# Recommended Filter Size for 20 Gallon High



## Sarus (Jun 18, 2012)

Hello Everyone,

Been lurking like crazy for a while and love this forum. I apologize for such a simple question but I've been paralyzed with indecision on what size filter to put on my 20 Gallon High (Height 16 inches, Depth 12 inches, Length 24 inches). 

I got the tank from a friend who was moving. It was one of those all included tank setups and came with a Marineland Penguin 100 on it. I knew that wasn't enough filtration or water movement so I went ahead and picked up a Hagen Aquaclear 50. I love the aquaclear (quiet, easy to clean, nice media setup) but it just doesn't seem to be cutting it when it comes to water movement and filtration. 

I've never used a canister filter before and rather than add another Aquaclear 70 I was thinking of getting a canister. Trying to pick a canister filter has been difficult because no matter what brand you look at there is someone with a story about it breaking or leaking all over the place (or both!).

I'm pretty sure I want an eheim but just can't decide on the size. I don't want to end up paying 200+ dollars and then being unsatisfied with the filtration. On the other hand I don't want to plaster my fish against the glass.

I'm hoping people that actually have some canister experience can chime in with some thoughts. Basically I'm trying to decide between the Eheim Pro 3 2071 or an Eheim Pro 3 2073. There is a possibilty that I might go up to a 30 gallon long or 29 gallon tank at some point in the future. Would the 2073 be overkill for my 20 gallon high? If I get the 2071 or 2073 I want to be able to take off the aquaclear 50 and just keep as a backup filter.

Is going the canister route a good decision versus say putting another aquaclear 70 on the tank in addition to the aquaclear 50? I also heard good things about the Rena XP series. Would a Rena XP3 be a good fit for the tank? Thank you for your help!


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I prefer canisters over HOB filters for many reasons, but either kind of filter will work. While I generally recommend overfiltering, I have to say that a Rena XP3 would be too much for a 20g tank. You could put an XP1 on the tank, but I'd recommend an XP2 so you'd have more room for biomedia. The XP2 would also be a good choice for a 30g or 29g.

If you really want to go nuts, you can do what I've done and put two Renas on your tanks. I like to use two canisters per tank. One of my 29g tanks has two XP2s and the other 29g tank has one XP1 and one XP2 (I got the XP1 locally from a friend for a great price). Two XP1s could easily handle the tanks, but I just like having the extra biomedia.

If you do decide on getting a Rena, the place with the best prices I have ever found is PetSolutions. Still check around for prices, but this is where I keep going back to for my Renas. http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquarium-Canister-Filters/I/Rena-FilStar-Canister-Filters.aspx


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## Turtlemaxxx (May 8, 2012)

I would have to agree with the Rena's. If I could, I would have all XP's. I have the FX5, a little eheim, and 2 xp3's. The rena's are the easiest and have nifty little baskets that are easy to use. 

-matt


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## TwoTacoCombo (Apr 13, 2012)

I like my Eheim classics. I've got a 2217 and 2213 on my 50g, and it's about right. I'm putting together a 20 long shrimp tank, and a 2213 is going on there too. The classics are about as simple as they get, really quiet, and you can usually find a good deal on them on amazon or e bay. If you're going e bay, make sure you factor in the cost of media and double taps if the filter doesn't come with them. 

As far as putting an AC70 on a tank that size.. I personally wouldn't. I had an AC70 on my 36" long tank, running the stream lengthwise, and when the flow hit the opposite wall it would shoot down the glass and batter the plants below. And this was on the 'low' setting. Plus, with a HOB, you can't run an inline heater or CO2 reactor, if that's a route you may wish to take in the future.


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## Sarus (Jun 18, 2012)

Thank you for the great feedback so far. It seems like generally speaking it's better to get 2 medium size canisters versus 1 really large canister.

I'm curious about the Rena canisters. Assuming cost wasn't a concern would Rena XP owners switch to Eheim (either classic or pro) or would you still prefer the Rena filters?

Finally, to anyone out there that has used an Eheim classic and Pro 3. Is the cost difference worth it? Are the "features" of the pro 3 worthwhile features?

Thank you for all your input!


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## Sethjohnson30 (Jan 16, 2012)

I've had a few different canisters and the Rena is by far the best filter I've ever had 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Turtlemaxxx (May 8, 2012)

The little eheim I have is a classic. It's pretty much silent and I got it used for cheap. The Rena's I have are also silent and have individual baskets instead of one big basket that you have to layer stuff in. Layering is annoying at cleaning time.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

I personally love the idea of using a aqua clear and a canister at the same time, in the aqua clear I would put only filter floss and then add plants to the floss and treat it like a planter, put a couple mangroves in it and some riccia and maybe a couple cool stems if you can fit it and then a good canister like an eheim 2215 for your setup =] im really into "over filtration" but if you're going to do it why not over do it if all it can do is improve conditions? the eheim classics btw have the greatest filtration efficiency that I have seen in terms of design and im not really into eheims so I promise you this is not Bias.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

if you're going to do two canisters instead of one go eheim 2213x2 otherwise just 1 2215 is great. post a journal of your setup when you start!


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## chicken (Aug 22, 2007)

I replaced an Aquaclear 50 with a Rena XP1 on my 20 high, and have been pretty happy with it.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

First and foremost, I actually like HOB filters on low tech tanks. The few things I don't like about them are small. The first is having to top off the tank. This really depends on how deep your tank is. I had a 20 long and a 29 and swapped my equipment out. If my water got low on my 20 long, it would start blowing my plants around like crazy. On my 29, far less of an issue. Secondly, it degasses a lot of CO2. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but if you are doing something like DIY, it's an issue. Lastly, even the quietest HOB will make noise. You can't put it in your stand for obvious reasons so there isn't an easy solution like a canister.


That said, I like canisters better. I have yet to find a HOB that filters as well. With the right size, you will have up to 5x or more of all media you want to run. So you don't just get a bunch more bio, you can do a bunch more mechanical if you want to, much less chemical, etc. Routing things inline is an obvious plus. Water level doesn't have to stay 100% topped off and you can choose what type of outflow you want to use. 

For a 20 high, I would likely go with a 2215. Well, I actually like the Ecco series better so a 2234 will fit the bill, or better a 2236 since you want to have the option of a bigger thank. I just like Eheims for many reasons so I stick to Eheim.


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## JP55g (May 11, 2012)

I have just a large air driven sponge on my 20H, but its lightly planted with only 2 kribs in it.


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## Sarus (Jun 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the great info. I think I have the sizing of the canister filter down. I'm currently in Japan and my local shop seems to sell mostly ADA tanks and equipment. I saw that they have a really nice rimless tank that looks sort of like a 20 Gallon high. If I go the rimless route I was concerned about minimizing the profile of the intake and output tubes of the canister filter. 

With the Rena filters it looks like the input tube is pretty bulky because it has the cap on it used for priming the filter. Is that observation correct? If I wanted to use glass intake and output pipes (like the ADA lily pipes) would that work with the Rena XP canister filters? Has anyone done this before? It definitely looks like it works with the eheim classics because that's what the local shop sells (in addition to some really expensive looking ADA filters). 

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the great support so far!


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## Turtlemaxxx (May 8, 2012)

If your not afraid of a little DIY you can have any intake and spraybar/ whatever you want on any canister. Like the baskets in a Rena but not the blue pipes? Make something different. The canister is the motor, the pipes are the rims.


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## Sarus (Jun 18, 2012)

Thank you for all the great advice. I took the plunge and ordered a Rena XP2 with some extra filter media. Looking forward to getting it!

I'll definitely start up a tank journal. It'll be a bit embarrassing as this is my first tank but maybe it'll be helpful to someone else getting started.


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## jschwabe5 (Nov 29, 2011)

I'm happy that you picked the Rena xp2. I have a xp1 on my 35 gallon hex tank. The filter is rated for 250 gph flow, most likely at zero head pressure. It's a very quiet filter, the media boxes inside make it easy to clean. It also has a feature that I have never seen on other canisters, a quick release valve system allowing you to disconnect intake and return line without loosing prime. It's a good filter, but it is
undersized. The hex being very narrow and tall is difficult to filter and light. My tank is not overstocked but every few days the flow drops and you need to clean.


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