What type of filter should I use??
13 posts • Page 1 of 2
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cyndrine - Posts: 47
- Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2007 12:11 am
what type of hang on system? I was using a whisper 60 in my 55gal with cloudy water all the time even being careful how much i fed the fish. I bought an aquaclear 70 and am running both and now have crystal clear water.
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Peterkarig3210 - Posts: 1980
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am
I agree that there's not a lot of difference between canister filters and hang-on filters in terms of biological and particulate filtration. I just like the out of the way aspect of canister filters. I don't get what's so great about the Bio-wheel type. It appears to have both slide in type filter pads as well as the 'wheel', which adds extra biological surface area, but why this is better than a hang-on filter with bigger pads I don't know. I would imagine the 'wheels' cost more than the pads to replace so that is one thing I don't think I'd like about them. I have Tetra hang-on filters as well as canister filters and the hang-on ones have both slide in pads that you can fill with charcoal and a pretty cool system that periodically dumps in the water after it goes through an extra sponge of biologically promoting material, and it also has a replaceable built-in heater that is shielded against overheating when there is no water to keep it cool which is very nice. I've blown many heaters when I've forgotten to turn them off during water changes so that sold me on Tetra hang-on filters. So, I really think the main thing is to look at how much surface area your filter provides for beneficial bacteria to grow and thus clean the waste the fish and other organisms produce from the water. The black sponge material and I guess I've seen white sponges of different pore size look to me to be a very good substance to grow bacteria on, I would think better than cotton type pad or bio-wheel material, and also the other things like ceramic stars, tubes, etc that go in canister types which can't be put into hang-on filters. Many canister filters are awkward or messy to clean I admit, but they're still my choice for best filtration and looks, and I'm not always buying new filter components when I go to the aquarium store. PS I love you quote 6atreyu9 "Bombing for peace is like f**king for virginity".
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prskiller - Posts: 37
- Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:29 pm
I'm planning on getting a Penguin 350 HOB filter for my 75 gallon tank which will house 1 Oscar and possibly 1 Pleco. I will get another filter once they start growing in size and was thinking Marineland Cascade 1000 canister filter. What do you think, will those 2 filters do? Or maybe 2 Penguin 350???
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6AtReYu94350 - Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:01 pm
i ended up getting a penguin bio wheel rated for a 75 gallon tank i have a 55 gallon seems to be helping alot if anyone cares!!!
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spongebob4460 - Posts: 603
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am
The wheels on the biowheels do not ever need to be replaced, they house the beneficial bacteria and if ure cautious when you change your filter cartridges, no waste should ever reach the wheel, only filtered water. I buy my cartridges in bulk of 6 and it comes to about $2-3 a cartridge, not bad for one month cost.... some people clean them off and keep using them for a few months if they dont need the carbon for any bad odors. I change them monthly regardless... worth the $2 for fresh carbon and zero waste on the filter IMHO.
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Snowboss4492 - Posts: 2098
- Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 pm
My step father has 5 koi in a 30 gallon tank {we pull them from a shallow water feature in the winter - -but anyway - he has minimal substrate and is running an undergravel filter with a smal HOT filter - -and the water is crystal clear - -i think in the case of large waste producing fish the under gravel seems to work nicely - -also he is feeding pellets as opposed to flake food so the advice given about food and UG filters is working in his case.
On the bio wheel - -i thought long and hard about buying one - -circumstances have changed and I'm upgradeing to a bigger system shortly with a sump - -but the LFS i dealt with had some biowheels that have been running for over 5 years without replacement - -the theory of benifiecial bactieria seems pretty solid to me - - and as a salt water guy that is important - -but i didn't end up with one opted for a skimmer instead on this 20 gal tank - -just the Snowboss's thoughts - WELCOME 6atreyu9 !!!!
On the bio wheel - -i thought long and hard about buying one - -circumstances have changed and I'm upgradeing to a bigger system shortly with a sump - -but the LFS i dealt with had some biowheels that have been running for over 5 years without replacement - -the theory of benifiecial bactieria seems pretty solid to me - - and as a salt water guy that is important - -but i didn't end up with one opted for a skimmer instead on this 20 gal tank - -just the Snowboss's thoughts - WELCOME 6atreyu9 !!!!
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freshwaterpleco - Posts: 131
- Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:56 pm
I would get a canister filter with layers of medis for the filter. Also if the waters cloudy you must be over feeding them. Or one deadly thing...
ammonia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Draining 50 percent of the water should cure the problem
ammonia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Draining 50 percent of the water should cure the problem
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Zambize4899 - Posts: 499
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am
I only have a 28 gallon tank but I have 6 fish and two frogs in it. I feed every other day, including some bottom food for the frogs. I use a Marineland Penguin Bio Wheel 150 and love it.
Zambize
Zambize