What Filter for planted Tank?

[tredd]

I've got a 90 gal tank, that I currently have an aquaclear 300 and Fluval 4 on. They are causing too much current in the tank and the plants aren't growing straight. I don't have any experience with canister filters, and am looking for suggestions. The fluval 404 seems like it would do the job, but after looking in all the sigs, it seems that alot of people are running eheim filters. Is the fluval 404 big enough or do I need something else as well? Do you normally run them with a spray bar or does it just come back into the tank from the tube? Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks
Tim

[Cearbhaill]

On my planted 90 I run an Eheim 2028 with the spraybar barely agitating the surface of the water.

[ChEeRs_BiG_EaRs]

yo dude, i wouldnt be using an aquaclear on a planted tank as you are likely to lose ur co2 on a large scale. fluval 404 is prob a little too small, but its not like planted aquariums need a huge amount of filtration, as the plants and water surface dont like to be agitated so to speak. dont replace the fluval, if anything only get another small canister, so that you ahve 2. this poses a few positives espicially when it comes to cleaning and bacteria. i dont htink its really necessary to be doing anything ot elaborat with filtration. put the cash into other areas of your work on the planted.
justin

[somefinnfishy]

I run two HOT magnums on my 90 and one on my 65.
Always with the pleated filters in place.
Almost no bilogical on the 65 with like 50+fish between 1"- 4" the tank uses the amonia and nitrites as fast as the are made.

[mbeck]

I've got a 90 gallon too - and I bought the Fluval 404. Seems to handle things just fine as far as filtration, but I know that the Eheims are better quality. The Fluvals can be tough to prime, but for the price difference I think they are well worth it.

The Fluvals are better GPH (gallon per hour), but from what I've been reading it has a lot to do with the way the filter is configured. The Eheims are made so that water cannot "bypass" the filter media. So even though the GPH on the Fluval is better, the Eheim may give better filtration.

Long story short - if you are on a budget the Fluval will do fine, otherwise go with Eheim.

[somefinnfishy]

Anyone hear anything on the new penplax cascade canisters.They look nice.

[DIYMatt]

No input on the Penn Plax cascade filters. But, you should look at the Rena Filstars. I use them and love them. IMO all the features and layout of a Eheim Pro II at almost half the cost. I own a Fluval and it is the only filter I would never buy again. Let me know if you wan to know why. Look at the Renas before you buy anything, they are a great filter at a Fluval price.

[mbeck]

I want to know why.. :)

I've had priming problems and also I've heard of some problems with the flex hosing it uses accumulating gunk. What other problems have you had, so that I might know what to look for?

I also looked at the Filstars and Magnums.. To be honest seems to me there are the big three cheaper ones (Magnum, Fluval, and Filstar) and then the ultra elite 3x the cost Eheims...

[djlen]

Filstar has given me great service and the price was nice. And the spray bar is a great item. IMO, however the spray bar can cause 'dead spots' in the tank where the water doesn't move as well as under the area where the spray bar is located. I have experienced this in a 55 so I'm sure it would be more of an issue in a larger area such as a 90.
This problem can be alleviated by using either 2 small cannisters or a single cannister and an internal cannister to help circulate the water over the entire tank. For this purpose I use a Fluval internal cannister. Does a great job and Fluvals are so simplified and easy to clean. Some people don't like them because they say they sort of stick out like a sore thumb, but with proper planting they are quite easy to hide.
If you ever intend to inject CO2 you need to lose the Aqua Clear.
I used them for years but they are, buy nature, a great surface disturber and will gas off a bunch of CO2 that you will be working so hard to get absorbed into the water table.

Len

[DIYMatt]

I want to know why..

I've had priming problems and also I've heard of some problems with the flex hosing it uses accumulating gunk. What other problems have you had, so that I might know what to look for?

Well, i have had the above issues. PLus, the tubing is hard to to get to stay where you want it and the color sticks out. Plus, the media layout can have a lot of bypass, it is not flxible because you are stuck with their layout. The media chambers are much smaller than the Filstars/Eheims. Also, some people have reported leak issues, not me personally. The overall build quality just seems cheap, I pray everytime I flip the shutoff lever.

I don't think they are the worst thing ever, but, with Filstars out there I would never buy one.

[mbeck]

Well I'm sticking with it for now - it's new, so I don't want to run right out and replace it just yet. Next time I think I'll read this forum before buying things :).

[promethean_sprk]

I use the aquarium vaccum to prime. Just dunk the whole tube & head in the water, put the narrow end into the filter intake (with downtube off) and lift the big end out of the water. That'll dump about a half gallon into the filter. If you filled the filter with water before connecting it, it should be ready to go then.

[mbeck]

From what I've seen - the best method is to listen and feel the resistance on the primer handle. The more resistance there is the more water it's dumping into the filter.

[matpat]

Tredd,
I've been using a Magnum 350 for about 10 years. I used one on a 125 with two Hot magnums with biowheels and I currently use a Magnum 350 on my 75g planted tank. They are very easy to prime and give you many options for media should you choose to add any. I usually only run the micron cartridge and it keeps the water crystal clear. If you look into this, make sure you get the magnum with the double disconnect valves for easier maintenance. Hope this helps.

Matt

[matpat]

Tredd,
Forgot to mention, the double disconnect valves also allow you to regulate the output. I keep my output low enought so it just barely moves the plants.

Matt