Protein skimmers as wet dry filters
Some of the new protein skimmers on the market are multifunctional and have room to make them wet dry filters in addition to protein skimmers. The most versatile units are the supreme skilter, and the Via Aqua multiskimmer. Both have chambers where you can put bio media like ceramic rings or bio balls and can make them multi use as both wet dry and protein skimmer.Both units are economical under 100.00 dollars and with the addition of bio media can be made into hang on wet dry skimmer units for smaller reef or saltwater aquariums. (under 80 gallons) Just pickup one of these models and put bio media in the extra space, hang them on your aquarium and put established bacteria in them and they are capable of supporting reef life with low cost.To make them low maintenance I recommend you buy and internal prefilter(goes in aquarium and pulls out debri and fish waste)and then you will have to clean them very little.

Internal filters
Filtration specialsInternal filters are a must for large aquariums expecially those using canister filters. The canister filters(external type) have a tendancy to clog up quickly if they are not cleaned regularly. However I have found that none of them are user friendly when you have to take them apart. I have 30 years in the industry and still have a hard time putting them back together. Also every time you take them apart they have a tendancy to break somewhere- either a lock down clip, o ring, or in valve. So to remedy this I recommend an internal filter. The Jebo ap 120fc and 180fc are great for this. They fit in the aquarium in a corner and use hight speed powerhead motors to prefilter and pull most of the waste out of the tank. The jebo models come with 125gh and 200 gh powerhead and then filter attachments and media to prefilter.In a saltwater tank they work great when using protein skimmers and wet dry filters to pull particles out that will clog the units. They also have a dual purpose by creating wave action when attached near the surface. Both these units are problem free and I give them four stars. The penn plax cascade 300 filter is one of the most economical and effecient units for small aquariums and turle amphibian tanks. It needs one inch of water to operate does over 70 gh. It includes a air injector attachment so it can aireate and filter. It is great for small aquariums for both filter and air. I give it four stars

Choosing an aquarium canister filter
Canister filter specialsThis guide I hope will be helpful to those looking for a low maintenance filter for their aquarium.Aquarium canister filters ie. penn plax cascade, Jebo cs4, fluval filters, The new Jebo Newport B28 (remodeled 838)Visit our online ebay storeeheims, filstar filters , and the new commidity axis 750 are all such filters. First you want to look for a filter that has multiple filtration chambers which all of the above do. This way you can have prefilter pads. carbon and bio media.(make sure you pack them right) Then check the flow rate of the filters. Compare to your aquarium size. You need a flow rate of minimum three times the gallons of your aquarium to work well. As an example if you have a 30 gallon aquarium then flow rate should be over 90gh. A reputable dealer will tell you what flow rate the filters are. The faster the better. Then check your pocket book and see what you can spend. The Jebo and lifetech canisters are the most economical but make sure you buy from and experienced dealer, who can get you parts. Most filtration media is universal and can be put in all the models. If you are looking for longer lasting filters look towards the penn plax cascade, the fluval models or filstar, they are higher priced but are more durable. For the advanced aquariust the Eheim models are higher priced but the highest quality.Also to make them lower maintenance I recommend buying an internal prefilter unit to pull debri and fish waste out of the water so you can clean it more often and clean the canister filters every few months. Canisters are made to be hidden behind the aquarium but are messy to clean and sometimes if you mess with them too much you will have to replace parts. filtration products

Today we will talk about aquarium canister filters. They are a type of external filtration(goes outside the aquarium)that work well in both salt and freshwater, and are very low maintenance.They are usually multi staged and contain 3 to 4 filtration baskets to hold a variety of filter media.The Jebo lifetech 838, the Odyssea cs4, the filtstar filters and the fluval series are all those type. The multistage filtration is very efficient in purifying aquarium water. The draw back to these type of filters are they are a little more dificult process to clean. My personal feeling is that they should be best used with internal filtration so you have to clean them less often.