Removing a Rena built-in filter

[boo909]

Hi all, I have a well established Rena 60l tank with one at the moment Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus (think that's what it is anyway), I hate the built in filter that came with the tank it doesn't seem to be strong enough for this size tank as the water is never really very clean. It uses a sponge and cotton which i clean out in tank water when it's dirty. Previously i've only really had experience with undergravel filters as I came back to the hobby after a long while away from it so i hate the look of the big black plastic box that covers almost the entire rear of the tank. I am considering getting an external box filter as I have a few plants so I don't want to go back to UG filtration. I really don't want to get any more fish until I have sorted this out.

So basically i want to remove the built-in filter, i presume it's stuck on with silicon, is this an easy undertaking? Has anyone here done this before? Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Wonderful site by the way.

[MatsP]

If you have a

Pterygoplichthys joselimaianus

or another member of

Pterygoplichthys

genus, then I'd say skip the step of removing the filter, and start looking at a larger tank - much larger. The P. joselimaianus is one of the smaller members of that genus, so if the ID is correct (the eyes having a "+" on them is a good key for this species), so a tank of around 500 liter would be your target. For some of the other members of the genus, you'd be looking at a bit bigger, perhaps 1000 liter or so.

--
Mats

[boo909]

Thanks for the reply. Not 100% on the ID, and I'm planning to get a much larger tank in the near future, previous house wasn't really suitable for a large tank (I've moved now) quite aware that it's quite a small tank. It's fine for the size of the fish at the moment. My query was mainly about the filter, anybody have any experience with removing these horrible looking things?

Thanks for the tip about the + on it's eyes. I'm only really going by the pictures I've seen on PlanetCatfish so I may be completely wrong. Looking at him I don't think I see a +. He is hiding in his cave at the moment though. I'll check when he comes out later.

[Richard B]

If the filter is siliconed on like the Juwel ones are they can be removed quite simply using a razor blade - but be careful not to damage the tank seal.

Dispite some people not liking the aesthetics of these fiters they do have a large filter volume & media surface area. If you are concerned about the preformance you could try altering the filter media & increasing the powerhead rather than go for a different filtration system.

[boo909]

Thanks for the reply Richard. Think I might try that, been out looking at larger tanks today anyway, so I'll probably re-home the catfish and use this tank for something else.

No + on his eyes Mats, but I'm sure he's some sort of Pterygoplichthys, just have to work out which. Thanks again for the tip.