Filtration for 46 gallon African Cichlids tank

[yk387]

I am planning to start 46 g bow front aquarium with Malawi Cichlids. I may need to overpopulate the tank in order to reduce aggression. I was thinking of Eheim 2213 or 2215. Would 2213 be enougn (oficially it's up to 66 gal), or would 2215 be too much (rated up to 100 gal)? If I go with 2213 do I need any additional filtration like bioweel, etc? Do I need power head to go along with canister filter to create more water circulation? My understanding, that in general Eheim canisters give you less gph, because there is nothing bypass the filtration, but the output rate somewhat lower: compare 116mph for Eheim 2213 to 400 gph for Emperor 400. I also read a post here on the forum that for Malawi Cichlids water flow should be at minimum, to simulate lake conditions and not rivers. Your help is greatly appreciated. I am new to the forum and this is my first posting.
Thanks.

 

[Sumpin'fishy]

Welcom to AC!

You seem to be taking your time and thinking things through well. The first thing I would think about if trying to get one filter is ease of maintenance. Cleaning should be easy and efficient, or else people tend to get lazy with it. To give you an idea of what I did on my 55 gallon (slightly larger than yours), I have an Emperor 400 and a Magnum HOT Pro. Effectively I have three large bio-wheels running on this tank and excellent mechanical filtration. It is also very easy to add carbon to either filter. I also have the option of using the micron filter for the Magnum for water polishing. I have a 6" Blackbelt in this tank with 4 Silver Dollars. I wanted to make sure they would have enough filtration as they grew. Admittedly, I wish I could get a 75 gallon or bigger tank, but cannot

Anyways. The Eheims you mentioned would be great as secondary or even biological filters, but those models are just one large canister in which you dump all your media, layering as you wish. They are EXCELLENT as far as function, but ease of cleaning is not very available with these models. I suggest you get a HOB (AC300, EMP280, etc.) and a canister or Magnum HOT Pro filter. These will give you the benefits of both areas. I am thoroughly pleased with my water clarity since I have gotten two great filters helping each other out. Especially since you plan to overstock (common with Malawi tanks)! If you get a canister, I would get one of the smaller Eheim models, or if price is a concern, get a Filstar XP1 or 2 model. I would not worry about their being too much current in the tank, since that can always be adjusted by turning your output in different angles. Filter media also slows the max gph of any filter.

If you go with just one filter, I'd get a Eheim Ecco 2235 or a Professional 2026 model. These come with many features that make maintenance and use very simple and effective. They are excellent at filtering also. I have a ECCO 2233 running on my 20 gallon planted tank. This filter is rated up to 60 gallon tanks, but it doesn't give too much flow for my small planted tank. I even have a male Betta that loves it in this tank. You could go with more heavy flow of water without problems with your tank though.

To sum up: either get two filters or get one canister with easy maintenance features. Don't skimp on quality!

 

[ewok]

i always live by the 10x the tank size turnover rates (or better). so 46g would give you 460 gph....... also, the better the filtration the less you will have to clean them generally, small filter = small surface area to trap wastes. by having more filtration you also have more options for media.

my ideal is some sort of HOB filter and a canister for a larger size tank. i use an emperor 400 and a fluval 404 for my 55g. it does prduce a decent amount of current, but it can be adjusted somewhat or blunted if you don't want it to have that much.

good luck

 

[JSchmidt]

I use two filters (at least) on each tank. One is a bio-only filter, a role generally filled by an Eheim canister. The second filter is a mechanical filter and must be easy to clean. I like prefiltered HOT Magnums or internal Eheim filters for this.

A word of caution on overstocking: overstocking can work to control aggression in Rift Lake cichlid tanks, but it generally isn't too effective in smaller tanks (i.e., less than 75 gallons). The reason is that overcrowding disperses aggression thru distraction of the attacking fish. As the assaulted fish tries to evade the attacker, the attacker encounters another fish, chases it, then encounters a different fish, chases it, etc. In smaller tanks (and I'd put a 46 bowfront in this category), there isn't enough swimming room to allow the assaulted fish to 'lose' its attacker. I've tried overcrowding in a 30, a 55 a 75 and a 180, and it's only worked in the 75 or larger tanks. You might get lucky and find some stable population of fish that will live in overstocked conditions in a 46, but I'd bet you'll have a number of deaths first.

Good luck,
Jim

 

[dcallen]

I agree with JSchmidt I probably would not try to overstock it. As far as filtration goes I have an Emperor 400 HOB and an Eheim 2213 cannister filter and while I do have flow in the tank it doesn't really seem to bother the fish and my water is crystal clear. I think it's a nice combination of filtration.


HTH and welcome to AC!