filtering a 46 gallon bowfront tank

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jujubee

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what filter(s) for a 46 gallon bowfront tank

What kind of filtration would you recommend on a 46 gallon bowfront? Would a HOB filter be enough or would i need a canister filter? Thanks in advance.
 
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TonyN

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Well, I would go with the cannister. I'm sure a large Emporer HOB would do the job, but if you're going to play with CO2 later, then the HOB creates a lot of surface movement and its a real pain. Plus I think the cannister makes a neater setup. You can hide the cannister and you dont have a big black thing hanging on the back of your tank.
I started out with an Emporer HOB, and it did the job, but I eventually switched over to a cannister (Eheim Ecco), and I'm much happier with it.
Also with a cannister you have a lot more choices as to types of media you can use.
Good Luck with whatever you decide.
 

greenterrorrr

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I would go with a canister. I think they are easier to maintain and cheaper in the long run. Also I like the way you can hide them.
 

TonyN

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No, I wouldn't do that. You want the water to pass through some mechanical filter before reaching the bio-filtration.
You could use both HOB & Cannister, but have mechanical and bio in both.
 

750t

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Yes you could. I use a filter max pre- filter on the intake of a cannister this keeps the big stuff from entering your filter. Just rinse out the pre-filter once a a week. This should allow to run your cannister for months without cleaning. Then you could use something like an aqua-clear 300 for just mech filteration. I suggest one sponge and some filter floss and youll have crystal clear water. Oh yea as far as cannisters I would recommend a filstar xp-2 or a eheim model 2213 both are quality filters. the filter max pre-filter is avail at www. petsolutions.com. Some people just cut a sponge to fit the intake I prefer the filter max it looks a little better imo and really dosnt cost that much. Good luck Tim
 

Richer

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For a non-planted tank, I'd suggest using a mid-size HOB filter, and a small-mid sized canister filter. Stuff the HOB filter with sponges and/or filter floss. Clean that filter out often. Stuff the canister with as much biomedia as you can, and over the intake with a prefilter. As said by 750t, filter max prefilters will do well. I believe the filtermax 3 is the popular choice. Prefilters prevent most debri from entering your canister. Clean out this prefilter at least once a week. Depending on bioload, clean the canister once every few months. What I would use is an Aquaclear 300, and a Filstar xP 2/3.

For a planted tank, two small-mid sized canisters will do fine. Once again, cover the intakes with pre-filters, and stuff those things with as much biomedia as possible. Clean out those prefilters at least once a week, and the canisters once every few months. I would probably go with 2 Filstar xP 2s.

Just a reminder though, there's generally no such thing as too much filtration. As long as your fish can handle the current produced by the filters, more filters is generally a good thing. All of my tanks have multiple filters on them. Each filter acts like a failsafe for the other filters in the tank. If one should fail, the other filters can pick up the slack until I can replace/fix the failed filter. I can also clean out my filters on a rotating timetable, which will minimize any small chance that I might accidently kill off too much bacteria (this is unlikely to happen though). My 66 gallon malawi tank has 4 occupants in it... but it has enough filtration to run a decently stocked tank of nearly two times its size (2 AC300s, 1 Fluval 404). My planted tank has one Eheim 2026, and one Fluval 404 on it. I would have more, but my angels probably wouldn't like it too much.

HTH
-Richer
 

jujubee

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So I just went to the store and bought the 46 gallon bowfront. They were offering like a package deal with like fake plants, gravel, filter, heater, and some other stuff. The filter it came with was an Emporer 280 biowheel. Is this a good filter? Also, would it be necessary to use a canister along with this filter and if so which one would you recommend? Thanks.
 

TKOS

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It really depends on what you plan on keeping in the tank. But adding a small fluval wouldn't be a bad idea. Most people overstock there tanks without even realizing it so extra filtering power is a good idea.
 

Richer

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With just an Emporer 280 on the tank, I would only stock that tank with a light bioload. Personally, I would invest in either one more Emporer 280, or buy a small-mid size canister. Like TKOS said, having lots of filtration on a tank is always a good idea.

HTH
-Richer
 
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