Where do I go next with filters?????

[harvey]

It's me again. I have a couple of filter questions. First.....what size do I buy, especially considering that I have oscars......and Second.....what is next after the walmart filter?

gm72 suggested an aqua clear HOB and I know fishguy has reccommended the fluval.

oh, yes I have a 55 gallon

[Drumachine09]

Best combo would be a cannister and a large HOB, (fluval ?205? and an aquaclear 70 or 110)

[harvey]

why would you use two filters and not just one big one?

[Lady Hobbs]

It's always good to have an extra filter source on the far end of your tank to pick up from that area. 48 inches is quite a distance to draw from.

I'd check filters on line myself. Generally a lot cheaper than in stores.

[Fishguy2727]

If one stops running, the other can help compensate while you go crazy, then get another filter.

I would go with an AquaClear 110 and a Fluval 405. They will work well when you get a bigger tank. Are you planning on getting a bigger tank? What all is in the tank? Just two oscars? How big are they, and anything else?

[harvey]

No, I have three oscars---Peter, Paul and Mary. My son set this tank up one night with the oscars that were about 2 inches. He also put in a pleco that died. Most likely because the tank had not been cycled and he knew no different.
I also have a small pleco that gets its tail eaten at night. He needs another home along with one of the oscars.
I do 40% water changes each week.

[Fishguy2727]

They should be in at least a 75. What are the nitrate levels?

[harvey]

yes, I have learned that they do need a larger home. I hate to admit it, but I do not have my own kit for testing water. I just take samples into the LFS and they check it. Which test kit do I need to get?

[Fishguy2727]

Just have them test for nitrates.

[nanaglen2001]

2 filters running on one tank have at least two advantages.

A filter can break, then the second keeps on filtering. Both filters breaking at the same time...not really presumably.

Then, when cleaning the filters, you wont have another Nitritpeak again, cause you will clean the filters in a lets say 2 weeks intervall, so the freshly cleaned can build up bacteria, and after the baceria are back gain, you clean the other one.

And Oscars are dirty fish, so you might need to clean your filters pretty often, compared to folks with Neontetras or Guppies:ezpi_wink1: .

And one thing...get the biggest filter you can get. A filter never can be too big. The bigger the filter, the more time you have between the cleaning intervalls.

Maybe you should put some kind of sponge in frónt of your filter inlet which is in the tank. This you have to clean all two or three days. Buut this little sponge thingy holds back the coarse stuff, and helps to keep the filter "clean".

[harvey]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Thanks nanaglen. You have explained things that I never thought about. That is why I am a member here...there is so much to learn and folks here enjoy sharing their knowledge.

[gm72]

Harvey, also invest in a liquid test kit. You'll need it as you advance in the hobby.