WHat filter??

[Sunny.C]

Hey guys
i bought a standard 4 foot tank What size canister filter should i be using, is a
1600 LPH enough??
I will be having a community setup with live plants.

 

[qwikimpss]

A good rule of thumb to go by is that the rating of the filter should be 5-6 times what the tank holds. EX: 100 liter tank, 550 liter per hour rated filter. But 10 times would be better as long as youre not whipping your fish around the tank in a mini whirlpool!

 

[IovaykInD]

I believe it's 5-6 times an hour, which is probably the best without pushing your fish around the tank. Three times I believe is probably the lowest you should have. If it was ten times an hour, that would be a mini whirpool..

Isaac

 

[Sunny.C]

You mean it will start making the water wavey???
My tank is approx = 220litres (58 gallons)
So i should be going for a 1200lph canister filter???
What brands you guys think?
I am thinking of OTTO CANISTER FILTER 1800 LPH or
FLUVAL 404...
Are these filters any good?? is so which is better?

 

[jimboliana]

Sorry people,

I have to dissagree with you, IMO i would say 3/4 to 2 per hour if your having live plants as the plants do most of the filtering. The plants also dont like to be waving around all the time

Also less water movement means less loss of CO2 if your injecting it but thats just my opinion

 

[Sunny.C]

So what should i be going for then out of the 2 i said above or even a
jebao 1200L/H

 

[jimboliana]

IMO Something that is around 300lph, you could get a larger one and put a valve on it to restrict the flow, just an idear

 

[Sunny.C]

which of these filters will suit my tank and which is the better one?
http/www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod123.htm
http/www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod676.htm
http/www.aquariumproducts.com.au/prod1109.htm
should i be going lower smaller ones?

 

[Tolak]

It's not just about how much the filter pumps per hour, it's also about the media capacity. Imagine having a 2,000 liter per hour pump on a filter with media the size of a golf ball. You have tons of flow, really short on the media. It will turn over a 200 liter tank 10 times per hour, but sure won't filter it properly.


Canisters hold much more media than a hob, making them a more efficient filter. A 4 foot tank here is 55 gallons, or 208 liters. If you are turning your water over 2 or 3 times per hour with 3 liters of filter media, you are at the minimum. Many times filter outputs are rated without any media in the filter, the flow rate is reduced by around 25% with media added.

Check out http/www.eheim.com/ & look up the 2224 canister. It's rated for a 250 liter tank, 700 liter per hour pump output, with 500 liter per hour filtration rate. Eheims are the best canisters out there, a little pricy, but you get what you pay for. If they say you can get by with turning your water over twice per hour with the average tank, you can do it.

Use the Eheim site as a base for filter media capacity, & pump output versus filtration rate. The 404 holds 8.5 liters of media, with a 1300 lph pump output rate. This shoud give you around 850 lph filtration, with plenty of media. I've heard good things about the Fluvals, don't own one, all my canisters are Eheims. If Eheim didn't exist, I'd own Fluvals. This would be my first choice out of the 3 you listed, as I've never heard of the other two.

Do a little online research on the other 2 filters, and remeber that an off brand may cause difficulty in the future for finding replacement parts. Everything wears out eventually.

As far as having too much flow, jimboliana is right about being able to turn it down. You can also utilize spraybar placement to direct the flow to reduce any turbulance. Some fish like the current, some don't. I have a 55 with a 2222, 2224, AC 200, & a home made 1,000 lph filter, the tank is stocked with angelfish, who are known to dislike turbulance. I'm turning the water over around 10 times per hour, the fish thrive. It's all about directing the output.

Tolak

 

[Sunny.C]

I thank you for your long reply
I don't know much about canister filters as i have never had one
I am thinking of getting the Fluval 404 1300 lph as they look like a good
qaulity filter, or should i go for the one lower model Fluval 304 1000 lph
Both specs can be found below.
Regards.
http/www.aquariumproducts.com.au/category6_1.htm

 

[Sunny.C]

anyone?

 

[Tolak]

As a firm beliver in overfiltration, I would go with the larger filter. You plan on having a community tank now, which would work fine with the 304. You never know, in a few years you may feel like doing a cichlid tank, which would need the additional filtration. The 404 would be better in that situation.

You know better than anyone else what type of fish you like, if messier fish are a possibility in the future, go with the 404, if not, the 304 should be fine.

Tolak

 

[qwikimpss]

You have to remember, the LPH and GPH ratings are for the PUMP only. When it pumps water through the tubing and the media flow does reduce so getting a rated filter thats 2 times the tank capacity may only flow that capacity once an hour...just a thought based on what i've read and researched about filtration. Eheim makes far superior canisters that Fluvals but are also a lot more moolah.

 

[rdd1952]

On tanks of 4' or more, I think you are better served to use 2 filters and 2 heaters, one on each end. It is a little more expensive to go that route but you get better circulation and keep the water temp more stable throughout the tank. Also, if one filter (or heater) malfunctions, you still have heat and filtration.

The Fluval filters are great. I have 2 Fluval 304s on my 75 gallon. They are 100% silent. If it weren't for seeing the plants moving in the flow, you would think they weren't working. Also, if you want to go totally first class, go with the Hydor Inline heaters. They work great (have 2 of those on my 75 gallon also).

 

[andywg]

You could always go ultra cool and drill the tank and install sump filtration allowing massive amounts of filter media and increased oxygenation (bad for plants, great for plecs and larger fish).