View Full Version : filter size question
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 01:43 PM
Right now in my 40 gal tank all I have is one Marineland Emperor 280 Filter System. Earlier this year i made a post about my filter getting clogged up really fast and the forum suggested adding a Hagen Fluval 205 Canister Filter
205 with the bio wheel. My question is.. If i plan on getting a bigger tank in the future, should I go ahead and buy a bigger filter now? therefore, when I get a bigger tank I can still use my filter and not have to waste money buying a new one? Or will this not work? Thank you
I ended up getting the fluval 205. The instructional DVD it came with made installation very easy. I didn't see your post lady hobbs or I would have gotten the 305. But since I installed it already, I dont' think I can return it. I think the 205 will be fine though.
Double filter Yeahhh!!!
][Only Registered Users Can See Links.] ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.)
You could definitely get a larger filter now, no problems there. Glad to hear you are increasing your filtration!
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 02:15 PM
You could definitely get a larger filter now, no problems there. Glad to hear you are increasing your filtration!
Thanks GM. What filter would you recommend?
For your 40 gallon or future large tank?
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 02:35 PM
For your 40 gallon or future large tank?
Both. I'm not sure how big my future tank will be though. so that is a problem. I assume at least 100g. What do u think the best filter for me is?
I love Eheim products. I'd go with a Professional II 2028 model for the 40 gallon. Regardless of what you get you'll still need to add a larger model for the 100+ gallon future tank. For anything over 90 gallons I recommend the Fluval FX5. That filter however would be too much for the 40 gallon.
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 02:52 PM
I love Eheim products. I'd go with a Professional II 2028 model for the 40 gallon. Regardless of what you get you'll still need to add a larger model for the 100+ gallon future tank. For anything over 90 gallons I recommend the Fluval FX5. That filter however would be too much for the 40 gallon.
Model 2028
For aquariums to 158gal
277gph
Delivery head 6.7ft
Power consumption 25w
Filter volume 1.9gal
Dimensions 8.5 x 8.5 x 17.9"
Tubing 594 (5/8")(16mm) in x 494 (½")(12mm) out
is this the one your talking about? So this wouldn't be too much for the 40 gal?
Well, some people say there's never enough filteration. LOL! But I do feel that the Fluval FX5 would be an overkill for a 40g. It work well for the 100g though. But how far in the future do you think you're gonna get your 100g tank?
I have multiple 2026 and 2028 Eheims throughout my tanks. I can say from personal experience that the 2028 has negligible additional flow vs. the 2026 but does increase the biomedia capacity by 33%. The 2026 would be fine for the 40, but the additional filtration capacity for the 2028 makes it a good choice as well. The 2028 is about $40 more than the 2026, so that may factor into the equation as well.
The FX5 would be WAY too much for the 40 as KcEE suggests. Perfect for the 100 though!
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 03:54 PM
I love Eheim products. I'd go with a Professional II 2028 model for the 40 gallon. Regardless of what you get you'll still need to add a larger model for the 100+ gallon future tank. For anything over 90 gallons I recommend the Fluval FX5. That filter however would be too much for the 40 gallon.
thanks for the info. What is the difference between the fluval filters and the heim filters? If im going to get a new filter in the future for a bigger tank, then What do you suggest for just my 40 gal now? I already have the bio wheel!
cocoa_pleco
11-22-2007, 04:11 PM
i would say fluval 305 for a 40g. im not saying eheims bad, and in fact its good, but i overall prefer fluvals. fluvals are so quiet that if you put your ear a inch from the filter all you can hear is a tiny tiny Hmmmmmmmmmm
Eheim is equally quiet in my experience, and Fluvals are less expensive. I think this is one of those "Ford vs. Chevy" kinds of situations. I mean, if all you ever had were Chevys you wouldn't buy a Ford and vice versa. Eheim was my first canister. Loved it, zero problems even now many, many years of constant use. I just tend to stick with what works.
WOGGIES
11-22-2007, 08:08 PM
thanks for the info everyone. I think ill go with a fluval 205 along with my biowheel for my 40gal! Hopefully itll make a big difference
Good luck with the filters!
thanks for the info everyone. I think ill go with a fluval 205 along with my biowheel for my 40gal! Hopefully itll make a big difference
It will make a great difference!
Lady Hobbs
11-23-2007, 03:38 PM
Altho you are using a bio-wheel now (Emporer) you are using a small model. I would go with the Fluval 305.
WOGGIES
11-24-2007, 09:49 PM
Altho you are using a bio-wheel now (Emporer) you are using a small model. I would go with the Fluval 305.
I didn't read your posts and got the 205!!! I think itll be okay though. Do you guys know how often ill have to change the materials in the fluval?
Depends on what you put in it.
WOGGIES
11-25-2007, 01:03 AM
Depends on what you put in it.
Can you give me an example? Right now it just has the black carbon and white rock circle things it came with. Is there a better sort of media I can use? My biowheel already has a black carbon filter in it. Is that too much carbon? Would my fish benefit from another sort of media? Sorry, i'm not too knowledgeable!
Carbon is not necessary in a healthy tank. Use more of the ceramic rings and you'll be in great shape. Put a sponge prefilter on the intake and you'll need to open the canister maybe once a year.
WOGGIES
11-25-2007, 11:59 AM
Carbon is not necessary in a healthy tank. Use more of the ceramic rings and you'll be in great shape. Put a sponge prefilter on the intake and you'll need to open the canister maybe once a year.
Whats a sponge prefilter? There are 4 slots in the fluval. Should I run 1 carbon and 3 ceramic rings? or 4 ceramic rings? Or should i put something else?
In my emperor biowheel I use the carbon filter with black diamond carbon/white ammonia crystal mix in the extra media slot.
Also, don't you have to rinse the ceramic rings once in a while? I thought media goes bad after a while
A sponge prefilter like this:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I have one on all of my filters, canisters and HOBs. Great effect. The sponge takes care of mechanical filtration so I can increase bio media use in the filter itself.
I would use all ceramic rings. The only time they need to be rinsed is if they get overly dirty, which is almost never when a prefilter is used. They never "go bad".
cocoa_pleco
11-25-2007, 04:02 PM
the best way to setup sponges is to have a coarse one first, and a fine one second. the coarse one will catch any large debris so the fine one doesnt get clogged
Lady Hobbs
11-25-2007, 04:20 PM
If you can, you may want to get rid of that Emporer and replace it with an AquaClear 100.
WOGGIES
11-25-2007, 07:57 PM
A sponge prefilter like this:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
I have one on all of my filters, canisters and HOBs. Great effect. The sponge takes care of mechanical filtration so I can increase bio media use in the filter itself.
I would use all ceramic rings. The only time they need to be rinsed is if they get overly dirty, which is almost never when a prefilter is used. They never "go bad".
Do they sell prefilters a petco or pet stores, or do I have to order it online? And do i need 1? a coarse one and fine one? what do I exactly need to get?
WOGGIES
11-25-2007, 07:59 PM
If you can, you may want to get rid of that Emporer and replace it with an AquaClear 100.
Whats wrong with my emporer!! It was by itself for almost a year!
Not sure if they sell prefilters at those places. Much cheaper online anyway even with shipping.
You don't NEED one but I guarantee it will make filter maintenance much easier. I only open my canisters once about every 6 months and usually just take a peek, see all is well, and move on. By using a prefilter it also makes seeding a new tank very easy. Put the established sponge in the new tank and BOOM! All you need is one prefilter, there really isn't a course vs. fine one. I use the one in the link I posted, but there are others that are good as well.
WOGGIES
11-26-2007, 01:19 AM
does the fluval prefilter meida do anything?
WOGGIES
11-26-2007, 01:39 AM
Also it says that I'm supposed to change half of the Biomax every 3 months. These are the ceramic rings right? So do I need to change them or do they last "forever"? Also does the "polishing pad do anything?" I was thinking about putting the biomax ceramic rings on the 4 lower baskets and one polishing pad on the top basket with the sponge prefilter on the intake. Any comments about this?
Also how often do the foam pads inside the filter have to be changed? Thanks everyone!
WOGGIES
11-27-2007, 12:03 AM
UPDATE:: put all bio max ceramic rings in my fluval 205 (no more carbon) & put a prefilter sponge on the intake.
Question: Do Water polishing pads help a lot? I was thinking about putting one in my emporer biowheel. Does anyone know if they make one for the emporer? I know they make one for the fluval 205.
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