Hydor Prime 30

[Bluetooth]

Are these externals any good? having issues finding second hand fluvals for cheap or any second hand external really, i would run it alongside my juwel internal bioflow 6/

Cant find many reviews of them so i assume no bad news is good news?

 

[raptorrex]

Are these externals any good? having issues finding second hand fluvals for cheap or any second hand external really, i would run it alongside my juwel internal bioflow 6/

Cant find many reviews of them so i assume no bad news is good news?

well I've had one for, over three years. as a filter, i can't fault it. its is a bit of a sod to work on though. the lid, takes some getting off, the media is all in one basket, making it more fiddly when cleaning. worst of all, many of the "attachments"(taps connectors) are a bit fragile. even so, purly for its filtration, i would buy one again.

I can't help you with the lid. you just gota pull! you get used to the basket (and not only Hydor prime have this problem. Eheim, being another). as for the attachments. IF they go, they are cheap to replace, and i have found, easy to source.

its "real" flow rate, is around, 5-600lph. making it fine, on its own, for a 125 litre tank. I, personally, would suggest you junk the juwel item. the space it creates is, more, useful then its filtration ability's.

 

[Bluetooth]

id be using it alongside the other filter as i have plenty of cichlids and the tank is a 190l

thing is its £85 which seems steep to me considering the fluval 305 is the same price?

 

[raptorrex]

id be using it alongside the other filter as i have plenty of cichlids and the tank is a 190l

thing is its £85 which seems steep to me considering the fluval 305 is the same price?

several of things here. the fluval measures flow with no media in the unit. whilst hydor prime, measure with the gear that comes with it. second is reliability. i have had mine three years +, yet apart for me breaking a tap, it has performed without faltering. and mine was two years old when i got it! the hydor has an auto prime function, and it works, every time. i have never once had problems priming. it also has a "surface skimmer", part of the inlet piping. this seems to work well. despite the "basket" being a pain, it also has advantages. simply, you have more choice of media. as i point out though, you pay with less ease of cleaning.
as for price. having looked around. you can get it for £53 +p&p

I cant say you HAVE to buy it. all i can say is, you wouldn't be disappointed if you did.

 

[Bluetooth]

Went and bought a Aqua One Advance 1250 from a nearby garden center, it seems pretty nice and feels very tough and professional.

Will have to see how it aids in my cycle =-)

 

[raptorrex]

Went and bought a Aqua One Advance 1250 from a nearby garden center, it seems pretty nice and feels very tough and professional.

Will have to see how it aids in my cycle =-)

Aids in your cycle?

 

[Bluetooth]

Went and bought a Aqua One Advance 1250 from a nearby garden center, it seems pretty nice and feels very tough and professional.

Will have to see how it aids in my cycle =-)

Aids in your cycle?

Yea well unfrotuantely i treat my tank with some meth blue and killed off all my bacteria, as far as i understand the nitro cycle if you have the tank being filtered more times per hour the bacteria would grow a bit quicker, ive gone from 3 times per hour to around 9 now so heopfully will see something a bit quicker?

 

[raptorrex]

Went and bought a Aqua One Advance 1250 from a nearby garden center, it seems pretty nice and feels very tough and professional.

Will have to see how it aids in my cycle =-)

Aids in your cycle?

Yea well unfrotuantely i treat my tank with some meth blue and killed off all my bacteria, as far as i understand the nitro cycle if you have the tank being filtered more times per hour the bacteria would grow a bit quicker, ive gone from 3 times per hour to around 9 now so heopfully will see something a bit quicker?

ok got you. not sure on the faster flow quicker cycle, though. sure, with a mature filter, flow rate aids the colony. humm interesting. anybody else got thought?

please please my man, don't take offence. i am not suggesting you are wrong. its just something that never occurred to me before. i do know upping the tank temp (without fish only) does speed (well help) up the cycle. i cycle mine @ 80-84f

 

[Bluetooth]

Yea i have had those type of thoughts a lot since i got back into the hobby.

If you can over filter a tank the ammo goes through the filter more times per hour exposing the bacteria to more food i suppose. Common sense would dictate that the more food available the more bacteria would grow and the the quicker it would do so.. however science would most likely say different =-)

my tank is at 26.4 C at the moment which is.. uh... 82? lol

 

[raptorrex]

Yea i have had those type of thoughts a lot since i got back into the hobby.

If you can over filter a tank the ammo goes through the filter more times per hour exposing the bacteria to more food i suppose. Common sense would dictate that the more food available the more bacteria would grow and the the quicker it would do so.. however science would most likely say different =-)

my tank is at 26.4 C at the moment which is.. uh... 82? lol

i far from sure a scientist would say different. though there are more things than how often the food is offered, to account for. the food needs to spend enough time in contact with the media to be consumed. often knows to as "dwell time". this is just as important as "water flow". scientists often work in black and white. ie, this does or does not happen. but in a dynamic situation, such as an aquarium. its almost impossible to provide, exact figures or values. that's why they have "water chemists", specialising in the subject. its possible for a chemist to know, exactly how two items will react. but, if there are any variables (your tank is full of them) the result may not be so clear.
26.4c is just short of 80f.

 

[Bluetooth]

Yea true.

Its a good discussion topic for sure.

Mise as well ask this also, is the filter start stuff, the supposed treatment that comes with nitrifying bacteria etc any good? im using interpet filter start and wondered if theres any actual need for it?

 

[raptorrex]

Yea true.

Its a good discussion topic for sure.

Mise as well ask this also, is the filter start stuff, the supposed treatment that comes with nitrifying bacteria etc any good? im using interpet filter start and wondered if theres any actual need for it?

opinions differ on "quick start" products. its true some of these products seem to work. but only those with live cultures, so bought from the fridge, with a short shelf-life, and quite expensive. many others have their proponents. but terms like "chemical suspension" for dried and bottled products, just don't make sense.

"my tank cycled in 5 days" after i used "so and so", perhaps so. but why then, when the next man tries, does it not work? ultimately, i feel, few of us cycle enough tanks, to say for certain, one of these products does work. but if people feel happier using it, why not? every penny to the LFS, help keep it open. the fact the product has little or no effect is irrelevant. people only need to believe it works.
to me, they are a waste of money. but hey, i pee in my tanks to cycle them.... go figure! lol

 

[Nick16]

Are these externals any good? having issues finding second hand fluvals for cheap or any second hand external really, i would run it alongside my juwel internal bioflow 6/

Cant find many reviews of them so i assume no bad news is good news?

well I've had one for, over three years. as a filter, i can't fault it. its is a bit of a sod to work on though. the lid, takes some getting off, the media is all in one basket, making it more fiddly when cleaning. worst of all, many of the "attachments"(taps connectors) are a bit fragile. even so, purly for its filtration, i would buy one again.

I can't help you with the lid. you just gota pull! you get used to the basket (and not only Hydor prime have this problem. Eheim, being another). as for the attachments. IF they go, they are cheap to replace, and i have found, easy to source.

its "real" flow rate, is around, 5-600lph. making it fine, on its own, for a 125 litre tank. I, personally, would suggest you junk the juwel item. the space it creates is, more, useful then its filtration ability's.

for a 125 litre tank, i would want something like a tetratec Ex1200. you should be aiming for 10x turnover. so a filter with around 1200LPH. a 600LPH filter with only 1 basket of media is only a tiny tiny bit better than the juwel thing anyway. rip out the juwel think and get a tetratec ex700 as well as the hydor (if you already have it) if you dont, get an Ex1200.

 

[raptorrex]

Are these externals any good? having issues finding second hand fluvals for cheap or any second hand external really, i would run it alongside my juwel internal bioflow 6/

Cant find many reviews of them so i assume no bad news is good news?

well I've had one for, over three years. as a filter, i can't fault it. its is a bit of a sod to work on though. the lid, takes some getting off, the media is all in one basket, making it more fiddly when cleaning. worst of all, many of the "attachments"(taps connectors) are a bit fragile. even so, purly for its filtration, i would buy one again.

I can't help you with the lid. you just gota pull! you get used to the basket (and not only Hydor prime have this problem. Eheim, being another). as for the attachments. IF they go, they are cheap to replace, and i have found, easy to source.

its "real" flow rate, is around, 5-600lph. making it fine, on its own, for a 125 litre tank. I, personally, would suggest you junk the juwel item. the space it creates is, more, useful then its filtration ability's.

for a 125 litre tank, i would want something like a tetratec Ex1200. you should be aiming for 10x turnover. so a filter with around 1200LPH. a 600LPH filter with only 1 basket of media is only a tiny tiny bit better than the juwel thing anyway. rip out the juwel think and get a tetratec ex700 as well as the hydor (if you already have it) if you dont, get an Ex1200.

good point, only problem there is the tetra 1200 only flows 500-600 lph max, you need the 2400, 1200 ish flow, for your plans. and here, i feel, is the problem. how do you find the true flow of any filter? whats on the box is, at best 1/3 up from what the filter can do. and with the exception of hydor, eheim, the others measure flow with an empty filter, so you could say 50% over rated. not that accurate you will agree.

personally i wonder how may planted tanks with 12x flow filters. actually get anywhere near that flow rate. just try to find an, accurate, affordable flow meter, and you will understand. lets face it. if you use the ratings on the box. there is every chance the 12x flow tank, is only just managing 6x flow. but how do you tell?

 

[Nick16]

you have it wrong. the 10x rule is on paper, so generally you will be getting 5x turnover or there abouts which is usually ok.
most filters actually kick out about 60% (on average) of their stated amounts. i know the eheim pro3 2080 actually kicks out 71% which is pretty good.

manurfacturers test their filters with no media and on a level with the tank. whereas when we the customers use them, they are full of media and often below the tank but at least 50cm, often more.

so a 1200 will be fine on your tank. or a filter with a flowrate of 1200LPH. 10x is a target and is best for most midsize tanks.

HTH