Best Filter? Need Advice

[DeanoL83]

Hi, I have a four foot community tank with mainly tetras and livebearers.

I have a HOB filter and an aqua one 104f internal filter. Both are running because at one stage I was a bit overstocked and needed the extra filtration.

My issue is that I've had a fee casualties with the internal aqua one filter. The smaller tetras: rummynose, neon, even a glowlight have swum behind the filter and got stuck between it and the glass ultimately dying by the time I realise. At first, I thought it was just a matter of silly fish and they'd realise but it keeps happening!

Any suggestions? I've heard eheim canister filters are good. How do they work? What parts are in the tank? I don't want anything that fish can get caught in/behind. Something that can manage the filtration easily and isn't hard to clean or too expensive

Thanks to anyone who can help

 

[Jenste]

I love canister filters - I use Fluval 405s and Penn Plax Cascade 1500s. 
 
The main housing sits underneath your tank in the stand. Two tubes come up and feed into your tank  -one is the input and one is the output. The Output sucks water out of your tank, down into the filter and then the water is returned after going through the media by going up through the input back into your tank.  The Fluval comes with a regular outflow fan nozzle and the Cascade comes with the fan nozzle and a spray bar.  
 
I have used both types on my 4foot 72 gallon tank. I love to over filter so where as I used to run one and then two  Fluval 405s (rated each up to 100 gallons) on my tank, I now run two Cascade 1500s (rated each up to 200 gallons)on my tank.  

 

[Vethian]

Do you know if the glass is tempered?  A refugium or sump filter would be best.  If you dont have tempered glass, you can drill the glass to make an overflow.  Or you can buy or make a overflow. Then you can put your heater and UV filters in the sump.  It also increases the water volume for stability.

 

[DeanoL83]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if the tank is tempered or not. It was a second hand tank from my in-laws.

I've bought a canister filter for it. It should arrive in the next few days.

Do I need to do anything with the media in the new canister?

I was hoping I could leave the HOB filter going and just add the canister to it, to allow the canister to slowly build up bacteria while the HOB does all the good stuff.

Would that approach work? Or is it better to take the media out of the HOB and put it in the canister???

Cheers

 

[NickAu]

 
I was hoping I could leave the HOB filter going and just add the canister to it, to allow the canister to slowly build up bacteria while the HOB does all the good stuff.

That's a great idea.

 

[DeanoL83]

 

 
I was hoping I could leave the HOB filter going and just add the canister to it, to allow the canister to slowly build up bacteria while the HOB does all the good stuff.

That's a great idea.
 

 
Cheers! Glad to know that that method should work....any idea how long it should take for the good bacteria to build up in the canister so that I could turn off the HOB filter?

 

[Alasse]

If you can add some of the media from the hob or the internal into the canister (depending what media they have) you will go a long way to speeding up the canister filters bacteria production

 

[NickAu]

 
any idea how long it should take for the good bacteria to build up in the canister

Im no expert on this but at least 3 or 4 weeks.

 

[DeanoL83]

If you can add some of the media from the hob or the internal into the canister (depending what media they have) you will go a long way to speeding up the canister filters bacteria production

 
Thanks Alasse  Unfortunately, the internal filter has been out of the tank now and the media is probably dry.  I had to remove the internal filter as fish were getting stuck behind it quite regularly.  Hence, why I am moving to a canister filter