# Filter for Mr. Aqua 12 long



## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

the only issue with a larger HOB filter is that you are going to have a good portion of the tank with little to no water folw at all... a tank that long would be better filtered with 2 aquaclear 20s than one 30.


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## knm<>< (Mar 18, 2010)

The aqua clear 20 will hang perfectly on the end too, so you can have one on each end and have plenty of flow for the whole tank. Plus, putting them on the ends will be less of an eyesore when viewing or photographing your tank. 

BTW, nice gift and happy b-day!


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## farmhand (Jun 25, 2009)

I would start with one on one end and see how it works. Let us know what you do. Thinking about getting one.


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Hmm. What about a filter on one end and a very small power head on the other? I think I'd be more willing to do that, because one HOB on each end is going to look 'ugly' for the place I plan to put the tank.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

That's a very long and shallow tank. HOBs tend to orient flow downward, so I'd be wary of getting a big HOB to cover flow only to end up flattening plants close by or blowing around subrate. You need to think of flow and filtration separately. I'd do an HOB adequate for a 12g tank and add a small powerhead like a koralia nano and set both up on one end.


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## AquaDean (Nov 20, 2009)

If you can fit an Aquaclear you should also be able to fit a ZooMed 501 or Tom Rapids mini canister. Both of them can sit at the same level as the aquarium and could eaisily be hid by a book or plant. Plus you will get more biological surface area and you could put the intake and outflow on opposite ends of the tank. If you do go with a HOB filter then the Aquaclear is the only one I'd use. You could get creative with the intake and route in under the substrate to the other end of the tank.


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

macclellan: That sounds like what I'm probably going to do. So what size HOB is 'adequate for a 12g tank'?

AquaDean: i was just reading your cube journal and saw how you bent the filter intake--pretty cool  I'm certainly not creative though, and I've always felt like canisters are so complicated. I have an Eheim 2217, but it's a chore to do anything with it. Works great, but I dread disconnecting it to clean it! That also might be because I'm really small, and I swear that thing weighs 40 pounds when it's full of water.... 

Anyway, I might order the filter today if I decide on what's best, so I'm still open to suggestions!


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i know that a canister is out of the question for you, BUUUUUUUUT, an eheim 2211 is perfect for this situation.

step one, setup eheim as normal
step two, get a T adapter, (eheim makes one that will fit the 2211)
step three, run extra hose from the T and setup twin spray bars, this will give you perfect flow and look super clean...


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

why not use an eheim 2213?


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## goddessjen (Mar 9, 2008)

I second the eheim 2211 or 2213. You can customize the intake and spraybar to work for this tank. Make a small cabinet to hide the canister or something. I love Eheim canisters. My aquaclear 20 sucks. I am constantly losing flow due to the prefilter. An eheim doesn't lose flow until it is filled with ten times it's weight in poo...


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

You could go either way, but I would also go with a 2211/2213. The HOB to me would be distracting and take away from the tank. Did you buy a frameless tank for it's aesthetic value or did you just like the dimensions? I would get lily pipes and angle the return toward the front glass so the current isn't too strong for the plants.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

oooh, twin return with lily pipes... somebody has money burning a hole in their pocket


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

F22 said:


> oooh, twin return with lily pipes... somebody has money burning a hole in their pocket


Who said twin?


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

hmm...it's just that... the eheims cost soooo much more than the HOB. I guess I'm going to have to think about this.


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

Amazonfish said:


> hmm...it's just that... the eheims cost soooo much more than the HOB. I guess I'm going to have to think about this.


Just work out some delayed payment plan until you're out of med school  .


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i said twin, 2 returns, the tank is soooooo long that the twin returns will prevent dead spots.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/pro...rce=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=eheim_2213

80 beans isn't too bad... if i quit going out to dinner i would have that in 2 days lol


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## benon (Feb 18, 2010)

Why not a zoomed 501? You can hide the components behind plants and I don't think they're too ugly. It just has to be cleaned every month. You can even setup a spray bar to run lengthwise.

It is a canister filter, but the hoses it comes with are not long enough for the canister to be placed under the tank.


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Jeff5614 said:


> Just work out some delayed payment plan until you're out of med school  .


:redface: Seriously! I know things will get much better, but I'm almost finished with my first year and I'm $50,000 in debt! I have no time for a job, and I have a very expensive hobby. Oh, how I wish my CRS would reproduce. 

The tom rapids mini canister or zoomed501 are pretty cheap, but wouldn't that still present two issues?

1. I'd still have a lack of flow on one end of the tank
2. it's probably not big enough

spending $80 on a 2213 or 2211 is something I'd have to think over carefully. 

At this point, I'm still tempted to go with the AC20 because it's the most discrete of all the filters and they've always worked well for me. I'm currently running a total of 6 Aqua clear filters on all my tanks as we speak! 

Still open to suggestions!


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## benon (Feb 18, 2010)

I don't think you would have a lack of flow if you placed the output on one end of the tank, and the intake on the other end. Since the tank is so long, I would imagine the flow of water would run from one end to the other. Just make sure the spray bar is above water to get a nice current going.

It also depends on how densely planted this tank will be and what kind of plants you will have in it.

$80 is def. overkill to filter a 12 gallon, but it can always move to a bigger tank when you get one


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## goddessjen (Mar 9, 2008)

I don't think that the 2213 is overkill. I think that you may be disappointed with an AC20 and I KNOW you will if you plan to add a prefilter. I am VERY disappointed with mine and my tank is 4 gallons. I am going to add a 2213 to this tank. It all depends how you set up the filter too. You can adjust the flow based on your choices of intake and return and even filter media. They also come with the quick disconnects which you can partially close to cut down on flow if it is too much. Keep in mind the length of the tank. It is as long as a 30g tank and if you don't have a good filtration plan you will have areas of stagnation. Think about it. If you are disappointed then you are either stuck with a filter you are not happy with or you have to sell it and take a beating and still buy a better filter. Also I don't think you can really honestly compare a zoomed or a rapids to an eheim.


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## goddessjen (Mar 9, 2008)

Putting the spraybar above the water is great for fish since it creates surface agitation and thus adds o2 to the water. But it also cuts down the amount of co2 available to plants. So if your main goal for this tank is to maintain livestock then put the spray bar above the water for maximum surface agitation. If the main focus of this tank is going to be the plants then you should probably place the spraybar below the waterline so as to keep as much co2 as possible in the water.



benon said:


> I don't think you would have a lack of flow if you placed the output on one end of the tank, and the intake on the other end. Since the tank is so long, I would imagine the flow of water would run from one end to the other. Just make sure the spray bar is above water to get a nice current going.
> 
> It also depends on how densely planted this tank will be and what kind of plants you will have in it.
> 
> $80 is def. overkill to filter a 12 gallon, but it can always move to a bigger tank when you get one


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

I really appreciate all this help I'm getting! Whatever I choose, I'll have to sleep on it before I order the filter. i don't want to make the wrong decision!


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## sollie7 (Jul 19, 2009)

get one used I just bought a 2211 with media for $50 shipped off S&S


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

i bought an eheim 2215 for 40 bucks of craiglist. Bought a 2217 for a crappy ds lite and 40 bucks. Just look around or post a wtb add in Sns


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## g33tar (Jan 8, 2010)

I put my AC50 on the end of my 12g. It fits pretty snugly across it. I love the look of the rimless simplicity and it definitely takes away from that. The only dead spot I have on the surface are the two corners on the complete opposite end where some protein stuff accumulates. I also put this little piece of curved plastic on the output that directs the flow across the top of the tank rather than downward. 

Heres a video of the AC50 on full blast with the outflow piece i DIY'd. I usually run the filter at the lowest setting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOW5EX4h46o











With all of that being said, if I wasnt poor, I would have a canister filter with inflow / outflow on opposite ends on my tank in a minute 

-Alex


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

g33tar, thanks for posting! I'm glad you did since we have the same tank. Wow, I didn't think that even with an AC50 that there would be dead spots. 

I'm considering the 2213. So let's say I get the filter. I know I want the intake and outflow on opposite ends of the tank, but can I don't think I can put the spraybar in the same position as g33tar has his filter. The spray bar is too long. 

Any ideas? I don't have a saw, so I can't really make it shorter.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Amazon just cut the spraybar to fit. It cut's pretty easy with an exacto knife or something similiar.

g33tar,
You know you can get a small heater to fit right inside your AC.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

^ tetra makes a set temp heater that is probably only 5" long and will do up to 10 gallons.. perfect fit.


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## oldpunk78 (Nov 1, 2008)

if i had one of those tanks, i'd use a rena xp1. easy to clean and not that big. the price is pretty good too. (if you order it using the "ck" code.) i think with a rimless tank, it's just a shame to use a hang on the back. just my 2 cents.


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## VadimShevchuk (Sep 19, 2009)

> if i had one of those tanks, i'd use a rena xp1. easy to clean and not that big. the price is pretty good too. (if you order it using the "ck" code.) i think with a rimless tank, it's just a shame to use a hang on the back. just my 2 cents.


 Agreed! Also, if you use a canister filter then you can just hide the filter under the tank. If its a HOB then you got a ugly box hanging on the side.


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## goddessjen (Mar 9, 2008)

Just cut the spray bar to fit. Borrow a saw or use a very sharp serrated knife maybe. Or you could take it to Home Depot, they are almost always willing to help out for free .


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Ok....I've decided on the 2213 :icon_mrgr Thanks for all your help! I'm hoping that I'll have to clean it much less often than my aqua clears. If that's true, it'll definitely be worth it! I'll be starting a journal for this tank as soon as I get all the stuff. I've never taken step by step photos on any of my tanks, so this will be nice.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

i have eheims on my maintenance accounts and i only clean them out once every 4 months... and people who pay me to clean tanks tend to grossly overfeed..


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

I have an Eheim 2217 that I haven't cleaned in.... 6 months. I think it's time though :icon_redf


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## PlatinumSM (Apr 25, 2010)

Hey! I am looking at one of these tanks right now and wondering how to light it, since it is not quite 36" so none of the standard-sized lights will fit! What do you guys use? Thanks!


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

The Coralife T5NO fixtures are a bit shorter than they say they are  I have a 36" fixture and it's perfect! the fixture is still about 3/4" shorter than the inside of the tank, so it fits perfectly with the metal legs.


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## PlatinumSM (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks! Can you find a link to that on petstore.com? 

I am not sure which exact model you are referring to and that is where I am ordering the tank from. They have free shipping over $75 which is pretty sweet! 

Thanks again!


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## Amazonfish (Oct 20, 2009)

Here it is 

I'm pretty sure that this is a lot of light for the 12 long. Will you be using CO2?


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## PlatinumSM (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks! That's actually one that was on my "wish list"  

I don't plan to use CO2, but so far the only plants I am keeping in there will be Christmas Moss and Flame Moss so hopefully they will be happy!

This is a tank for my 12 newly-hatched guppy fry so I want it to be pretty but no-frills so the have a lot of space to swim.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

good choice on the 2213  i was gonna suggest two 501's . i have this same tank set up as a reef. i love it, the lack of depth is challenging but it is a sleek little tank nonetheless. congrats!


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## g33tar (Jan 8, 2010)

Jenna, lets see some photos of that reef tank! Thanks again for the photos of your tank you took before. Swayed me into buying one.


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## JennaH (Sep 28, 2009)

no problem! i'm glad you like the tank as much as i do  the tank has only been up a couple months so it only has a few corals so far but you get the basic idea here.. it is home to 5 snails, 1 blue leg hermit, and 2 ocellaris


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## g33tar (Jan 8, 2010)

Looks really pretty.


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