Your Filtration Preferences

[Marc]

Obviously different applications require different solutions ... but what is your preferred method of filtration on a standard freshwater decent sized community tank?

I love the ease and convenience of canister's, but I think sump is the way to go. If it were easy to drill glass I would have already drilled my 8 footer and built a 2 foot sump underneath.

Having said that, visiting so many aquarium shops recently it would seem that side filters are the way to go.

What are your thoughts?

[leongross]

Obviously different applications require different solutions ... but what is your preferred method of filtration on a standard freshwater decent sized community tank?

I love the ease and convenience of canister's, but I think sump is the way to go. If it were easy to drill glass I would have already drilled my 8 footer and built a 2 foot sump underneath.

Having said that, visiting so many aquarium shops recently it would seem that side filters are the way to go.

What are your thoughts?[/b]


We always had canisters on the freshwater tanks and they seemed fine, can be pricey for the goods one like Eheim. Cleaning was a bugger though, always had problems getting them primed again and trapped air bubbles.. For the marine tanks we had sumps and they were easy to clean, so I guess a sump for a freshwater could be a really good idea, so long access was easy...

We found it always important to have a spare filter in case something breaks... Hard to get parts in the middle of the night! Dropped a canister once when cleaning and cracked the base, not good...

[Marc]

That's a good point you make about a spare filter Leon. I guess I'm fortunate enough to have a few canisters around with keeping multiple tanks, but its probably something overlooked for enthusiasts with potentially expensive fish and only one display tank.

[leongross]

You can also get battery power air pumps, these are great to have if there is a power failure. Really serious fishkeepers have back-up generators!

[joz]

On my main display tank I used to run a combo of trickle and multiple cannisters.These days I only use cannisters.
I put the trickle out of commission only because I wanted to encourage plant growth and use CO2 added to the tank.
Trickles unfortunately rid the water of any dissolved Co2 quickly,but with one in place I had about 30 Large adult discus in the tank.

The wet and dry(trickle) filters are IMO second to none as a filter for nitrifying bacteria.But they don't seem to have the same ability in removing the fine particles drifting around the tank.This is where cannisters excel.

Then there is undergravel which is the most economical,but just by it's nature creates its own set of problems.that being dragging deep within to it all the crap that you don't want in the tank.They also make tank claening and maintenance more difficult.

When I used to breed and grow large numbers of young(mainly discus) I used side drop style filters.These were not the usual twin plates of glass type but a design of my own in which I could attach a sponge section onto the filter inlets so the fry would not be sucked up into it

[kme023]

Must agree with you there joz, my marine setup was good with only an external sump, but i added a cannister and noticed an almost immediate difference in clarity. stay away from under gravel..

[leongross]

I'll have to agree on undergravel filter, we had one once and pulled it out of a tropical tank, too much trouble and not very good...

[Marc]

I have an undergravel as well as Canister in my Cod tank ... but it will be coming out soon.

I'd rather go with external / canisters, and a nice thin layer of sand substrate.

[joz]

Under gravels are an inexpensive way to get into fish keeping.
Not much to them really as they are usually run by an airpump.
If people stay with the hobby they will no doubt progress to fancier and more effective solutions of which there are so many.

[Marc]

I've only ever used powerheads with UGF's. These days though I'm beginning to get used to the idea of installing air driven side filters in each of my largish tanks. Seem to be the most effiecent way of doing things.

[joz]

Marc youd be amazed how well air driven air uplifts work in those side drop filters that your talking about.

There are a few manufacturers out there that build commercial air pumps for aquarium retailers.They use these because they are super efficient and cost effective.
I used to run my entire fish room with these and I can tell you they out performed cannisters on a performance/$$ basis.Plus their running costs are signifcantly less,and,and,and...................

As you can see I'm pro air vs all power.

Though I did use cannisters for my water treatment tanks.

[leongross]

Wouldn't the air pumps be a lot noisier than a canister filter? We virtually never heard the filters, only the air pump...

[joz]

Wouldn't the air pumps be a lot noisier than a canister filter? We virtually never heard the filters, only the air pump...[/b]

Your right Leon.Filters run by air pumps tend to be noisier,from the sound of bubbling water and the fact most pumps do generate a dull hum.
But for any commercial or multy tank setup they are more functional.
Unfortunately in a domestic situation where tanks are spread around the home these would serve no bennifit.
It's in fish rooms and multi tier racking when they come into their own.But still in some cases people in this situation may opt for a central filtration unit to do all the tanks via a pump.This then presents another set of possible pitfalls.

[joz]

Must agree with you there joz, my marine setup was good with only an external sump, but i added a cannister and noticed an almost immediate difference in clarity. stay away from under gravel..[/b]


Hi Mitch pleased to meet http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif
Could only imagine what the difference it made.

Just recently I purchased a large cannister called Aqua One(model?)

Unfortunately at the moment it seems to be releasing gunk back into the tank??
So on my next day of it&#39;ll be cleanout time for it,then I&#39;ll see if it still does it.
If it continues to let garbage out,you&#39;ll here about it here.I can&#39;t believe its just to dirty though,it hasn&#39;t been up and running that long.3 months maybe?? http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif

[Sloory]

Hi Joz,
I&#39;ve not heard many reports on the Aqua One canisters, it will be interesting to see what happens with yours.

What did it set you back? (if you don&#39;t mind me asking).

[mac_man_luke]

Yea it would be interesting to know, they are a stack cheaper than the eheim/fluval versions

[Marc]

Rayonne recently recommended the large Aqua One canister to me also for my 1200L tank.

I went against the advice and got the Fluval FX5 which I couldn&#39;t be happier with.

IMHO probably the best value for money canister on the market.

[Sloory]

ah Rayonne, i love that place&#33; makes you want to spend MONEY&#33;..... http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif ..... must stay away.....

[joz]

Hi Joz,
I&#39;ve not heard many reports on the Aqua One canisters, it will be interesting to see what happens with yours.

What did it set you back? (if you don&#39;t mind me asking).[/b]


The model I have is the http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif cx-1200,I think it was about &#036;2-220???
For value its great,as long as it works and doesn&#39;t fail.Don&#39;t quote me on the price though??

I got it from StKilda Aquarium.

[mac_man_luke]

aquarium shop near me had the cx-1200 for &#036;130-150

[Sloory]

I hope it go&#39;s well for you joz.

Last night i found that Aquatic Life Aquariums online store had fx5&#39;s for &#036;403 bucks&#33;
But they&#39;re out of stock. if they get more of those in i&#39;ll be snatching one up straight away&#33;&#33;

[Marc]

You&#39;d definitely be happy with one Darren. I paid &#036;420 for mine and that&#39;s a &#39;looked after&#39; price so &#036;403 is damn good&#33;

Remember they come with no media as well though.

[joz]

aquarium shop near me had the cx-1200 for &#036;130-150[/b]

Just looked again ut was &#036;180,btw I didn&#39;t look around. http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

[Sloory]

They don&#39;t come with media??
I didn&#39;t know that. You&#39;d think that for the price you pay they would at least throw some in&#33;

[Marc]

Nope no media. And the Fluval branded media you can add ~ &#036;100 +

Fortunately I had enough media around here (and from the old canisters to get up and running without buying additional).

[Sloory]

I just thought i&#39;d add that i sent an email to Aquatic Life Aquariums and they said they will have fx5&#39;s again in a couple of weeks but the price has gone up to &#036;424.50.
Thats still a great price though.

[Marc]

Just spotted:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fluval-FX5-External...emZ320110717850 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fluval-FX5-External-Canister-Filter_W0QQitemZ320110717850)

[Sloory]

WOW thanks for that marc&#33; a now have my filter for my 6x2x2&#33;&#33;&#33;
Ijust chose &#39;buy it now&#39; cause it was too risky to bid and suddenly have someone else &#39;buy it now&#39; on me http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

Good spotting marc&#33;

[joz]

Just spotted:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fluval-FX5-External...emZ320110717850 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fluval-FX5-External-Canister-Filter_W0QQitemZ320110717850)[/b]


Good stuff.
Lucky buy Sloory.

[joz]

aquarium shop near me had the cx-1200 for &#036;130-150[/b]


Which aquaruim was it?wouldn&#39;t mind a second one. http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

[mac_man_luke]

Seaview Aquariums in Adelaide

[joz]

Seaview Aquariums in Adelaide[/b]


Oh great http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

not quite down the road http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[winno]

I use an Aqua One CF-1000 canister filter. It&#39;s almost totally silent, and does a wonderfull job.
141 litre tank with about 20 small trop fish, live plants and 160w of T5.

[kme023]

hey guys, don&#39;t bypass the other filters, brand names are good but check this out

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1400L-H-Canister-Fi...oQQcmdZViewItem (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/1400L-H-Canister-Filter-9W-UV-Steriliser-SPECIAL_W0QQitemZ220110662100QQihZ012QQcategoryZ46 310QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem)

I have one of these really good and has media with it.
Great to have the primer pump built in to.
Easy to clean, easy to take off the siphon pipes.
No mess or stress. (no i don&#39;t work for them)

For the price you can afford a new spare.
It made a huge difference to my marine tank.
See what you think.

Cheers Mitch

[Marc]

It&#39;s a fair call Mitch, but I have two of those here (different color, but no doubt the same filter etc), one is burnt out, the other constantly loses its prime.

I&#39;m all for paying the little bit extra and getting a proven name (Fluval, Eheim etc), and having good backup, support and warranty etc.

[joz]

With any aquarium products what you need is reliability.Failure can lead to disaster for your precious fish and any other livestock.
Unfortunately I&#39;m a little hesitant with new unproven items,especially if they are your prime filter as a secondary unit running simmultaneously why not try??

Also worth having as a back up is a plain external water pump.
So if any of your units fail they are easily placed in line to get the water moving again,and they can be used on any of your external water lines.

[Sloory]

What would be a good backup to run with an fx5 on my 6x2x2?

oh yeah, hopefully i&#39;ll get my fx5 in the post this week. WOOT&#33;