questions on how much gravel per tank size and also filters

[MisterD]

i just bought a tank 110 gallon . it is not drilled freshwater only . I was wondering its 48x wide 18x deep 30x tall .How much gravel do i need is there a place that has a conversion ? im not looking to use live plants ..i was figuring around 75 pounds of gravel .I also want to add a under gravel filter with 2 power heads and 1 more powerhead for aeration . Also i was wondering on filtration i like the idea`s of the marineland penguin and the emperior filters ..the 350b and the 400 are only rated at 70 to 80 gallons each do i need to use 2 of of these filters i`m confused is too much filtration overkill ? or do i need to use 2 of the smaller filters? i figure if i used 2 huge emperiors ,160 gallons totally would more then take care of my tank along with the other stuff ? i`m community fish right now but looking for jack dempsies or chiclids <sp> or like mabye piranna dunno yet but dont wanna make the wrong choices it a huge tank over my 10 gallon now but i got it a at steal in price .. but looking 2 filters powerheads heaters and so on is gonna cost me more then the tank and the stand and the canopy just asking advise as i just signed up here and i would appreciate any in advance as im trying to setup this think in 2 days once i clean it it was a salt tank before ...thanks all that reply and send links and advise etc ...also anyone thats got advise on diffrent types of under gravel filter let me know i have heard 50 % -50% on them and dont know if i just want to use power heads and emperior or penguin bio wheels etc... just up for all suggestions thx again

 

[Pretender]

I wouldn't even bother with an undergravel filter. If you have power filters like the Penguins, you don't need another form of filtration. The Emperors and Penquins are good filters, but you will need two of them. One reference I have suggests 6-10 turnovers of water per hour. A pair of the 350's or a pair of the 400's will put you in that range. Of course, the amount of filtration you actually need is really dependent upon the number and types of fish you decide to put in the tank. More/messier fish will require something is the upper part of the range. You can't really overfilter a tank, but you can create too much current to be comfortable for you fish, and this really sets the upper limit to how much filtration you want.

Now, I, and I'm sure others, will suggest for a tank that size that you consider a cannister filter instead of the power filters. Especially if you have a nice stand with space inside that will hide it. It'll be quiet, and the only thing hanging into your tank will be intake and return pipes. I might even think of a wet/dry trickle system. The downside is that each more sophisticated filtration system usually cost more than the last.

If you have no previous experience with aquaria, you really need to research what you're doing. I'd recommend finding a good book like A Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums. That book is fairly short and easy to read, but will give you all of the information to get you started.

 

[anonapersona]

Great buy, good for you.

I ran a Penguin 330 biowheel plus a HOT Magnum 250 on that sort of tank and it was enough. The Penguin gets noisy pretty quick, 2 would be worse. Now I run an Eheim pro2 and the HOT on that tank, still need to clean the filters a lot, with discus which are messy fish. A wet/dry would be great for that tank also. Not sure about the noise factor on that though, of course the Eheim wet/dry is nearly silent, traditional types may have pump noise and pipe noise.

 

[mykidsmylife]

The footprint of your tank is the same as my 75 gallon...only yours is taller. I used 100 pounds of natural gravel in it and it seems just about right to me. I like my substrates a little thick though so you may be able to get by with less.

I would skip the undergravel as well. Years ago when I kept tanks I always had undergravel and nothing but issues with it. Nasty stuff gets in there *shiver* I say go Hang on Back or Canister or a combination. I have 2 emperors on mine and LOVE them. The only issue I have with them is restart-they always have to be primed. I also have a power head at the top just to increase the current on the back wall for my Hillstream Loaches. I also have a Magnum 350 cannister I bought as water polisher and extra filtration. I guess it's nice to have, but it's in a box in the laundry room...not necissary.

What kind of fish you thinking of housing?