Hang On Filter Suggestions for Shallow Tank

[meyscapes]

Hello,

I’m looking for a hang on back filter to go in a shallow tank (45-F). It’ll be home to a Betta so I’m looking for something that has adjustable flow.

I already bought the Boyu 150 L/H but the way it sits on the glass makes a horrible vibration noise.

Does anyone else have any other HOB/filter suggestions for a tank this size?

Thank you!

 

[Hufsa]

Not entirely what you asked for, but have you tried putting a thick piece of foam, rubber or fabric between the filter and the glass? It might alleviate the noise enough that you dont have to buy a new filter

 

[erwin123]

Hang On Back filters that have the pump/motor submerged in the tank water are extremely quiet, because the water in the tank deadens the sound/vibration. Downside is it takes up a little bit of space inside your tank and some may think the pump looks ugly.. but just plant densely and no one will notice....

And even then you can reduce vibrations even more by putting vibration absorbing material at the point where the intake pipe touches the hang on back filter. From the photo above - note that the vibration originates from the pump that is in the water. By putting vibration absorbing material at the point in red and 'floating' the apparatus, vibration is hugely reduced. You may not be able to put the cover on, but I don't use covers because I plant stuff in hang on back filters like Monsteras





original photo from wikimedia

File:Rucksackfilter.forAqualium.GEX.slim.filter.ss011.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[meyscapes]

Not entirely what you asked for, but have you tried putting a thick piece of foam, rubber or fabric between the filter and the glass? It might alleviate the noise enough that you dont have to buy a new filter

I haven’t yet, but I might have to give this a go first just in case. The tank is clear and where they filter is placed there aren’t any plants to cover it (I’m going for a corner island scape) so I just didn’t like the idea of adding extra pieces of material on the side of the tank to block out the noise, as I thought it might look even more distracting. Will try it though, thanks!

 

[meyscapes]

Hang On Back filters that have the pump/motor submerged in the tank water are extremely quiet, because the water in the tank deadens the sound/vibration.

I’m sorry but I’m confused by what you mean, do you mean internal filters? I thought the idea of HOB filters is so that they are not submerged inside the tank?

And even then you can reduce vibrations even more by putting vibration absorbing material at the point where the intake pipe touches the hang on back filter.

I will have to have a look into that to see if I can find a way of reducing the noise discreetly. That’s also why I thought I’d ask here, in case there was some amazingly quiet HOB that I’m not aware about that doesn’t need manual alterations.

I heard seachem tidals are great, but they look huge! Probably too big for a shallow tank? 🤔

 

[hwscot]

I’m sorry but I’m confused by what you mean, do you mean internal filters? I thought the idea of HOB filters is so that they are not submerged inside the tank?



I will have to have a look into that to see if I can find a way of reducing the noise discreetly. That’s also why I thought I’d ask here, in case there was some amazingly quiet HOB that I’m not aware about that doesn’t need manual alterations.

I heard seachem tidals are great, but they look huge! Probably too big for a shallow tank? 🤔

HOBs come in two sorts, basically, either the pump sits in the HOB bit and sucks water out of the tank into the filter case, or the pump sits inside the tank, part of the inlet assembly, and pushes water into the tank. The Seachem Tidals you mention do that, which was what attracted me to them, but you're right, they're huge. I went for the 110 and it was a vast thing. Even dry, it was hard to separate parts as you would need to for maintenance, and because there are three separate inlet points, it's pretty much impossible to make it safe for shrimp or fry without wrapping it in swathes of foam. I'm sure that in big tanks for big fish they're brilliant, but wouldn't suit your purpose. The principle of pump in tank, however, makes great sense: it's quieter, and the filter is much more likely to restart automatically after a power cut, without needing manual priming.
As an alternative, slightly left-field approach, Marina do a hang-on breeding box which functions more or less like an HOB, it just is designed to hold fish rather than filter media, but I believe some people do run them as filters. Water uplift is an air-lift, apparently a bit noisy but can be modded, and I dare say a bit of ingenuity with a pump might be possible too. The marina box is not too deep, but several litres of volume would hold a lot of media.
I'd love to find a small HOB with the pump in the tank and an easily fry-proofed inlet. If you find one, please post about it.

 

[meyscapes]

HOBs come in two sorts, basically, either the pump sits in the HOB bit and sucks water out of the tank into the filter case, or the pump sits inside the tank, part of the inlet assembly, and pushes water into the tank.

Ohh I see, thank you for explaining that to me. I’ve only ever had canister or internal filters before and so this the first HOB I’ve owned. The Boyu filter has the pump sitting in the HOB section, which is why I was a bit confused. And I understand exactly what you mean, I was interested in the Boyu filter to begin with as it’s small (great for a shallow tank) and it has a filter guard that’s just like the Aquario Neo shrimp inlet I have on another tank of mine! It’s just a shame it sits at such an angle that it vibrates really loudly against the glass. If it weren’t for the noise it’d be perfect, so perhaps I have to look into reducing the vibration as mentioned above.

Thanks for the links, that’s an interesting alternative. It might be a bit large still for the space I have for my 45F. I actually saw that marina also have an S10 HOB filter which I was curious about, but the reviews seem very mixed so it’s hard to tell how good it actually is. If you happen to give it a go or have tried it before I’d be interested to see what you think!

Amazon product ASIN B0032G8TPW

 

[hwscot]

Thanks for the links, that’s an interesting alternative. It might be a bit large still for the space I have for my 45F. I actually saw that marina also have an S10 HOB filter which I was curious about, but the reviews seem very mixed so it’s hard to tell how good it actually is. If you happen to give it a go or have tried it before I’d be interested to see what you think!

The breeding box comes in three sizes, the link I sent was for the large one.
That S10 is well spotted. Looks interesting, pump in water, neat size, and simple inlet. Might be tempted by that.
There are several reviews on youtube. Looking now.

 

[meyscapes]

The breeding box comes in three sizes, the link I sent was for the large one.
That S10 is well spotted. Looks interesting, pump in water, neat size, and simple inlet. Might be tempted by that.
There are several reviews on youtube. Looking now.

Good to know, I’ll check out the smaller one. And yes it does look good! Only thing is you have a lot less space for filter media. If you decide to try it please let us know what you think!

 

[tam]

You could use flexible pipe on a submersed pump to feed it so you can place the pump wherever you like to improve the look. A DIY'd a breeding box (for actual fry) and had it fed from a pump one corner of the 90cm tank with a line (clear airline) going across to the diagonal opposite.