Fluval 2+ Internal Filter

Internal power filters are the most common type of filter sold today, probably due to the fact they are ideal for tanks on the smaller side which most people start off with.

An internal/power (I’ll refer to them as internal filters from here on out) filter is basically a water pump with a foam/sponge filter housed in plastic to act as mechanical filtration before the water is pushed through the impeller.

Due to their size and relative easy of use these filters are convenient and come in a range of sizes to suit various tanks.

One major drawback of an inernal filter is that they can look imposing inside a tank. When I was using my Fluval 2+ I buried mine behind plants but you could still  always see the output as obviously any plant that grows infront of the filter gets blown around out of the way by the output water.

If you can get over the way they look in a tank then by all means go this option. Internal filters are dead easy to maintain and some, such as the Fluval Plus series have flow indicators advising you when the sponges need to be cleaned. Another important feature is the directional output nozzle so you can customise flow to suit your tank setup.

Eheim 2006 Pickup internal filter

Another drawback of the internal filter is that because they only use sponges, your mechanical and biological filtration are done in the same place. This means that whenever you clean the unit you have to disturb the bacteria that live on the sponge. Whilst this normally won’t do any harm, if you are slightly underfiltered or overstocked you might experience a blip of toxins as the bacteria take a bit of time to repopulate the sponge after cleaning.

There are very cheap Internal filters on ebay but based on my personal experience filtration is one area where you want to stick to the reputable brands (Fluval/Eheim). I bought a cheap $15 internal filter off eBay and within 3 days the pump was rattling. It works fine it just vibrates and makes noise and drives you nuts.

Obviously they’re not all going to do this but with Fluval 2 plus starting at $50 and the Eheim pickup series starting at $30, spend the extra and enjoy the quiet.

I chose the Fluval 2 plus initially, but if I had to buy one tomorrow i’d probably go for an Eheim internal. The Fluval plus range is a bit trickier to clean in that you have to do some maneuvering to unclip the sponge from the impeller when it’s time to clean.

It does takes some practice to minimise all the crap being released from the sponges into the water as you remove it. With the Eheim pickups the impeller is at the bottom and pushes the water up, when it comes time to clean you simply lift up the sponge unit and remove it.

Pros:

• Cheap compared to a canister filter

• Media is cheap and usually the filters come as a unit so there’s nothing extra to buy

• Literally plug and play

• Make good backup filters for larger tanks

Cons:

• Take up space inside the tank and can look obtrusive

• No room for separate biological filtration

• Can be a bit messy to take apart when it comes to cleaning time

• Not suitable for larger tanks as main filtration system


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