type of filter to use?

FishFanatic13

FishFanatic13

I LOVE FISH!!!
Aug 25, 2007
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In the near future i have a 55 gal tank im going to house african cichlids. i was wondering would a top of the tank filter for 70 gal tank be ok to use or would it be better to use a canister filter like a fluval. sry if my spelling is off. wich would you use n why.
 
The filters that hang on the back of the tank are reffered to as HOB Filter (hob=hang on back) which is fine for your 55g, i recommend using it and a canister filter along with a bubble wand for extra oxygen and water movement. On my Blue Dempseys 55g tank i have two hob filters, a canister filter, and bubble wand. On my other 55g I have two hob filters, and 2 bubblewands on it.

A wise man once told me you could never have enough filtration on a tank, the extra filtration will only help to keep the water clear and cycled thru the tank. However some fish don't like the water movement alot of filters can create.
 
Power heads and a Rena XP3 are one of the best combos. HOB replacement pads don't last long, can't handle Cichlid mess, and are expensive. You will need something for biological though. Canister filters aren't too good at that.
 
HOB pads are realitively cheap, and last longer then expected. I change my carbon pads once every 3 months(i replace the carbon twice a month, but i rinse the pad itself). And my hob filters handle my Cichlids mess just fine. Not to mention you can go to hobbylobby or walmart and buy pillow floss bedding and make your own filter pads for extremely cheap prices. Most hob filters have an added sponge insert for biological filtration, holding benficial bacteria in them, i rinse them out once a month when they start clogging up with tomuch bacteria. Sorry for my spelling I have multiple sclerosis so my spelling kind of sux lol.
 
I have a 55G Mbuna tank that I have a Rena XP3 and an AquaClear 50. The sponge media in the Aquaclear lasts a very long time...just rinse out periodically in tank water and they are good to go...make sure to rotate rinsing out the HOB and canister filters to avoid a mini cycle I disagree about a canister filter not being good for biological filtration. In the Rena I have 3 "chambers" with nothing but biological media. Canister filters are the most flexible filters in terms of being able to "tailor" how you wish to set them up...heavy on mechanical filtration or more toward biological or a combination..I use Seachem matrix as my biological media, and have never had any problems with ammonia or nitrites
 
I have a Rena xp3 and an aquaclear 40 on my 55 mixed african tank. Originally I only had the xp3 but I added the aquaclear 40 for more surface agitation.
 
Fellow aquarists, i found a good deal on a 125 gallon tank and would like to know what filtration i shall do. i really dont want to go with a full sumpump/wet dry setup. Id like to hear your opinions if i should get 2 canisters or 1 canister and 1 biowheel filter. what are your opinions on this? thanks
 
Broham said:
Fellow aquarists, i found a good deal on a 125 gallon tank and would like to know what filtration i shall do. i really dont want to go with a full sumpump/wet dry setup. Id like to hear your opinions if i should get 2 canisters or 1 canister and 1 biowheel filter. what are your opinions on this? thanks
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I recommend all of them due to the tank size. 2 Canister, and a biowheel. Or you could do a biowheel and single canister filter, then get a diatom or hot mag canister filter for water polishing.
 
I ran a 55 gallon malawi mbuna tank with a penguin 350 for a while. It worked, but not great. The filter pads got full pretty quickly. If you want only HOB filters, go for 2 of them.

Then, I added a Rena XP3. The combination worked GREAT. Eventually, I went to only the XP3, to reduce overall noise. That's what I ran for 6 months.

Now, I have a 75 gallon, with the XP3 and an Eheim 2217. They keep it nice and clean. (and quiet)

Broham - for a 125, you need two canisters or a large canister and HOB. I've even seen people do 3 HOB's on 125's too. Either way, you want more than one.
 
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