Filtration advice

[Doug Osborn]

Hi All,

I'm getting back into keeping fish after 10+ years out of the hobby.

Have purchased a 6'*30"(h)*24"(w) which I'm slowly setting up as a display/planted tank with discus as the intended showcase inhabitants (besides the plants/aquascape ;-)

The tank holds about 850l and I'm looking for the right filtration set up. The filtration factors to consider seem to be:



Getting the mechanical/biological mix right
Achieving the 'rule of thumb' minimum of 4* tank vol turnover per hour (3400l/h)
Not creating turbulence (which discus apparently dislike intensely)
Ensuring that there are no 'dead spots' in the tank
The usual gang of considerations such as minimising cost, maintenance effort, power consumption, water changes, etc.

3 is probably achievable through some plumbing (outlets as PVC pipes with holes in, or an off-the-shelf equivalent).

Having done some reading and talking to (seemingly well-informed) LFS, a fluidized bed filters (FBF) seems like a good idea and would cover off the majority of biological filtering. The FBFs I've seen online have a reasonably low flow rate at around 900 l/h.

This leaves mechanical filtration and around 2500l/h to make up. Initially I was thinking along the lines of the Fluval FX5 but in the only rigorous published comparison (http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7080) I've been able to find between it and the Eheim 2080 the FX5 has an 83% failure rate (5 out of 6 died). Despite the warranty and price advantage, with that sort of reliability it seems inconceivable to purchase one.

So I'm thinking that a Pentair FB600 with suitable pump attached, plus an Eheim Pro III 2080 (1 unit first, then a second) with filter media biased to mechanical filtration would be the way to go. Or a larger pump/filter (pond?)

Any advice/comments on the thinking process so far? Does anyone have a similar sized tank and a combintaion that has worked for them?

Many thanks,
Doug

[Woodsy]

Hey Doug,
Sounds like it's going to be a pretty tank once it's up and running. If you're going for a "fully" planted out tank, you'll find that the plants will do a lot of the biological filtration work for you in many cases, and so using something like the fluid bed that has a reduced flow rate won't be too much of a disadvantage.
Using a Pro III for mechanical filtration seems like a bit of a waste to me when you could fill a 20L drum full of sponges, stick a wet/dry pump on the top, and have it do the same thing. If you want to get fancy, you could also hook a heating chamber up to it and save you having to look at it in your tank. Not a hard DIY if you've got an afternoon to spare, and it will save you a heap of bucks :)
Can't wait to see some pics mate ;)

[joz]

Hi Doug,I have an 8' x 2.5' x 2' with Discus and plants.
So being 2' longer than yours I don't believe that you'll need to go overboard unless you plan on having high stoick levels..
I'm running an Aqua One 1200 plus an older Fluval 403.
At this stage it's more than adequate,I also have a rather large wet/dry as part of the system which is disconnected and has been for years now.
Though I think I will add another cannister one day..maybe.

Your right don't go overboard with current either for discus.
I actually was at an aquarium a few weeks ago which had the most stunning and best priced discus I had seen in ages.
Unfortunately he had the water flow suited to a reef display.When I mentioned that discus prefer calmer waters he shut me down with an I know it all response...oh well?