Filters 1 Or 2?

[ballyclover]

Hi
 
i have a 180lts tank and have introduced 15 salousi cichlids and jalo ( a mixture of both total 15)
 
I currently run a tetratec1200, but have been reading that over filtration is best. So i have another brand new tetratec which i was looking to sell for may around £90.00 and buy a smaller model and was looking at the all pond solution filters,,,you can get a 1400lt one for £60, anmd a 700lt for £49.00
 
So my question is in your opinions should i just set up the spare tetratec or buy the all pond solutions and make £30.00 on the sale of the tertratec?  (is all pond any good?)
 
Also do i even need another filter? My concern is that i have no airation on the surface as both parts of the spray bar point down to create a decent current to carry away the rubbish to the intake,a 2nd filter i would have the spray bars breaking the surface/
 
Would appreciate your opinions

 

[KevM]

Point your spray bar towards the surface; surface agitation is far more important than clearing waste from the substrate. I use the following equipment:

APS EF 2000
APS EF 1400 (+ booster for mechanical filtration)
APS 12000 WM
2 x 300w Heaters

None of this is setup at the moment because I'm between tanks, but once the new tank comes it'll be setup as follows:

- Left side of tank: intake from EF 2000, output from EF 1400, 300w heater.
- Right side of tank: intake from EF 1400, output from EF 2000, 300w heater, wavemaker (off-centre on the right-side pane) aiming down towards the left (one cone is aimed across the front of the rock-work and the other across the back).

My tank is obviously a lot bigger than yours so that would be total overkill for you, but I'd definitely suggest you run two filters in your tank. It doesn't really matter if you keep the Tetratec or plump for the saving of the APS; just do what suits.

 

[Livewire88]

If I were you I would just add the second Ex1200, as you have some decent size fish over filtering the tank will be the way to go IMO. Plus you can play about with the spray bars to get the current to your liking.
 
I run 2 ex1200's on my community tank and my small fish get on fine with the current, I use 2 parts of the spray bar on each filter and have each part set at different angle to the other so the flow is spread out.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

The more I hear about APS filters the worse they appear. Filters sound good value for money but they're often a bit flakey and parts often fail. If you are going for another filter I would go for either another of what you have or a different brand.
 
Over filtering is a personal choice. It will create more flow in the tank and help keep it ticking over but if your current filter is adequate for the size of tank then it could be a bit overkill just for the sake of it.
 
If you were going full on planted and injecting Co2 then it could be a good idea but if you have no problems at the moment, e.g. water and fish are fine, you're just spending money for the sake of it in my view.

 

[KevM]

This is a bit off-topic but I thought I'd mention it anyway: you may have some problems because of your choice of fish. Males of both species are blue/barred. It is not recommended to keep two such species in the same tank because it can significantly increase the propensity for aggression and hybridization. I'm not saying you will definitely have problems with these two species; just giving you a heads up to keep your eyes peeled.

The more I hear about APS filters the worse they appear. Filters sound good value for money but they're often a bit flakey and parts often fail. If you are going for another filter I would go for either another of what you have or a different brand.
 
Over filtering is a personal choice. It will create more flow in the tank and help keep it ticking over but if your current filter is adequate for the size of tank then it could be a bit overkill just for the sake of it.
 
If you were going full on planted and injecting Co2 then it could be a good idea but if you have no problems at the moment, e.g. water and fish are fine, you're just spending money for the sake of it in my view.

These filters are used by a lot of African cichlid keepers because over-filtering is pretty much standard practice for most of us. They seem to be fairly well-regarded by most, as well. I wouldn't consider changing mine for anything other than the big Eheim models. Over-filtering is very important for an Mbuna tank because these fish are generally quite heavily overstocked, and many are sensitive to poor water parameters. One EX1200 simply isn't going to cut it when you're talking about keeping fifteen four-inch Mbuna in a 180 litre tank.

 

[ballyclover]

i asked this question of the guy i bought them from as they were both young and he was not able to tell the species apart.However he said his got along fine, so i understand what you are saying, i also read the same. So will just have to see how it goes. I expect to lose some anyway as the tank is more or less new and im new to cichlids, so be a learning curve for me.
 
 
 
as for the filters i may use the 2nd tetratec, seems the easier soultion

 

[Tizer]

I keep both species in my 5 footer and i have Cobue too, they are young at the moment, but i am expecting a little bit of grief when older. anyway, back on the subject, it it were me, i'd bosh the 2nd filter in there and i wouldn't be concerned about surface agitation in the slightest on a tank that size. Plenty of surface area for oxygen to diffuse naturally without a ripple, over rated tosh for the most part. having 2 filters means you can split cleaning routines and have a backup. Very useful

 

[Malawifan]

I keep both species in my 5 footer and i have Cobue too, they are young at the moment, but i am expecting a little bit of grief when older. anyway, back on the subject, it it were me, i'd bosh the 2nd filter in there and i wouldn't be concerned about surface agitation in the slightest on a tank that size. Plenty of surface area for oxygen to diffuse naturally without a ripple, over rated tosh for the most part. having 2 filters means you can split cleaning routines and have a backup. Very useful

+1

I have the ex1200 on my tank and have just added and eheim classic 2215. Both filled with alphagrog and matrix and a bag of Purigen in each. My water is great.

 

[KevM]

i asked this question of the guy i bought them from as they were both young and he was not able to tell the species apart.However he said his got along fine, so i understand what you are saying, i also read the same. So will just have to see how it goes. I expect to lose some anyway as the tank is more or less new and im new to cichlids, so be a learning curve for me.
 
 
 
as for the filters i may use the 2nd tetratec, seems the easier soultion

That's a really bad sign. P. saulosi juveniles (of both sexes) are yellow. You should be able to tell the two apart easily. You may have purchased hybrids, I'm afraid.

 

[ballyclover]

bumder!!!!!!  what colour are jalos?   They are all a light yellowish colour


i think they are both a yellowish colour when young, so are hard to tell apart

 

[Malawifan]

This may help.

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/category.php?cat=2

 

[ballyclover]

 a few are certain yellow like the pictures while the others are whiteish gray.....I guess i will see soon enough

 

[KevM]

Have a look here: 

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uI1JCNDeng

Your afras should be a light brown-grey, with a yellow dorsal, and your saulosi should be a pretty bright yellow (or orange if you got that dodgy 'coral red' strain) all over.

 

[ballyclover]

looking at video mine aint even that big yet, maybe less than 0.5". i can deff see some yellow ones......They will be wantever they will be i guess. I looked at the parents and they were both saulosi and jalos, but the babies from both were in a seperate tank all together
 
maybe they are too small yet, i think they are very young

 

[KevM]

That's a bit small to be selling them, really. Good luck with it; hopefully there's no hybrids in there.