I have a question about filters. I have a 75 gallon that has Malawi Cichlids in it. The current filter is a 350 Penguin that just does not seem to work as I think it should. What would suggestions for replacement be? I was thinking about Fluval 405 or Eheim 2217 Canister. Can someone help.
Filters
- Thread starter Angel3343
- Start date
no need to replace the filter, just add more filtration. first of all whatever a filter claims it can handle "up to", cut that in half and that is about what it can actually handle. secondly you arent even really cleaning 75 gallons of water, you are cleaning up after a certain amount of fish. are these mbuna cichlids? how many and about how big are they? how long has the tank been setup? i would go with a fluval 405. i have only used fluvals because they have always been what i needed. no need to spend the extra money on an eheim. all my tanks at home and at work (pet shop) get at least 50% water changes at least weekly. what exactly is letting you know you dont have enough filtration? (cluody water, ammonia or nitrite spikes, smell, etc.)
I am preparing to set up a 75G and everything I have read about it says that really you should have 2 filters or a filter and a powerhead for a larger tanks to circulate the water and ensure there are no dead spots in the water that do not get filtered. I am going with the double filter personally with one at each end. I wouldn't get rid of the one you have but I would buy a second one to augment it. You may want to get some opinions about the right sizes, etc.
There are currently 18 fish in the tank - Yes they are mbunas. However, 10 of them are newly added and are only about 1". Largest there now is about 3" and has been in the tank for about 10 weeks. I was told by the fishstore to crowd the tank so they would not fight to the death - giving the aggressor more targets. There is visible particles coming out of the filter - not being removed. I change 1/4 of the water about every two weeks. There are two filters with the two biowheels in this Penguin filter. It does not have the black foam filter that the Tetra filter has in my 30 gallon. I feel there is not enough filtration in this tank for this amount of "nasty" little fish. They are certainly worse than the tropicals I have, but more fun to watch!
the biggest tank i would use a penguin 350 on by itself would be a 30 gallon. is the water flowing over the cartridges in the penguin, because there shouldnt be any visible debris getting through the filter. the black foam on a whisper filter is just there for biological filtration after you change the biobag (the white cartridge). so the black foam shouldnt be adding any mechanical filtration and should be in front of the white cartridge so the water goes through it after its already gone through the biobag. there is no doubt that you need more filtration. and on a well stocked 75 mbuna, A LOT more filtration. definitely a fluval 405 at the least. the fluval 405 has a big course mechanical cartridge, then the water goes through 4 stacking trays from bottom to top. for the bottom 2 trays i would cram as much filter floss in them as you can get. after the first one or two cleanings the water will have compacted the floss even more so you should add more. the third from bottom tray (second from the top) should be filled with a carbon that wont get through the slots for the water. the first time you can use the carbon they give you, but you should change the carbon everytime you clean the filter. the top tray should be biological. they give you 4 pouches of a porous ceramic biological media, just fill the top tray with it, you will have a little extra that i just didnt even use. whenever you clean the filter just check the biological and dont mess with it unless there is debris in there, in which case you should simply rinse it off with tank water. any time you clean the filter rinse the course mechanical and filter floss until it is clean. eventually you will need to simply replace the floss.
Thanks for the info. One more question...If I could get either the Eheim 2217 or the Fluval 405 for about the same money (which I can), which would you choose? I have only been into fishkeeping for about six months and am not very familiar with the brands of filters.
first id want to know how. second, since i havent used the ehiams but am very satisfied with the fluvals i would probably go for a fluval, but i have heard that eheims are the best. what features does that model of eheim have? what tank capacity is it rated "up to"?
Eheim 2217 says up to 159 gallon aquarium with a maximum pump performance of 264 gph and deliver head of 7 foot 6inches. The only difference is that the Eheim has an open chamber that media is piled on top of each other. I have read that some consumers do not like that since the filter media becomes mixed. I understand that the Fluval has separate compartments. Supposedly the gph is lower than Fluval, but reports say the water is "washed" more effectively in Eheim. I have read up on both filters, but still am not totally sure. That model Eheim runs approx $143 to $160. I have seen the Fluval 405 for about same in several places. That is a lot of money, and I would like to make the correct choice - the first time!
