125 Gallon Filtration Options

[Mr.Tan]

Hello everyone,

I am going to be upgrading to a larger tank when I move to a new home, and I want to start planning now and getting the equipment so when I buy the tank I can set it up and get it running/cycling right away.

I am going to be upgrading from my current 29 gallon tank to a 125 gallon tank (quite the size difference lol) because I want to have bigger fish and do better aquascaping design then what my 29g allows for. But first I need to get filtration sorted out.


I was looking at the best options for a large tank, and looked at canister filters or HOB filters. Of course, canister for that size is going to be very expensive. I can get two 75g rated Tetra whisper EX series filters for 1/4 the price of a good canister filter (or filters) to work with a 125g tank.

Can anyone see any pro/con to running two HOB filters over a canister? Or is there a better option yet for filtration?

Any help appreciated.

 

[ZoddyZod]

for that size tank, the Fluval FX5 would be a good option.

 

[Mr.Tan]

for that size tank, the Fluval FX5 would be a good option.

would that have any given benefit over running two 75g rated HOB filters (which would equate out to a total of 150 gallons of filtration? Besides price difference of course being the biggest factor.... i know they are efficient, but how much more efficient?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I am in a similar situation, getting a 125. However, the answer is not so simple as what size the filters are rated for, more important is the volume available for media. Normally, power filters have less space for media than similarly rated canisters. The power filters will have a higher flow rate. It is also easier to hide the hoses and intakes from the canister than for the power filter.

I have narrowed down my two choices to canister or sump. Because of what is going into the tank I am leaning towards sump because I can increase the gallons of water in the system by 20-40 gallons. I will also be able to put the heaters in the sump and put any meds or other needed chemicals into the water that way as well. Some folks build a veggie filter into a sump as well.

I am not a fan of almost anything Tetra in terms of filtration. I was curious and researched them briefly. What I read made me conclude I would not use one even if it were given to me for free. I am not a fan of an filters that require one to use cartridges. You might want to read the reviews of this filter here http/www.amazon.com/Tetra-26313-Whisper-Filter-45-70-Gallon/dp/B001CHVKPY or here http/www.petco.com/product/107126/Tetra-Whisper-EX-Filtration-System.aspx

If you are married to a power filter idea then I suggest you consider Aquaclear 500s. The canister I am looking at if I do not sump mine is a used Rena XP3 which I can get used for $50 where I am buying the tank. The guy is wiping out a fishroom and has great deals.

 

[dbanner]

I had a fluval fx5 on my 125 gallon. I swapped it for 2 tetratecs ex1200's instead as I hate the look of the fx5's. It's like having a giant dustbin connected to your tank . Yes they are good but I prefer my tank to look nice as well as function well and IMO I find the ex1200's better overall

 

[OldMan47]

I run a Rena XP3 on a 120 gallon tank and have used it that way for over 10 years now. I have no doubt about the ability of the Tetratech filters but they are not available here.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I'm a big fan of the Rena filters, and my thoughts on suitable filtration really vary on what you are wanting to stock in the tank. I currently run 2 rena xp4s on my 120g as I have large nasty fish (2oscars and 2 sevs, and a large common plec). The more times the tank is turned the better. What is your stocking plan?

 

[Mr.Tan]

I am in a similar situation, getting a 125. However, the answer is not so simple as what size the filters are rated for, more important is the volume available for media. Normally, power filters have less space for media than similarly rated canisters. The power filters will have a higher flow rate. It is also easier to hide the hoses and intakes from the canister than for the power filter.

I have narrowed down my two choices to canister or sump. Because of what is going into the tank I am leaning towards sump because I can increase the gallons of water in the system by 20-40 gallons. I will also be able to put the heaters in the sump and put any meds or other needed chemicals into the water that way as well. Some folks build a veggie filter into a sump as well.

I am not a fan of almost anything Tetra in terms of filtration. I was curious and researched them briefly. What I read made me conclude I would not use one even if it were given to me for free. I am not a fan of an filters that require one to use cartridges. You might want to read the reviews of this filter here http/www.amazon.com/Tetra-26313-Whisper-Filter-45-70-Gallon/dp/B001CHVKPY or here http/www.petco.com/product/107126/Tetra-Whisper-EX-Filtration-System.aspx

If you are married to a power filter idea then I suggest you consider Aquaclear 500s. The canister I am looking at if I do not sump mine is a used Rena XP3 which I can get used for $50 where I am buying the tank. The guy is wiping out a fishroom and has great deals.

the only reason I was looking at a tetra whisper was because I ran one previously on my 29g tank before i turned it into a reef (i no longer have the reef tank I went back to freshwater planted because I was tired of the hassle)... It worked good for me, kept everything solid for over a year thats why i was used to it. I do run a aquaclear 50 on my tank now though, and I am not very happy with it to be completely honest. It was ok at first but it just doesnt do anything for me anymore, its always clogging up and running poorly. Plus, when power goes out it can't restart because of the external motor.

A sump was actually soemthing I was considering... they were a big thing in the saltwater world, and I still have a 29g long tank in my basement that was made into a sump with all the baffles seperating areas. I just wasent sure about running one in freshwater tanks as they didn't seem to serve the same purpose (kept skimmer, live rock, etc... in them with saltwater).

I had a fluval fx5 on my 125 gallon. I swapped it for 2 tetratecs ex1200's instead as I hate the look of the fx5's. It's like having a giant dustbin connected to your tank . Yes they are good but I prefer my tank to look nice as well as function well and IMO I find the ex1200's better overall

ha yeah by looking at the pictures it seems like a BIG filter! I am going to run a stand with doors to hide anything, but i still dont want a massive filter to worry about. Plus, noise is a big issue with me I need this to be almost silent like my tank is now.

I run a Rena XP3 on a 120 gallon tank and have used it that way for over 10 years now. I have no doubt about the ability of the Tetratech filters but they are not available here.

i'll have to look at these Rena filters, i'm not familiar with them at all.

I'm a big fan of the Rena filters, and my thoughts on suitable filtration really vary on what you are wanting to stock in the tank. I currently run 2 rena xp4s on my 120g as I have large nasty fish (2oscars and 2 sevs, and a large common plec). The more times the tank is turned the better. What is your stocking plan?

I'm not really planning on keeping messy eaters. I want to just basically do a larger planted community tank. rainbow fish, tetras, cory cats, etc... I did at first want to do a discuss tank but the level of work to keep one (and also the price of them) i am passing on it. I dealt with expensive fish in saltwater, and having them die and losing the money is half the reason I left the hobby. Thats why I figured I could get away with having HOB filters compared to a canister since I wouldn't have big fish in the tank that eat and poop a lot haha.

 

[dbanner]

I wouldn't say the fx5's are loud but even though it was hidden away I still knew at the back of my mind that it was there. It would literally depress me every time I seen it lol

 

[Mr.Tan]

I wouldn't say the fx5's are loud but even though it was hidden away I still knew at the back of my mind that it was there. It would literally depress me every time I seen it lol

hmmm, interesting... haha. Im probably going to pass on it then, especially based on my new plans.


We looked at a house yesterday and the room I plan to keep the tank is going to be hard to get a 6ft tank in to (125g),and also have it so it isn't obtrusive in the room itself (dont want it taking up much room) so i am reconsidering the tank size and accessability and going with a 75 gallon instead (48"x18"x21" ) which would be easier to work with, plus lighting is cheaper/easier to find for a 75 gallon then a 125 haha.

That leaves me with a bit more options I would think. I was looking at the rena filstar XP canister (external) filter thats rated for up to 75 gallons. would this be sufficient, or should I go to the next size up? Also, anyone with experience, are they quiet? I mean, I know fluval is really quiet (been looking at the fluval 305, but this is only rated up to 70g which concerns me) and are reliable, never hear much on Rena canister filters.

 

[dbanner]

The next size up would always be a better option. The fx5 I did have is for up to 400 gallons (1500 litres) and had it on my 125 gallon. The tetratec ex1200's I have now are rated for tanks of up to 500 litres (110 Uk gallons/130 US) and I run two of them.

 

[OldMan47]

Mr Tan, I would pass on that Filstar XP2 and move up to the XP3. You do not want to end up with an underpowered filter on your tank. My feedback, from someone that I trust, on the XP4 is that they have seal leakage problems. It may be old news by now and may have been fixed but my XP3 has given me good service and the person who gave me that feedback had 2 XP4s fail in less than 3 months. I hope that Rena has fixed the problem but I have not heard that from anyone that I normally trust.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Mr Tan, I would pass on that Filstar XP2 and move up to the XP3. You do not want to end up with an underpowered filter on your tank. My feedback, from someone that I trust, on the XP4 is that they have seal leakage problems. It may be old news by now and may have been fixed but my XP3 has given me good service and the person who gave me that feedback had 2 XP4s fail in less than 3 months. I hope that Rena has fixed the problem but I have not heard that from anyone that I normally trust.

Sound like some bad luck I've been running my two for about 8 months, doing well, and the oscars and sevs put a heavy bioload on it. But thanks for saying something cause it will cause me to monitor mine!

 

[Mr.Tan]

The next size up would always be a better option. The fx5 I did have is for up to 400 gallons (1500 litres) and had it on my 125 gallon. The tetratec ex1200's I have now are rated for tanks of up to 500 litres (110 Uk gallons/130 US) and I run two of them.

i figured as much. Since im going to run a 75 gallon tank now i'll just buy one thats rated for a bit higher then that... i should have a heavy load on the filter since Im just running a planted community tank, but I still dont want it to be underpowered at all and not be able to filter the water and keep it pristine

Mr Tan, I would pass on that Filstar XP2 and move up to the XP3. You do not want to end up with an underpowered filter on your tank. My feedback, from someone that I trust, on the XP4 is that they have seal leakage problems. It may be old news by now and may have been fixed but my XP3 has given me good service and the person who gave me that feedback had 2 XP4s fail in less than 3 months. I hope that Rena has fixed the problem but I have not heard that from anyone that I normally trust.

Cool, i'll take your advice on that and go with an XP3 instead... How quiet is your XP3 while it is running? I need something very quiet, which is why I was leaning towards fluval because I have a friedn who uses them and they are silent. I need it to be pretty much dead silent when it runs (no loud humming or vibrations etc...). I have sensitive ears for noises like that and I can't be bothered with it haha.

this is what I can find at my LFS (yes, that fish place is only a 20 minute drive for me) - http/www.thatpetplace.com/filstar-xp2-canister-filter-75-gal

they have it listed as an XP M , i searched the website and found no 2 or 3 or even 4... The next step up is the XP L rated for 175g which I think might be overkill... since I am no longer doing a 125g but a 75g due to space (my thread title is misleading now).

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I don't know about Xp3s but I can say as someone running a couple of xp4s that they are very quiet filters. I can only imagine the xp3 is the same way. The only sound i hear from my filter is the sound of the water coming from the output.