Reddit reviews Zoo Med Turtle Clean 15 External Canister Filter

Too small for a bristlenose, and you want 6 neons (this tank is too small for them as well). I don't know much about kuhli loaches, but this is probably a tight fit for them too.

This is also a very, very heavy stocking for a 13.7 gallon aquarium. As this is your first tank, I highly suggest going for a small stock and getting a feel for it - solving problems with a low bioload is much easier, and will give you much needed practice for when things occur down the road.

I would recommend that you get solely a male betta for now. Your decor choice is good, and I applaud you for going with sand over gravel. It's much better, objectively.

If you can find them at your local fish store (LFS), pick up some Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS). They'll aerate the substrate and cycle waste into the sand, as well as eat uneaten food and decaying plant matter.

In terms of filtration, you could probably get away with an air pump and a sponge. If you have a fair chunk of money to dedicate to this aquarium, my filter of choice for tanks under 15 gallons is the ZooMed 501. If that is outside of your budget, an AquaClear 20 would be great. I would have the outflow disperse over your driftwood to avoid churning up your sand. If you need creative ideas, feel free to post here again and we can help you figure something out. The primary advantage of the canister is that it is dead silent, and comes with a spray bar which greatly helps to disperse the flow (bettas do not appreciate lots of flow in their environment).

I would do your damnedest to keep the tank out of sunlight, as this will contribute to rampant algae problems. It should have a dedicated light. You can purchase a clamp light and 6500K CFL bulb from home depot for about $15 total. Very wise investment, and this allows you to grow plants!

You need to keep the tank (for a Betta) at 78-80F. If your ambient temperature is not this, you will require a heater. My personal favourite heater for small aquariums are manufactured by Hydor. Aim for 50W for the set up. Here is a link to one.

There is a very good link regarding cycling in the sidebar. It can be found here.

While I do not know your water's composition, I would still recommend treating it with SeaChem Prime. This helps out with some heavy metals as well. While I am not sure if it will benefit you, it is fairly cheap and you'll get a ton of uses out of it for the cost. Hopefully someone with a similar water source to yours will chime in, as I myself am on municipal supply and must dechlorinate my water.

Earlier when I mentioned lighting, I mentioned plants. These are a great addition to your aquarium and your fish will appreciate them. For beginner plants, I would recommend looking into Anubias and Java Fern. They do not grow in substrate, but rather on decor and can be fastened to your driftwood with zip ties or string. They absorb nutrients from the water column, helping to clean your tank while providing refuge for your fish. I would also recommend a floating plant, as it will dim the lights and provide your betta with cover. Frogbit is great, and very cheap in my experience. It grows very well. None of these plants require you to do ANYTHING extra aside from get that light I mentioned. There are fancier alternatives, but they are not necessary for this set up with the above plants. I highly recommend setting your lights up on a timer and keeping them on for 8 hours a day. If you notice algae, reduce light.

I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions feel free to let me know. Really great of you to come and ask for advice BEFORE purchasing an animal, kudos to you.

Be sure to check out /r/bettafish and /r/plantedtank. Within you'll find lots of guides and extremely knowledgeable people. I would highly recommend reading the majority of links from the side bar in those two subreddits, as well as this one. There's a trove of information at your disposal. Here's a link to /r/Aquariums' wiki.

Finally, here's a care sheet specifically about Bettas!

Hopefully that wasn't too long winded for you. Best of luck in the hobby.

this is the way to go! glass lily pipes and a nano canister filter like this one https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Canister-Filter/dp/B0002DIRPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487866760&sr=8-1&keywords=zoo+med+canister+filter

Sicce Whale 1 or 2 canister filters are good and can be kept out of the way, but pay attention to their hooks over the tank's rim, they are rather oversized.

Anything larger than this and what can be kept not at the tank level, but below it, is good. This is in the filter specifications.

It doesn't matter what you will keep, the content of the canister filter is more or less the same: mechanical filter media, follower by chemical, followed by biomedia. It could be customized too.

Mini canister filter

Mini heater

Or you could do something similar to the Fluval spec tanks and have a compartment in the back for your filtration and other equipment.

This is a good deal if you go with the free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/pet-supplies/dp/B0002DIRPU

I use this one on my 7

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Canister-Filter/dp/B0002DIRPU

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=165&DatabaseID=2&SearchID=3&SearchContext=YTo1OntzOjg6IlNlYXJjaElEIjtzOjE6IjMiO3M6MTA6IkRhdGFiYXNlSUQiO3M6MToiMiI7czo4OiJLZXl3b3JkcyI7czozOiI1MDEiO3M6ODoiU2VhcmNoX3giO3M6MToiMCI7czo4OiJTZWFyY2hfeSI7czoxOiIwIjt9

The hoses are pretty thin and you can upgrade to glass inside the tank.

i might suggest this http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Canister-Filter/dp/B0002DIRPU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333263231&sr=8-1

It says it's for turtles but it's doing a fine job in my 4.4 gallon cube. not a heavy flow as you would think it would but and its nice and silent. i had to cut down the spray bar a bit to fit it how i wanted.

This is a great filter and small enough that it would probably hook easily over the lip even though the tank is round, unless you're planning to use something really tall and narrow.

If you're looking for an external filter, I've heard great things about [this nano canister filter] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DIRPU) thought I haven't actually used it myself. Might be too much power, but I think it's the smallest canister on the market.

You might also consider going air pump powered, there are some nice small air powered filters like [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000634IYU). You could also consider [this mini undergravel filter] (https://www.bigalspets.com/lee-s-round-under-gravel-bowl-filter-large.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o2&scid=scplp53073&sc_intid=53073&gclid=CjwKEAjwvr3KBRD_i_Lz6cihrDASJADUkGCaTTOFNe6J9_Z6EqRUbX8hjIOqi6ntn6gkZNujK11ziRoCKP_w_wcB) (and just ditch the fake plant) but I know most folks tend to stay away from UGFs in planted tanks.

Ive heard about some people squeezing a Zoo Med Canister Filter in the back of the Fluval Edge. It doesnt seem to really fit though, it will give a small curve to the back casing.


I did a lot of research on how to improve the filtration system of the Fluval Edge 12G without any mods or without changing it's original look, the conclusion is...keep it stock! Upgrading the media filters is pretty much the only thing you can do.

I really like aquaclears. That said...this one is a little out of your price range (shop around, I swear it used to be cheaper) but this thing is my second favorite small tank filter. The first is the larger version of it because this one's pipes can be funky to get. But it works great, has a spray bar that you can poke more holes in to dim the flow more (or cut if it's too long for your tank) and you can turn it to the wall if you want.