newbie with leaking 205 fluval filter

[turtlesbegood]

I am setting up my daughter's 55 gl turtle tank (turtle passed away in the summertime). The filter leaked till I put vaseline on the canister itself where the seal mates with it. Have undergravel filter ordered will that and the 205 be enough filter for 55 gl community fish tank? (Shrimpbegood)

[korith]

I am setting up my daughter's 55 gl turtle tank (turtle passed away in the summertime). The filter leaked till I put vaseline on the canister itself where the seal mates with it. Have undergravel filter ordered will that and the 205 be enough filter for 55 gl community fish tank? (Shrimpbegood)

Looked up the filter online and looks it is rated for aquariums up to 40g. Though probably suitable for a tank that is smaller. One thing when looking for filters is to know that manufacturers tend to over exaggerate the filtering ability of their products. When they figure out the gph they do it with the filter having no media in it, or very little media. Something I tend to do which works well for me is to take whatever gallons the filter is rated for and divide that number in half, that seems to be more reasonable to me.

You could set up a 2nd filter perhaps a hang on back filter or a 2nd canister and run that in addition to the canister filter you have. Can't really comment on the undergravel filter.

[Lolita]

You'll definitely need more filtration than that, unfortunately. And cancel the order for the Undergravel filter--they do more bad than good. All they'll do is suck all the crap you want to vacuum out of the tank down and pin it to the bottom of the tank, which will eventually poison your tank.

A general rule of thumb for a filter is that it should be rated for twice what your tank holds. If you have a 20 gallon tank, you want a filter rated for 40 gallons. If you have a 55 gallon, you'd want something that is rated for 100 gallons or more. On my 55, I have this filter (http://www.amazon.com/Rena-722-Filstar-Canister-Filter/dp/B000260FX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354811244&sr=8-1&keywords=rena+xp3). It's a great filter and is definitely plenty of filtration for your tank.

[Goes to 11!]

I have my 205 on a 20g tank if that tells you anything.

I would suggest an EHEIM 2215 [Or 2217 if you are stocking heavily - EHIEMs are tested/ratedwith media btw and are the only filters that I am aware of that does this]. Minimal bells and whistles, Eons of solid performance.

I love 'em.:1luvu:
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[dbosman]

... filter leaked till I put vaseline on the canister itself where the seal mates with it. Have undergravel filter ordered will that and the 205 be enough filter for 55 gl community fish tank? (Shrimpbegood)

Probably as long as you can deal with the people who say your nuts or wrong. The 205 by itself is too little. The under gravel filter (UGF) will be too small at first. The pair will be fine if you don't over stock or over feed.
UGFilters get little respect, mostly (in my opinion) by people who have read about them but never used one. UGFs work as well today as they ever did - IF - they are maintained by cleaning the mulm out from under them. That is accomplished by vacuuming the gravel. These days we tend to leave the mulm in the gravel for plant fertilization. That also means that every few years we have to tear the tank down. I've had my UGF and gravel in my 75g for over a decade. Yes, mulm accumulates, but I vacuum about 1/3 of it each month. How can I tell? I look up through the bottom of the stand.

As to the seal on the 205, if silicone grease or petroleum jelly works to keep it from leaking - Great. If you need to order a new gasket, because the grease no longer finishes the seal, that is a stock item for many online retailers.

If your 205 fails and you can't order repair parts, then it will be time to consider something else. Maybe the newest magic filters will be on the market by then. I've been waiting several decades now, and seen lots of hype, but no miracles other than the introduction of filter foam.

[Goes to 11!]

UGFs work as well today as they ever did - IF - they are maintained by cleaning the mulm out from under them. That is accomplished by vacuuming the gravel.
I agree with this entirely but also feel that many people do not do the maintenance required for them. I have some but don't use them because the tanks they would fit are planted, With proper upkeep UGF are extremely effective biological filtration [As mentioned].
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