How much flow does a tank need?

[Mrs. Crabtree]

Preparing a 72 gallon. Going to have a magnum 350 with biowheel. I am wondering about additional flow with powerheads. I did not see powerheads mentioned in the ebook. Thank you.

[jeffs99dime]

what kind of fish are you going to be keeping?

[cocoa_pleco]

If its SW, powerheads are a MUST, for FW, no very important.


Like jeff said, what kind of fish are you planning?

[jweintraub]

Like Jeff said, it depends on what kind of fish you're going to have. Some fish LOVE a current and others will be hating you from day one as they swirl around your tank!

[cocoa_pleco]

yep. angels dislike current, while danios like to play in it

[Mrs. Crabtree]

what kind of fish are you going to be keeping?



I am leaning towards Dwarf cichlids, and a mix of plecos, loachs, and corys.

[Lady Hobbs]

A 75 gallon tank needs more filtration than one HOTB filter. You will need two power filters and then that may not be enough. A 75 gallon should really have a canister and a HOTB. You may get away with one if your tank is heavily planted, however.

Your choice of fish is not what I would have, either. Stick with either all the dwarf cichlids or with community fish. Pleco's get huge so if you want a sucker fish, get a Bristlenose (like 3) that will remain small. Pleco's can get over a foot long. I wouldn't have corey's and loaches together, either. Loaches will probably get about 7 inches and are pretty dominate in the bottom of the tank. They may kill the corey's who will remain very small and very docile and take a beating from the loaches if they are not killed by them.

Check online on dwarf cichlids and see what is recommended that they be kept with and go from there.

[cocoa_pleco]

yeah, 75's need more filtration. a good HOB and canister like hobbs said is the key.

If it was my tank, id have a canister and 3 HOBS, but 1 HOB and canister is good

[Mrs. Crabtree]

The ordered filter is a mangnum 350 pro; it has the biowheel addition to the canister. Sounds like that might not be enough? It says rated for 100g. As for the fish, I have been looking at plecos that max at 5 to 6 inches so I can get a few. Everything else is flexible at this point. I could easily be sold on a more peaceful community situation. But the powerheads were ordered, so...I guess they may be for sale depending on how things shake down.

[Lady Hobbs]

What filters claim to be rated at, you can just about double that amount. (I don't know where a person would put 3. Your hood only allows for two.)

Overall Rating[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]3.5 5
Performance [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]4.5 5
Quality [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]4 5
Ease of Use [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]5 5

This is the rating for this particular filter. Personally, I look for anything with 5 stars.

If you are unable to afford a regular canister filter right now, I would at least add another HOB unit. The ones that are rated for 75 gallons up.

Here's a site that's good for compatiblity issues.
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Mrs. Crabtree]

Do you mean double as in if it's rated at 100 it can do 200 or, rated at 100 then get two of them for a 100 tank?

This is a regular canister (right?): [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Where is the rating site? It would have been nice to see it before. But how is the overall rating 3.5 where the components of the overall are above 3.5? Thank you.

[Chrona]

Double as in double the filtration recommended. Ie, if you have a 55g tank, then get two filters rated for 55g or a single filter rated for 110. The Magnum should work fine imo, although many people are saying that the Rena Filstar XP3 works better and is cheaper. You will probably need a powerhead to reduce deadzones on the other end of the tank. I would suggest the canister intake be placed in the center, with the biowheel output on one end, and the powerhead on another.

[xoolooxunny]

i wouldnt recommend that particular canister filter you linked, crabtree. I have one and it is a pain in the butt to mantain. I want to get a different one, but now that i am so used to it, i dont feel like replacing it. For a 72 gallon, if you arent going to get a HOTB filter with your canister, i would at least get a power head on the opposite side of the tank from the return. i did and it cut down on the algae BIG TIME, plus it dissolves my DIY co2

[Mrs. Crabtree]

i wouldnt recommend that particular canister filter you linked, crabtree. I have one and it is a pain in the butt to mantain. I want to get a different one, but now that i am so used to it, i dont feel like replacing it. For a 72 gallon, if you arent going to get a HOTB filter with your canister, i would at least get a power head on the opposite side of the tank from the return. i did and it cut down on the algae BIG TIME, plus it dissolves my DIY co2



Thanks for the first hand advice. Of course I'm second guessing. It's hard to maintain but how does it work?

[xoolooxunny]

it has 4 metal clips that hold the top on that start to lose their strength after awhile. then there is a big rubber o-ring under the lid that always falls off. then the carbon canister seats itself in the middle, with a gasket on the top and bottom. it also comes with a very nice micron filter (i think thats what its called) for water polishing, and it works very well. but the lid that closes the carbon container will get stuck to the bottom of the canister lid, so if i dont close it right the first time, im risking carbon all over the outside of the holder, so i have to clean out the whole canister again.

I would get a filter that has media baskets and layers that just lift out.

[Mrs. Crabtree]

it has 4 metal clips that hold the top on that start to lose their strength after awhile. then there is a big rubber o-ring under the lid that always falls off. then the carbon canister seats itself in the middle, with a gasket on the top and bottom. it also comes with a very nice micron filter (i think thats what its called) for water polishing, and it works very well. but the lid that closes the carbon container will get stuck to the bottom of the canister lid, so if i dont close it right the first time, im risking carbon all over the outside of the holder, so i have to clean out the whole canister again.

I would get a filter that has media baskets and layers that just lift out.


I guess I was trying to ask how well it keeps the water clean?

[xoolooxunny]

Oh! my mistake. it keeps the water VERY clean, and you can set the return to put some waves on the top of the water.

[Lady Hobbs]

There is some confusion here. Chrona thinks you are talking regular canister filters instead of HOTB.

Just get yourself two good HOTB filters that are good for 80-100 gallons! That will filter well for you until you may decide later on to go to a canister filter with one HOTB.

I have two Penquin 350's on my 55 gallon. Emporer 400 is a good filter, as well, but one word of caution. It will fit on the left side of your tank but not on the right due to the brace in the center. It is just a tad too long.

I wrote this in another thread:
............
do you know the only HOTB power filter rated for up to 100 gallons is the AquaClear 110 with a gph of 500?

Emporer 400 is 400 gph and rated for 80 gallons. Penquin 350 is 350 gph and rated for 75 gallons. Whisper 60 has a gph of 300 and rated for 60 gallons.
...........

Well, I found another one rated for 100 gallons. TetraTech is also rated to 100 gallon. All above are not bio-wheels but who cares?

[Mrs. Crabtree]

Oh! my mistake. it keeps the water VERY clean, and you can set the return to put some waves on the top of the water.


What size tank is it on?