Filter

[GSA190]

Well my tank is pretty large. I'm not sure how many gallons are in the tank but its big. Should I add 2 filters or will that add to much current? Also should I add 2 heaters?

[jeffs99dime]

need more info. what type of fish/inverts are you looking to keep? is the tank to be used for salt, reef, or freshwater? is it going to be live-planted?
as far as heating goes, i believe in running two heaters so you can distribute the heat more evenly throughout the tank.

[GSA190]

Their will eventually be live plants and its a fresh water. Say you want your tank 75F and you have 2 heaters 37 and 37 or both 75?

[gm72]

We really need to know the size of the tank to help you. If you give the dimensions we can calculate the volume from there.

[GSA190]

36"w X 15"d X 20"h

[gm72]

Okay, roughly 47 gallons. Recommend 5 watts of heating per gallon, so you'll need about 235 watts of heating. Two heaters are usually better than one for even heat distribution, but in this case a single 250 watt heater would be a fine idea. As far as filtration, we need to decide on a budget.

[GSA190]

What do you mean by a budget? How much money I have to spend?

[cocoa_pleco]

yep, small budgets usually include HOB's, larger ones include canisters and fluidized bed filters

[GSA190]

I am on low budget so I'm just gonna get 2 HOB's. I'm acually starting to understand this!

[gm72]

Define what you mean by a "low" budget and we can give you some suggestions from there.

[GSA190]

Low budget for me would be aroune 150-200.

[gm72]

That's actually not a low budget at all! For that much I recommend a nice canister filter. I use and recommend Eheim equipment, but some use and recommend Fluval as well.

[cocoa_pleco]

if youre in that price range i would say get a fluval 405 canister

[GSA190]

Where exactly does the Fluval filter go? Does it go inside the tank?

[cocoa_pleco]

the canisters have a intake and output hose inside the tank, and the canister itself sits on the outside

[A340]

Canister filter sit outside of your tank, usually underneath in the cabinet/stand somewhere so it's out of sight. The only think you see in the aquarium is the intake tube/strainer (where the water gets sucked out of the tank) and the return tube where the filtered water goes back into the tank.

The nice thing about canister filters is the amount of filter media you can purchase for them, truly a customizable system. Also, the return tube can have either a spraybar or standard hose depending if you want to add some current or not. You can also buy canister filters that have internal heaters built in so that will eliminate another piece of equipment in your tank. If that's too expensive, you can also buy a seperate external heater that connects to one of the tubes between the filter and aquarium.

[cocoa_pleco]

ditto with customizing, my 220g rated RESUN canister has i think 7 media slots.

[GSA190]

Can I add bio balls to my hob filter without it effecting the ammonia levels?

[cocoa_pleco]

yep, bio balls just hold massive amounts of bacteria

[KcEE]

So what kind of filter are you gonna get? Canister or are you sticking to your original idea of 2 H.O.B filters? I would suggest you look around more at your LFS. See the different filters they have to offer that suits your tank. And remember, what's stated on the box is not always correct. Like the gallons it can pump out in an hour and stuff...

[GSA190]

I already got a H.O.B filter. I'm just gonna get some bio balls and some zebra danios to start my cycle.

[Lady Hobbs]

It will take a lot of danio's to get the cycle going. You may want to get a few feeder goldfish to add with them or just the feeders to cycle your tank.

The best way would be to just go fishless cycle.

[GSA190]

I already finallized that I am going to do a fish cycle. Would the feeder goldfish be better for producing ammonia?

[gm72]

The goldfish will indeed produce more waste, but the question becomes, what will you do with them once cycled? Goldfish get VERY large very quickly.

[GSA190]

Im sure my teacher will take them.

[KcEE]

LOL! As long as you have a plan! Good luck with your cycle dude...

[GSA190]

I have my plan all set up.:sbiggrin: :sbiggrin:

[ganoderma]

consider a biological filter? here is the one o made, its a bio filter and a mechanical filter....it is very easy to add charcoal if you so wish as well. keeps my tank very clean (70 gal).

just need some staking plastic trays, a pump/tubing and filter media and some lava rock (or similar...those ceramic rings are good too!).

this way you can also just pick your pump, or add another tray, get rid of a tray....very flexible filter and cheap. the pump is the most expensive part. the rest depends how creative you are :)

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
this is it in the tank:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

maybe a good choice for you?

[GSA190]

Should I add another filter to my tank? On the box it says it a 30 gallon filter but I don't believe it.

[cocoa_pleco]

you should always double with filtration, if you have a 55g tank get a filter rated for at least 100g.

i personally 4x-10x filtration. on my oscars tank i have a canister rated for over 300g and a fluidized bed filter rated for 300g

[gm72]

Right. Double filtration is great. More than double is absolutely necessary with fish that are dirty/messy.

[cocoa_pleco]

Right. Double filtration is great. More than double is absolutely necessary with fish that are dirty/messy.


i forgot to add about that.

thats why i have over 10x filtration on my oscar/pacu/convict tank.

1. im overstocked (theyre getting a 150g soon)
2. especially the oscar eats messy. when he eats half of the food flies through his gills.

Unless the fish are getting sucked in by the current, you can never have enough filtration. you could have 40 fluval 405's on a 100g as long as the fish are fine with the flow

[GSA190]

Tomorrow i'll pick another filter up.