I need filter advice for goldfish

irregardless of what fish you keep, i would run two filters on the tank in case one konks out. that way you won't be left with a big unfiltered fish bowl until a new filter can be had.

you can use a larger hob filter for the goldies,.. perhaps any one that will fit ,.. you will need more floss filtering for the hob,..
as the hot mag will leave less to be desired results with filtering small un noticables filtered out,.. you can put bio ball in tank or rinds in a bag, perhaps onion bag mesh and put that in hob after the floss is put in but goldies always need floss to get out diluted crap,.. and change or check every day to see when it cloggs up as goldies are dirty,.. i have many and have had a hot mag on it and a whisper30-60 filter for floss,.
they will be happier with more smalls taken out of waterm, also many larger water changes for them as they grow,..
to be safe i always use 30g per fish,. but minimum is 20. so that is the amount you need to stick with for the health and happiness of fish,. in a 47,..

also you could use a large sponge filter for them in the tank for bio,. and it helps trap minute particles in the tank i have one for all the goldies plus 2 filters each,.. just remember to rince out the sponge every week it looks clean but whoa,, what junk gets trapped,.. i would use a 80-100 gal sponge for them



here's the link it the cheapest i've found

http://www.kensfish.com/spongefilterlinks.html

you can use air stone like i have or a power head either would work,..

wopjr said:

Hi all,

I have a 47 gallon extra tall tank with a hot magnum 250, I have 1 smallish ryukin and would like to get 2 more.

My question is, do I add an emperor 280 with the hot magnum 250 or can I just use an emperor 400 alone.

Can't use the emperor 400 with the hot magnum 250 because there's no room.

If I go with the emperor 280 would it be advisable to make that filter completetly biological by just using bio sponges in the compartments?

If I go with the emperor 400 I would still add bio sponge and use the refillable plastic cartridges supplied with marineland carbon ammonia blend.

What are your thoughts.

Thanks, wopjr

Click to expand...

Hello wopjr and welcome to the site!! :welcome:

We've moved your thread over to our coldwater section... this is where our most experienced goldfish keepers will see this and give you advice that's more relevant to goldfish.

Your 47 gallon, high profile tank is just barely large enough for 3 fancy variety goldies. Goldfish are massive waste producers that need way more filtration than the same tank would need for other tropical species. This setup is workable, just keep in mind that it's going to require more diligent maintenance on your part to keep that water quality high enough for your fish. Your little ryukin is just a baby and he's gonna grow very fast, as will the others you also plan to add.

For now, start out with the Emperor 400 because it's a more powerful choice and think about making some custom modifications to the intake and internal cartridges to optimize its performance.

Here's a link that explains how you can do this:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/power_filter_tricks_v.php

In addition, I'd recommend you also add a much better performing canister filter to boost the overall effectiveness by a large amount. Something along the lines of this one...

http://www.doityourself.com/invt/689402754

Sponge filters and internal filters (even that HOT Magnum you have now) are not cut out to handle the extra high bioload you're going to have with three goldfish. These ryukins get very big (up to 8-10 inches) long and have rather massive bodies. Don't be surprise if they double in size every couple of months, either, because they'll reach about 80% of their adult size within the first year. Once again, what works on a minimally stocked tropical community tank will be terribly inadequate for a fully stocked (somewhat overstocked) goldfish tank.

Let us know of any other questions you have..... We'd also love to see photos of your little goldie if you can take some to show him (or her) off.

Welcome again... and best of luck!!

Two things come to mind that commonly cause noise issues with a HOB filter. I'd take it apart too and examine the impeller very closely. You'll want to see if there's any bending to the vertical cynlider part... also check the fins around from the bottom for any pits, breaks, or nicks. Anything about the impeller that's not actually "true" will create some internal cavitation, which can be real noisy. Sand grains or other debris trapped inside would cause the same kind of problem. With that out of the way, the next idea I have is if the intake tube is located near a bubble wand, some of those air bubbles may be getting sucked up into the filter. This would be a source of noise without anything that actually shows up when it's not running. It may also be noisy if the unit itself isn't sitting level at the back of your tank. Most HOBs I've used come with a little plastic leveling device at the base of the unit which presses against the outside glass wall at the back of the tank. These are usually adjustable. If the filter is away from the top part of the glass by an inch or so, but touching the glass at the bottom... it's not quite level and that could cause noise. Other than these, it could also be just that it's a brand new filter you've taken right out of the box. Sometimes they just need a breaking in period and they'll quiet down on their own after a few days/weeks.

If someone else has other ideas... let us know?

wopjr, it would definitely be enough. i'm running two xp3s on my tanks and they are extremely efficient, well-designed filters. with just three fish in a 47, an xp3 would be an excellent choice.

wopjr said:

Sorry for the delayed reply, after about 45min. the whole thing quieted down.

I've also decided that 2 fancies would be best, but my next question is instead of a rena filstar xp2 with the emperor 400 would the xp3 alone be ok?

I just want to make it easier to manage.

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Great.. I'm glad it quieted down for you.

When it comes to filtration, as long as the capacity of the filter you choose is large enough to handle the load... everything else is really a matter of preference. Of course, we all develop our preferences based on our experiences. I wanted to start this off by mentioning that because there really are a lot of different ways to answer these questions for you... and no one person can really tell you which option is more right for you over another.

What I'll do is just tell you what my preference would be in your situation and discuss some of my reasons and experiences. Ultimately, it would be best for you to hear similar responses from other experienced goldfish keepers so you can decide the matter according to your best judgement.

You are actually doing yourself a huge favor by choosing to limit the fish at 2 fancies - particularly because you have a tall tank compared to the standard rectangle footprint.

According to the manufacturer, the XP3 has a flow rating of 350 gallons per hour and is recommended for a tank size up to 175 gallons. Keeping these figures in mind, there are two general ways to estimate a decent setup for goldfish.

1. Go with 4 times the tank size for tank size recommendation -- So for a 47 gallon tank, multiply that number by 4... and this gives you 188 gallons. The XP3 is recommended up to 175 gallons.. so this is fairly close.

2. Go with 10 times the tank size for rated gallons per hour -- This approach would give us 47 gallons (tank size) times 10. So you'd want a filter rated to push through 470 gallons of water per hour. The XP3 is rated to filter 350 gallons per hour. So this is a little less, as well.

Looking at both methods for estimating your needs... what this suggests to me is that single filter wouldn't be enough (for me at least) for a 47 gallon tank that's fully stocked with 3 fancy goldfish. But since you'll only have 2 of them... the XP3 should work out very well for you.

Keep in mind then... should you decide later on to add a 3rd fancy to this tank, then your weekly maintenance tasks will be a lot easier if you also add on the HOB you have with the XP3 you're planning to get.