echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Penn Plax Cascade!
(Yes that is sarcastic.)
Really as I say so many times, it doesn't matter what brand you choose as long as it's a reputable one. Between Rena, Fluval and Eheim they really all do the same thing in the same level of effectiveness. The new Marineland C Series is said to be quite worthy of the price. And some people still swear by the old Magnums. The only difference from brand to brand, model to model is in design and price. In the end people just debate endlessly and pointlessly about them. Same for the HOB filters between Penguin and Aquaclear. You will find devotees of all brands and they will constantly try to sway you to one side or another. That is why I personally find these threads to be tiresome. It's like asking who rocks harder between The Who, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Do you really want to listen to people argue about that for a night? I sure don't.
If you want my honest opinion that doesn't relate to brands and models, I would tell you that the best way to filter a larger tank like a 75g is with two filters. This can be a small canister and a large HOB, or vice versa. Or two large HOBs. Or two large canisters. Or two small canisters. Or two small HOBs. The reason for two filters is both for a failsafe in case one fails, and also to allow you to rotate your maintenance schedule so that you never have to worry about any mistakes that might lead to killing off your biofilter accidentally - for even if you are dumb enough to clean all of the media from one filter in hot tap water you still have a whole other filter full of bacteria to keep your colonies alive. Plus with more room for media you can do more customization of chemical filtration.
For which models and combinations to choose, it all depends on the type of fish or the ecosystem you are trying to make. For example in a heavily planted peat swamp ecotope you might want to stay with just two small canisters so as to keep current to a minimum and also have the intakes low in the water to discourage surface agitation and oxygen exchange. For a clearwater stream you might want to do a medium sized canister and a small HOB to simulate constantly running but not overpowering currents and also keep the water very clean with the high efficiency. If you're doing a whitewater river tank you might want to go with two large canisters, both with the inputs and outputs set on opposite sides in order to simulate the fast rushing waters. A rift lake tank gives you the option of two large filters, either both HOB, both canisters, or a combination of both since the currents aren't direct but you will want lots of filtration for these somewhat larger fish who tend to do better in slightly overcrowded conditions.
Confused? Good. That's a sign of someone who is seriously considering their options and looking to do the right thing.
(Yes that is sarcastic.)
Really as I say so many times, it doesn't matter what brand you choose as long as it's a reputable one. Between Rena, Fluval and Eheim they really all do the same thing in the same level of effectiveness. The new Marineland C Series is said to be quite worthy of the price. And some people still swear by the old Magnums. The only difference from brand to brand, model to model is in design and price. In the end people just debate endlessly and pointlessly about them. Same for the HOB filters between Penguin and Aquaclear. You will find devotees of all brands and they will constantly try to sway you to one side or another. That is why I personally find these threads to be tiresome. It's like asking who rocks harder between The Who, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Do you really want to listen to people argue about that for a night? I sure don't.
If you want my honest opinion that doesn't relate to brands and models, I would tell you that the best way to filter a larger tank like a 75g is with two filters. This can be a small canister and a large HOB, or vice versa. Or two large HOBs. Or two large canisters. Or two small canisters. Or two small HOBs. The reason for two filters is both for a failsafe in case one fails, and also to allow you to rotate your maintenance schedule so that you never have to worry about any mistakes that might lead to killing off your biofilter accidentally - for even if you are dumb enough to clean all of the media from one filter in hot tap water you still have a whole other filter full of bacteria to keep your colonies alive. Plus with more room for media you can do more customization of chemical filtration.
For which models and combinations to choose, it all depends on the type of fish or the ecosystem you are trying to make. For example in a heavily planted peat swamp ecotope you might want to stay with just two small canisters so as to keep current to a minimum and also have the intakes low in the water to discourage surface agitation and oxygen exchange. For a clearwater stream you might want to do a medium sized canister and a small HOB to simulate constantly running but not overpowering currents and also keep the water very clean with the high efficiency. If you're doing a whitewater river tank you might want to go with two large canisters, both with the inputs and outputs set on opposite sides in order to simulate the fast rushing waters. A rift lake tank gives you the option of two large filters, either both HOB, both canisters, or a combination of both since the currents aren't direct but you will want lots of filtration for these somewhat larger fish who tend to do better in slightly overcrowded conditions.
Confused? Good. That's a sign of someone who is seriously considering their options and looking to do the right thing.
