Filter types

[sombunya]

I didn't see a forum on filters so I'll post it here.

I saw a link for a canister filter. Looked good, I guess. Seemed easy to clean or change media, but the flow was 225 gph and the price was $200.

I have an Aquaclear 110 (actually three) that flows 500 gph, easy and cheap to clean and it cost me $70, which is a great deal, btw. I think they go for about $90.

Are there many real, important advantages to a canister unit? The AC 70 I have on my 20 gallon tank works great too.

[punkrockfish]

depends on the size of the tank, but usually as you go bigger you move away from HOB filters. a canister is just a general upgrade in my opinion. better all around.

[mbunabum]

Best answer I can give you on a canister is their superb bio filtration capabilities. I generally use multiple filters on my tanks as you can see in my sig... but the hob's are typically for mechanical and occasionally chemical through addition of carbon if required. I use sponge as a prefilter then ceramic rings and seachem matrix in all my filters...including the hob's... but the canisters have multiple trays for holding large amounts of rings and matrix for excellent bio filtration. I feel this combination has worked well for me.

[sombunya]

Interesting. The only complaint I might have with the AquaClear HOB's are that they are a bit unsightly.

As I've said before, I plumbed the pickup's away from the waterfall to get good water movement. If I do anything in the tank that stirs things up and gets it a bit cloudy it will clear up in no time. Crystal clear.

If I was starting out again I would do a little more research and maybe consider another type. But as these seem to do the trick I'm okay with them.

[brian1973]

I use the same HOB on my 90...no complaints here...I would love a canister but the cost is out of reach for me right now.

See you upgraded to a 100g (I may have missed a posting or 2)..when we going to see some pics and how are your bluegills getting by with the crays? I know my green sunny loves them...as in he loves to kill them and try to eat them. What kind of catfish is in the 20?

[sombunya]

Brian,

I posted some questions about the Catfish on the NANFA site. (thank you for turning me on to that organization) Go to the Catfishes forum. BTW, I'm starting to see a little more of the Cat here lately. He's not hiding out quite so much.

The Bluegills don't really mess with the Crays, maybe because the Crays are as big as they are, almost. The Blues do come in and steal food though. They are not afraid at all of the Crays. The 100 gallon? I picked it up for $159, brand new. 60" long x 24" high x 16" wide. I have two AC 110's on it, one at each end. Plumbed the pick-up tubes to the middle. I also have an AC 110 on my 40 gallon unit. After a week of adding bottled bacteria I took the media with all the good stuff from the AC 110 in my 40 and swapped it with the new media in one of the filters that my 100 is using. The 100 was finished cycling in two days. Probably because it is lightly stocked. Small spike in Nitrites in the 40, quickly went away. I check all the water parameters in all my tanks no less than every other day. 25% weekly water changes in every tank. All is good.

I need to set up a tripod and break out one of my Nikons to shoot a few photos. I have a 2' fluorescent over each tank that is labeled as a "garden or aquarium" light. Color is 2700k, I believe. Kind of an almost pinkish tone to the light. Looks great, I think.

I kept looking at your signature with the 90 gallon tank and thought about how nice it would be to have one like that. I actually upgraded not because of any water issues but because these critters just need the room. 4 Bluegill in the 100 gallon tank is almost crowded. Your signature was a bit of inspiration though...

I'll try and get some photos up soon. I don't have them decked out as attractively as some of the tanks I've seen here. They certainly won't win any contests for beauty. But the water is crystal clear and the lighting looks very cool with the lights down low. The fish are very cool too.