External Filtration For A 540L (120 Uk Gallons)

[N0body Of The Goat]

Up until the last few days, I thought I had decided that an All Pond Solutions 2000EF purchase was going to be the way forward for £75, buying another one in the future if all went well...

But then it has been suggested to me that the UV sterilization will not be powerful enough for a 540l, even after installing two. At least 25W of UV power has been suggested, to stand a chance of the UV killing most if not all bacteria in the water.

Furthermore, I randomly searched for new Fluval FX5s on Ebay this afternoon and they can be had for a staggering low £137.50!

http/cgi.ebay.co.u...=item4838762a1e

My gut feeling is that out of these two models, even if I bought two of the APS type, I should buy the FX5, if a single unit is easily capable of supporting my bigger/energetic riverine fish.

Do you agree, or is there another product I should look at for less than £150?

 

[Destination Doha]

all i can do is tell you what i run N0body Of The Goat i run 2 x fx5 on a 400gal tank and have found them to be brilliant that said i am going over to a big sump tank in the nexst few months as i think this will be better for the setup that i have

 

[kizno1]

Fluval FX5 only do 2300lph (well thats what they say but by the time medias in there it will be alot less) and evan in normal tanks i always aim for 10x turn over so a FX5 wouldnt evan give you 5x turn over so im not sure that would be enough. If you have the space i would go for a sump and a beast of a pump to really get the water flowing.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Well I placed my order for a Hydor Koralia Magnum 8 powerhead at the stonking price of £106.21 this afternoon on Ebay, which does 12500 litres per hour, so water movement is not going to be an issue!

In hindsight, albeit I did not have the 540l at the time and just the 240l, perhaps I should bought the Eheim 2080 instead of the 2078 and then I could have been looking for something suitable for the smaller 240l now. The 2078 is down in the garage at the mo on the 540l, but I know it is not a long term solution as the fish grow and I do not have the cash to buy another £150+ filter.

Another option that might fit the bill well is a pair of Eheim 2217s, which would cost ~£150 in total?

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I decided on getting the FX5 now and a single 2000EF next month.

Thanks for the input

 

[FREDD!E]

I decided on getting the FX5 now and a single 2000EF next month.

Thanks for the input

Why not do what I did! I modded my Tetratec Ex1200 into a Tetratec Ex3900 i.e. My Filter now runs at 3900 L / h without the extra cost of buyin new powerful filters I just got a 3900 L / h pump and attached it to the inlet pipe of the Ex1200 filter. I have had it running like this for a while now and the external filter seems to hold the pressure of a 3900 L/h jet thru it very well with no leaks. If I were you I would put a 4000 - 5000 L/h pump on the inlet pipe of your FX5 and turn it into a FX5000 for the cost of peanuts . Pumps are cheap on ebay