulls up and everything is easy to manage. Your other option is to custom make an insert for one of the other HOBs. I did this with 2 aquaclears, these are good filters also. Without proper flow your effectiveness will suffer. I used acrylic and eggcrate to push the water down and up with a section in the front for for a filter pad. In Tank also manufactures an insert.

 

[WWIII]

Live rock and protein skimmer

 

[Larry L]

I usually prefer hang-on-back (HOB) power filters over canister filters just because with the HOB it's easier to see when filter media might need changing and easier to get at the media to replace it. I've always had good luck with both Aquaclear and Tetra Whisper HOB filters, but I think the Whisper 60 might be a little small for your tank (worked just fine on my 50 gallon). The Aquaclear 70 or 110 might be better options.

 

[CPL376]

I started my 75 gallon with 2 fluval 405s. Every water change one of the filters got cleaned. Never both at the same time. I've since moved to an overflow and sump but the fluvals did a good job for a long time

 

[Pivitol]

If you are leaning towards a canister filter you may want to wait a couple weeks, last year PetSmart had Fluval and Marineland canisters 50% off on Black Friday.

 

[Walts O]

Aqua clear 110

 

[EriksOasis]

Aquaclear 110 is the best hang on Filter I have used and all I use on my freshwater tanks.

 

[bblumberg]

If you are going canister, Eheim is a great one. I have some that are more than 20 years old still going strong.

 

[Larry L]

2 fluval 405s. Every water change one of the filters got cleaned. Never both at the same time.

That's a really good approach, to help maintain the bacterial populations.

If you are going canister, Eheim is a great one. I have some that are more than 20 years old still going strong.

+1 on Eheim reliability, I also have a canister filter coming up on 20 years old, and some pumps older than that.