Angels and Filtration

[Brandonv19]

what type of filter do i want for angels? it will be in a 29 gal tank

[kev82]

I like canister filters, eheim or fluval.

Go for something that cycles the tank 3-4times or so and you should be good.

[mooman]

I would think a canister might be overkill unless you are trying to do a planted tank and don't want any surface aggitation to cause CO2 gassoff. I would just run a standard HOB (Aquaclear is my fav). Spend a couple extra bucks and get the one rated for a slightly larger tank, or better yet buy two smaller models for redundancy in case one goes kaput.

[Brandonv19]

see my prob right now is i have a canister (rena filstar xp 1) and im using the spraybar, it seems to be causieng to much of a current in my 29 for the angels, i do have osme plants in my tank and i do plan to add more once i get my new lighting. so my problem is, i have a canister with spray bar = too much current and i want to lessen the current while still making the tank suitable for plants, like its not gonna be overly planted but it will have some plants in it

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Did you use the attatchment it comes with to turn down the flow?

[mooman]

One more suggestion. I know most people think of it as antiquated technology, but have you considered a sponge filter or two. Some models are pretty easy to hide behind a piece of lanscaping. They provide good filtration with very little current. Perfect for an Angel fish biotope. I run them on all but one of my tanks, and have never had a problem.

[Brandonv19]

no i have it and can install it but if i do that im not putting as much water through it and therefor not getting as good of filtration

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Reducing flow IN ANY CASE is going to 'reduce your filtration'. You could probebly turn it right down to almost nothing and still be getting sufficient filtration for your tank. Those Filstar's are powerful, and as you can see much too powerful for your 29 gallon angelfish setup. Turn down the current, and you wont have to worry about getting another filter. The xp1 pumps out 250 gph, and 200 gph is all you need on that tank.....

Or, you could not use this filter you already bought, and go out and buy another filter with less flow that would be the same as just turning down your original filter.

;)
-Diana

[Xielos]

Try turning the spraybar so it faces the side of the tank, that'll break up the current a bit. The valve attacthment is also handy for this, but I've found that it can come loose easily...

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

However when pointing the flow towards the side of the tank you are greatly reducing airation in your tank. You need surface agitation in order to diffuse oxygen into the water.

:)
-Diana

[FreddytheFish]

I prefer hang-over-the-back power filters over canisters, especially the AquaClear.

[gabrielandco.]

when i first added my plants i still had my ancient whisper hob...i followed the suggestion to have the water level high enougn so as not to create a waterfall effect. my plants' growth have amazed me (i never had aqur.plants grow before- extremely hard water where i used to live).

anyway, i second having a spare filter. mine was so bad it took my an hour to get it to restart. then, the power went off. there we go again, and it wouldn't start at all. anyway, i was waiting on my aquaclear to arrive but for lack of anything else i purchased the cheapest filter in the meantime (i now know i never would want to use a whisper internal).

my aquaclear hob is up and running....ah, the quiet! according to the manual, reducing the flow does not reduce the filtration since it slows it down and the multi stage becomes more efficient. thoughts?

oh, it is an aquaclear 30 on a 25H tank...probably 5 gallons displaced by substrate. i have the original strip set up so it only gets 18 watts of light...things are green and i can't believe it. oh did i say growing :) there is current with some surface agitation, but not much.