My First Big-Boy Tank

[decab]

Hello all, fairly new to all of this, so bear with me!

Recently purchased a 3ft (150 L) tank off ebay with stand and hood which we just finished staining/varnishing it.

Now I'm looking at buying all the other odds and ends for it.

Went to a local aquarium place, as the pet store I was usually dealing with gave pretty poor advice and got a quote for a whole set up... there grand total was just under a grand and I've already saved my self $250 + with the ebaying

So I was thinking what sort of filters/lighting/heater would be the best for a tank this size?

Still not sure what I'll be keeping in there, I think I'll be aiming for a more rock and driftwood landscape than a heavily planted tank and I do know I'm going tropical...

I've been looking at this kind of filter from ebay

But not sure as to the heater/lighting situation, so any advice would be much appreciated!

Here's a pic of its current state... kinda lonely and sad looking, but it'll get there

- Dec

 

[catfish4ever]

Hello all, fairly new to all of this, so bear with me!

Recently purchased a 3ft (150 L) tank off ebay with stand and hood which we just finished staining/varnishing it.

Now I'm looking at buying all the other odds and ends for it.

Went to a local aquarium place, as the pet store I was usually dealing with gave pretty poor advice and got a quote for a whole set up... there grand total was just under a grand and I've already saved my self $250 + with the ebaying

So I was thinking what sort of filters/lighting/heater would be the best for a tank this size?

Still not sure what I'll be keeping in there, I think I'll be aiming for a more rock and driftwood landscape than a heavily planted tank and I do know I'm going tropical...

I've been looking at this kind of filter from ebay

But not sure as to the heater/lighting situation, so any advice would be much appreciated!

Here's a pic of its current state... kinda lonely and sad looking, but it'll get there

- Dec

fluval u4 wouldn't be a bad choice. depends on the stocking levels and types of fish. External?

 

[Blubble37]

for the heater i usually use the 1 watt per litre rule so you could use either a 150 watt or a 200 watt heater filters will have to be external, i suggestfluval or eheim ones they are good quality. Also handy to have a backup pump running so an internal filter could be used in addition to your external if you do get an internal as well a fluval U4 will do wonderfully with its 1000 l/h flow rate. good luck

Rob

fluval u4 wouldn't be a bad choice. depends on the stocking levels and types of fish. External?

+1 but an external plus that will create a backup and also better filtration

 

[decab]

for the heater i usually use the 1 watt per litre rule so you could use either a 150 watt or a 200 watt heater filters will have to be external, i suggestfluval or eheim ones they are good quality. Also handy to have a backup pump running so an internal filter could be used in addition to your external if you do get an internal as well a fluval U4 will do wonderfully with its 1000 l/h flow rate. good luck

Rob

fluval u4 wouldn't be a bad choice. depends on the stocking levels and types of fish. External?

+1 but an external plus that will create a backup and also better filtration

Was going for an external filter - looking to buy the RD-D2 canister looking thing that does 1000 l/h... would it be worth having an additional filter as well, either an internal one or a gravel filter?

Was recommended a 300W heater, but would that be too much?

- Dec

 

[Blubble37]

300 watts will probs be too much

if you have a external canister and an internal it gives you some backup if one dies.

Have you read up on cycling yet or are you already cycled as fish will die in an uncycled tank

have a look through here

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

 

[decab]

300 watts will probs be too much

if you have a external canister and an internal it gives you some backup if one dies.

Have you read up on cycling yet or are you already cycled as fish will die in an uncycled tank

have a look through here

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

Thanks for that still a month or more away from introducing fish into the tank, but will start reading up about it now ^^

 

[laura120381]

hi dec and welcome to the forum!!

i would go for a 200w heater and a fluval external filter. i would back this up with an internal filter, just in case!! you should have a look at all pond solutions as their filters are reasonably priced...not the best quality as far as the construction goes, but ok for a backup. have a look at coldcazzies post 'aps' as she has a code for getting 15% of purchases!! could be handy for you!!

good luck...let us know how you get on.

L

 

[coldcazzie]

He's not in the UK Laura, so aps won't be any good

Agree though that 200w would be spot on, and an external would be sensible.

 

[Blubble37]

yay got summat right for once

 

[laura120381]

aw sorry caz...i didn't realise!! thats a shame..its a decent discount!!

L x

 

[decab]

He's not in the UK Laura, so aps won't be any good

Agree though that 200w would be spot on, and an external would be sensible.

yay for Aus?

Just grabbed a 200w heater and looking at an external filter, looking at a 1000 l/hr filter but wondering if it would be worth going for say a 1400 l/hr? Would that be too much of an overkill or the more the merrier?

 

[coldcazzie]

He's not in the UK Laura, so aps won't be any good

Agree though that 200w would be spot on, and an external would be sensible.

yay for Aus?

Just grabbed a 200w heater and looking at an external filter, looking at a 1000 l/hr filter but wondering if it would be worth going for say a 1400 l/hr? Would that be too much of an overkill or the more the merrier?

That depends.

The thing you have to remember about externals (in fact, any filter) is that they give the maximum output of the pump when the filter is empty and the pump is brand new. They don't allow for the case being full of media, or the pump being a couple of years old (if it's second hand for example).

I've just put a post up in the APS thread Laura was talking about: my 2000l/h external filter actually puts out around 900l/h when crammed full of media, and it's not a year old yet.

Now, in my case, I have a heavily planted tank (I like plants! ), and for planted tanks we like to aim for 10x turnover as a minimum. My maths puts my turnover at 4.6x, meaning I'm falling short, even with a 2000l/h pump. However, if I had a tank which just had a few plants here and there and was mostly about the fish, not the plants, then 4.6 turnover would be absolutely fine, in fact it might even be overkill bearing in mind that I have mostly small fish, who do not poop much. If I had lots of plecos then it would be different!

So, as I said, it depends. It depends what fish you plan to house, and how many (if any) live plants you intend to have. If you think in terms of the actual output of the filter being roughly half what they state it to be, then you'll have a good guide as to what it actually will put out when attached to your tank and full of media.

The other thing to consider is the actual capacity of the filter. A 5L canister holds far less media than a 12L canister. Again, the importance of this is determined by your fish. If you plan to keep smaller fish which don't poop much, then a smaller sized filter would probably be fine, whereas if you plan to keep big cichlids (not that I imagine you would in a 3 foot tank, but you never know, people are ignorant to these things sometimes!) or plecos which produce more waste then a larger canister which can hold more media and therefore grow a larger bacterial colony would be of huge benefit.

Sorry, that turned into rather an essay!!

Can you post the link to the filter you're considering

 

[fluttermoth]

He had posted the link, cazzie; in the first post, and lo! It is the APS filter under another name!

Op, I'd go for the larger filters if you can afford it; maybe even the 2000lph model if it'll fit in your cabinet (lovely looking tank, btw).

 

[coldcazzie]

He had posted the link, cazzie; in the first post, and lo! It is the APS filter under another name!

Op, I'd go for the larger filters if you can afford it; maybe even the 2000lph model if it'll fit in your cabinet (lovely looking tank, btw).

LOL serves me right for not reading properly!

 

[decab]

Thanks for all the advice, went with the larger 1400 l/hr one

and thanks for the mini-essay caz