Setting up a 35 gal Hex Community

[Aquabach]

Hi,
I'm helping a friend set up his 35 gal hex. I'm not a newbie but have just enough knowledge to be dangerous (LOL)
I am leery of tall tanks because of gas exchange so I wanted to get opinions on my thoughts to set up well and any suggestions.

I was going to suggest to him the following;
Filters:
Magnum 350 pro system with biowheel 60 OR
Eheim 2217 and add a biowheel 200.
(I would tell him to get a 60 with a powerhead but they do not sell that separately anymore.)

Air: Two Aero 4's with LED lights, a product from Drs. Foster & Smith. ( I have one and it's pretty cool) Throws out nice stream of many small bubbles

Water movement: I was thinking of putting in a UGF with 1 or 2 powerheads with REVERSE flow (like Penquin 660r with a prefilter )to help keep gravel clean, add bio filter and push water flow up. Is this a good idea or overkill?
Also, I thought 1 powerhead at surface to add in surface agitation.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[legendaryfrog]

the 2217 will provide enough filtration and water movement.

 

[mvirata]

Could you explain what you mean by "gas exchange?" I am a newb and just curious about what it is you are worried about.

 

[legendaryfrog]

the problem with tall tanks is that there isnt enough oxygen getting to the water. An air pump solves this problem.


but seriously, the 2217 alone will provide lots of water agitation and filtration. I have a 2217 running on my 80 gallon tank and havent had any problems.

 

[phaedraeos]

I have an Emperor 280 and a Whisper air pump going on my 35g hex with all the species listed in my sig, and everything seems fine. I keep the water level slightly lower than I would in any other tank to aide in surface agitation, but that's all.

 

[jm1212]

a mag pro system will have plenty of gas exchange because of the bio wheels. IMO you should go with that.

you wont need the UGF unless you really want one.. the mag pro will be enough as i said.

 

[Tinajo]

Is your friend going to be keeping fish that are ultra sensitive? I have a 35 gal as you can see in my sig. I have a Marineland Penguin filter running and 1 bubbler in the corner. I do 30-40% water changes with gravel vacs weekly and do not experience problems with water quality or dying fish.

 

[Aquabach]

Here's what we're doing

Thanks for the replies. This is really helpful.
Here are answers to your posts and what we’re going to do.

Tonajo:
He says he wants some "really nice" fish. He mentioned Discus. I figure it’s best to plan for sensitive and have hardy than the other way around.


Mvirata.
My simple definition of gas exchange is where gases diffuse in and out of the water; You want to accelerate oxygen replenishment, and reduce carbon dioxide buildup. Surface agitation is best. It can be accomplished via air stones, power heads or return from the filter.

We’ve decided to go with the Eheim and a small penguin bio filter with no chemical insert, just to add more bacterial filtration.
[FONT=&quot]We’re not going to use a UGF at all. But we are going to use the Ario air pump mainly for the effect but the additional agitation can’t hurt.[/FONT]

 

[Rbishop]

Mag pro will be enough. I don't care for the tall tanks from a cleaning standpoint, so I would also do a RUGF to help push debri into the water column.

Stay away from discus in a tank that small.

 

[Vinjari]

My friend and I have a 25 gallon hexagon aquarium. I didn't know they have the oxygen/gas problem. Right now we have the emperor 280 but there isn't an air pump. We were planning on purchasing one for this tank, what recommendations do people have? And also, with the 280, should we be adding anything to the empty additional cartridge slot? Or is the one filter sufficient?