Got Bigger Tank And Need Advice On Filter

[david419]

hi, i have just dismantled my 90 litre tank and got a 180 litre tank, i just wanted some advice on the heater and filtration for a tank of this size.
on the 90l i had a fluval 205 which kept it crystal clear but i have put the fluval on my 180l tank but the water still seems cloudy. is a fluval 205 big enough for a tank this size? the dimensions are 48"x18"x12" just incase i mis-calculated the volume of the tank.

also the pipes on the fluval 205 are quite short so to get it running on my big tank i had to put the inlet and outlet at the same end of the tank, would this make any difference in keeping the water clear.

also would a 200w heater be sufficient for a 180l tank?

thanks very much in advance for any help.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what you should bear in mind is that all filter manufacturers somewhat exaggerate what size tank you can sensibly filter with each model.

the 205 is advertised as suitable for aquariums up to 200l, your tanks the top end of the scale so you're pushing the filter to the maximum it's caable of. The results speak for themselves. So I would advise that you need to get a new filter.

You can go one of two ways, either get a much bigger strong filter that'll do the tank by itself, or get another smaller filter and use that and the fluval 205. Your call really, probably gonna come down to budget as is so often the case!

It's generally no bad thing to run two filters, then if one fails for whatever reason you've got some filtration running at all times.

Same goes for heating, on a 180l tank I'd put 2 200watt heaters on it.

Obviously with filtration, it depends on the stocking as well, stick 5 neons in the 180l tank and the 205 will probably cope fine, whereas with an big group of messy cichlids it'd be struggling to cope.

 

[david419]

what you should bear in mind is that all filter manufacturers somewhat exaggerate what size tank you can sensibly filter with each model.

the 205 is advertised as suitable for aquariums up to 200l, your tanks the top end of the scale so you're pushing the filter to the maximum it's caable of. The results speak for themselves. So I would advise that you need to get a new filter.

You can go one of two ways, either get a much bigger strong filter that'll do the tank by itself, or get another smaller filter and use that and the fluval 205. Your call really, probably gonna come down to budget as is so often the case!

It's generally no bad thing to run two filters, then if one fails for whatever reason you've got some filtration running at all times.

Same goes for heating, on a 180l tank I'd put 2 200watt heaters on it.

Obviously with filtration, it depends on the stocking as well, stick 5 neons in the 180l tank and the 205 will probably cope fine, whereas with an big group of messy cichlids it'd be struggling to cope.

many thanks Miss Wiggles

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no problem

just as a side issue, fluvals are recknowned for having problems, after about 2 years they tend to fall apart. If you're gonna buy a new filter I'd suggest you look at Eheim's. Little bit more money but they run and run and run.

 

[jameshiggins]

hi

i have the same size tank as you full of chichilds. i run a fluval 305 and 2 eheim aquaball internal filters which keeps it crystal clear. and i use a 300w heater no probs.

james

 

[david419]

thanks for the help, when i got the bigger tank i did get a fluval 303 filter with it but after reading a few forum posts i see people had trouble with it leaking so i didnt bother using it as i live in a first floor flat and didnt want to flood out downstairs,
would this do a better job than the 205?

how about the inlet and outlet being at the same end of the tank? would that make any difference?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

all fluvals have the same problem and same tendancy to leak, so you're running basically the same risk with each filter except for the older the filter, the more likely it is to break

I can't find a spec to check the performance of the 303 and i don't know the model of the top of my head. however that being said, usually the higher the numbers the more powerful the filter. So at a guess I'd expect the 303 to be the better option.



sorry, for got to mention the inlet, outlet placing.

on an underfiltered tank it would be best to place them at opposite ends to get as much movement as you can, with it just at one end and a filter that's not powerful enough for the tank one end may end up a bit stagnant.

if you've got a filter that's good enough for the tank however it shouldn't really make much difference.

 

[SJ2K]

Just make sure the inlet is by the bottom and the outlet is near/on the surface look into the tetratec ex1200 or if youve got the money, eheim.

 

[Matt_northants]

Eheim Pro's are the best externals IMO. What fish are in the tank? If you have some that like high current just get another 205 and put one on the left and other on the right.

 

[david419]

Eheim Pro's are the best externals IMO. What fish are in the tank? If you have some that like high current just get another 205 and put one on the left and other on the right.

i have about 8 guppies,15 neon tetras, 4 corydoras and a pleco

 

[8inary]

no problem

just as a side issue, fluvals are recknowned for having problems, after about 2 years they tend to fall apart. If you're gonna buy a new filter I'd suggest you look at Eheim's. Little bit more money but they run and run and run.

I am sure Fluvals legal department would be interested in those comments!

I have however been running fluvals for many many years, without any issues...I will not get into the whole fluval -v- Eheim fight, but did want to advise that I have no problem running fluvals in my tanks.

 

[Matt_northants]

[i have about 8 guppies,15 neon tetras, 4 corydoras and a pleco

Are you planning on putting any low current fish in there, such as gouramis or angels? If not I think another 205 is the best way to go.

 

[david419]

hi no not getting any fish like that, just keeping with small fish like tetras ,guppies,mollies etc?

 

[Matt_northants]

Then save the cash and just buy an extra 205, IMO.