Increasing My Filtration

[onebto]

Hello all I want to increase my filtration from what I have at the moment which is a Juwel pump set 600 which runs at manufactures specifications @ 600 litres an hour which is not bad but not brilliant.

Eventually and we are talking 7 to 8 months time I want to introduce 5 Discus to my Aquarium .

So in the next 7 to 8 months I am making adjustments to my Aquarium including friendly stocking off buddies the Discus will like as well as other things.

I read I need to up the filtration on my tank has anyone got a recommendation as to what I could use ?

My LFS is very good and has not tried to push anything on me like I have read some do , but I do like to go in there with some idea of what I want .

Regards Ian .

 

[smegforbrains]

Fluval 405 will do just nicely

 

[raptorrex]

Hello all I want to increase my filtration from what I have at the moment which is a Juwel pump set 600 which runs at manufactures specifications @ 600 litres an hour which is not bad but not brilliant.

Eventually and we are talking 7 to 8 months time I want to introduce 5 Discus to my Aquarium .

So in the next 7 to 8 months I am making adjustments to my Aquarium including friendly stocking off buddies the Discus will like as well as other things.

I read I need to up the filtration on my tank has anyone got a recommendation as to what I could use ?

My LFS is very good and has not tried to push anything on me like I have read some do , but I do like to go in there with some idea of what I want .

Regards Ian .

very much depends on your wallet. if you go the "whole hog" and look to get 5x turnover, baring in mind you are not even getting 2x atm, you will need an FX5 or two others like tetratec 1200, real flow rate around 600lph each. i'd go for the 1200 over the 405, as the media section is larger. personally i'd go for the FX5 on your tank!

 

[8inary]

i'd echo the view of boboboy - the fx5 will do such a great job - you will not regret it.

i run two of these monsters on a near 1000ltr tank - i wanted overkill filtering and its amazing
to see the flowrate of these filters, i just have one each end of the tank, and its always mineral
water quality, plus, aiming the output nozels upwards, gives great surface disruption

 

[jonny_dw]

i'd echo the view of boboboy - the fx5 will do such a great job - you will not regret it.

fx5 is easily the best filter on the market imo

 

[Truck]

FX5 great filters, ive never used one but ive read the reviews

 

[onebto]

thanks gents

 

[onebto]

Okay so I got the fluval 405 in the end installed it everything is running okay

2 Questions

No 1 Bacteria, Should I transfer some of my filter media from my internal filter into the new fluvial or will it just migrate from my internal pump ? My tank is new and not long finished from fishless cycling maybe 2 to 3 weeks .

No2 Eventually in about 7 months time I will be introducing a group of Discus into the tank currently I am setting the tank up ready for them this will include other friendly fish to keep the Discus happy. So No2 is flow rate the old fluvial 405's out put is quite brutal and I have read Discus like a gentle flow so any idea how I can slow down the flow ?

Currently I have the power head just below the surface of the water line this produces the vital surface agitation If i raise it to high then I get serious splashing and to much large air bubbles in the tank are there any gadgets I can get to slow things down or deflect the flow in a way that will make things more acceptable for Discus.

 

[Truck]

leave the fluval and juwel running together

 

[thomasp9021]

an easy solution to add spray bars to curb the flow or you could positon you outflow towards the rear glass and just leave the jewel pump to agitate the water

 

[raptorrex]

I'd be inclined to follow, both, the above mentioned, solutions.

 

[onebto]

Sounds good to me I was going to leave both running any ways but I think the spray rail is a good idea

Thanks gents

 

[onebto]

LOL just one more Question on this matter anyone had any experience with Hagun Fluval External Spray Bar Kit been to there web site and the write up on this items details are poor .

I want to know the actual bar how long is it is it adjustable in length ?

Just want to make sure before I purchase

 

[rabbut]

Usualy, you get reliable kit when you are spending lots of £ on fish like Discus. This generaly rules out Fluval's gear If you plan to run the Fluval long-term make shure you have a back-up. The 05 series is on track to being similar to the 04's, dropping like flies just outside warrenty. With messy fish like Discus, you'll likely find it needs weekly attention. I am speaking from experience here having ran Fluvals on my Discus set-up before, they just cannot cope with it like any decent exturnal. with a 404 on a 335l tank with 5 Discus, I had to open up and clean weekly and repeatedly had trace ammounts of ammonia and nitrite. This is why I had to swap brands.

Why spend good money on a spray bar? Get some PVC and a drill bit Problem solved

All the best
Rabbut

 

[three-fingers]

With regards to the fluval spray bar, it's made of two parts each about 18", so you can make it either 18" or 36".
Making your own out of PVC pipes (black stuff looks nicer) is cheaper but just a little more fiddly - still a great option to save a few £.

And with regards to the first part of the last post, I can only refer to this thread.
I run a 305 on a very heavily stocked 190l with loads of plant debris in it (I never bother cleaning it out) and find it well more than adequate.