Boyu EF-05

Good plan! You could take the carbon out and add more sponge or ceramic noodles - then you'll have even more space for more bacteria to grow.

Good plan!

I'm not so sure! The Fluval 2+ is rated at 400 litres per hour, the Boyu filter you are suggesting is rated at 150 litres per hour. The normal guidelines are to provide a filter that can cycle your tank between 5 and 10 times per hour, depending upon how many plants you have. For a 60 litre tank that means you should have a filter capable of between 300 and 600 litres per hour. Your existing filter fits within this range, the Boyu doesn't.

Hmm.  Seeds of doubt duly planted Steve.  More research needed and I think I need to look for reviews etc from EF-05 owners. 

Colin, you make a good point.  Much of what I've read about stocking levels, filtration etc seems to take no account of newer technology and ideas. 
For example, the Think Fish (modern thinking) Community Creator says I'll be at at 79% capacity after I add 5 Guppies to my current stock while A.N.Other says I'll be overstocked at 103%.
 
That other site did however make mention of the importance of filtration capacity over flow rate and suggests that my Fluval 2+ is only giving me 76% filtration (91L filtration capacity) depite a flow rate of 400L/h.  One thing the Boyu would have over the Fluval is the amount of media capacity for the buglies.

Of course, if I could get a spray bar fitting for my Fluval so that the output was no longer a direct jet..........

All food for thought though, thanks.

Hi all,
Again, this is the time I feel I have to step in.... I completely agree with Steve and completely disagree with Colin (sorry... truth and facts are sometimes nothing to do with “being nice”).
Boyu EF-05... apart of being a rubbish filter (packing up big time after 9 months – I had one!) is FAR TOO SMALL! For a tank 60 x 30 x 34 with intention to be successful growing plants... hmmm... Steve is right about the flow rates for a planted tank, I would say he was even a bit too “cautious” – not 5 to 10 but rather 7 to 10 flow ratio of the pump is accepted for a decently planted tank (I know people with the tanks of 20 + ratio per hour which work marvellously but I will write about it below...).
I have to return to telling about the ACTUAL flow rate. Filter manufactures state flow rate of the PUMP HEAD (e.g. on the level with the tank and without the media: note that even pristine brand new media, which you will not have in a cycled tank, will REDUCE the stated flow, never mind that a working filter with media full of bacteria will reduce it even further; also, if the water is pumped “up” into the tank – which is true 99.9% in set ups – will reduce the water flow even further).
There is one example for you: in one of my nano tanks (35 litres) I use an external  Aqua One Aquis 550 filter for over two years now. The tank has a “fancy tail” betta in it (aren’t you familiar with reading that bettas prefer very little flow?!). Aqua One is one of the manufacturers which actually are more honest: they state “pump rate “ of 550 litres per hour (15 times per volume in my tank) but also state “operating rate” of 350 litres per hour – see the difference?!!! “Operating rate” counts as with “clean media” with the lift height of 120 cms (filter placed in a cabinet under the tank) and “not including spray bar”...
Here comes another point: with tank with plans, even distribution of water is as important as the flow rate, so often spray bars are used – and these DECREASE the flow rate even further!
Note: internal filters have lesser decrease of flow rates simply because they: a) have less media; b) do not have to pump the water “up” into the tank. So, an operating “litres per hour” for an internal filter will be much higher than that of an external.... However, that does not make them better – and whenever possible, an external filter is a much better option.
So, Ken, it is a BIG no-no for that Boyu, sorry. Go for a decent one. Even second-hand, the brands of the likes of Eheim will make much better value for money for you. In your particular situation, I am thinking about Eheim Classics filters. They are so simple that hardly anything goes wrong with them. I have one which I bought from Ebay second hand – and it is still fine after 3 years... Of course, they have their “down sides”: priming first of all. In time, you will discover (as I did in my time) that Eheim Inctallation Set 1 and 2 are a great addition as well as double taps (especially on the intake side). After I had all of these fit, cleaning the filter is a doddle and it only needs to be done every few months, depending on the fish and plant load.
I am under the impression that you are not going fully “aquascaped” but just having a few plants in the tank. Even in this case, a spray bar is a good idea – and it will decrease the flow rate even further! It is possible to achieve an even flow rate with the glass lily pipes (which I have in some of my tanks) – but this is more aesthetics of people who are seriously into aquascaping (sadly, I belong to this bunch...). For you – a spray bar and double-taps will do the trick. Deduct about 40-45% from the stated pump flow rate if you use a spray bar – and this will be you actual flow rate with CLEAN media (it will decrease as media is getting blocked). Externals also provide ample media options (not Boyu, though...) and you will only need to regulate the flow via taps (from “just cleaned” to “needs to be cleaned” the taps will have to be in a different position) – and the cleaning will only need to be done every few MONTHS....
P.S. I agree with Sue. Just to add: when I changed from an internal to external filter, I just popped in the sponges from the internal among the media of the external, and did 2 x 20% water changes the first day and 1 x 20% water changes for the next two days. I was checking the stats for ammonia and nitrate and they were always zero...
Hope that helps...
EDIT. I just realised, that in my ramblings, I was not that clear about the flow rate: basically, whatever the pump flow rate states at the rate of 7 to 10 times tank volume per hour is fine as the actual flow rate will be at least 40-45% lesser... Having an oversized filter with ovesized flow pump is not a problem but is rather good - you can always regulate the flow by using the taps (you need to buy them separately for Eheim unless they come together with a second hand filter but it is money well spent long term anyway...)

OK.... technical stuff from someone who knows what they're talking about here.

Here's an extract:

So, how big must the filter be, and how do we decide the dimensions?

That depends on a number of factors including:

1. Water turnover per hour
2. Flow-rate
3. Volume of the tank

To achieve effective biological filtration the following parameters have proven themselves as most efficient.

- The water turnover should be between 2 and 3 times the tank volume per hour.
- The flow-rate [through the filter media] should be between 5 and 10 cm per minute.

Hi Colin,

Thanks for that link....it was a really interesting article that even I could understand    No gobbledy-gook in sight Good to have clear photos as well to help explain the method.

Ooh - just spotted that Southern Aquatics have got the Tetratec EX600 on offer at £59! 
What d'you reckon?

Edit - ZooPlus have it for £49.99

Ooo..I love a bargain

Cheers Resa - me too.

Natalia, thanks too.  I read about the leak problem with earlier models and it sems that this has been sorted with later releases.  Whichever I get, I've also read that Tetra's customer service is second to none and they sort the problem straight away if it occurs.  I'm feeling confident ATM...   [fingers crossed]

Will do Natalia.  I had an email earlier saying it's been dispatched so watch this space. 

One thing I forgot to mention:  The online advert says "new model 2011" so hopefully the leak problem has already been sorted.