Internal filter for 300 litre tank
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You don't need holes in a tank for an external canister filter. they come with hoses and pieces to hang over the side of the tank.
What sort of fish did you plan on keeping?
What ae the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?
What sort of fish did you plan on keeping?
What ae the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?
Yes. some fish like fast moving water, other fish don't.
Some fish produce a lot of waste and a bigger filter (more filter media) can help with that.
Clown loaches can get pretty big (10-12 inches) and do best in tanks that are 6 foot or longer. If you get little ones, they will be ok in a 4ft tank for a while but will eventually need a bigger home. They also live in groups and should be kept in groups container at least 6 individuals, and preferably more.
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What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
Depending on what the GH of your water is, will determine what fish you should keep.
Angelfish, discus, most tetras, most barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.
Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.
If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids, or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH and keep fishes from softer water.
That's because Colin's questions were not answered, and most of us do not like recommending "x" filter if the fish end up being those with different needs when it comes primarily to water movement. That is of no help but quite the reverse. Plants also impact this. So, what fish are planned, and are you intending live plants?We didn’t actually get any answers to the question about internal filters
I would use a good canister filter for this sized tank with the fish and plants. It will provide some water current which the loaches will appreciate, and possibly the Corydoras, but it will not be a raging torrent which would decimate the angel fish. And plants do not do as well in strong currents because the nutrients taken in by leaves miss them.
However, there are issues with this stocking. Angelfish and loaches are not compatible, because the activity level of loaches will annoy (at the very least) the angelfish, and that means stress which means poor health. And before it is said, yes, there are undoubted those who keep these together, but that does not make it in the best interests of the fish, and it is not responsible fishkeeping.
The loaches also get huge and need a group of six as Colin noted, and unless you now have a tank that is 8 feet in length so they can properly grow into it, it would be best not to get clown loaches. They would manage in this tank for a year, maybe two, but what if you do not end up getting the proper sized tank? That is just not fair to the loaches. I learned a maxm years ago and have never deviated from it--I will never buy a fish for which I do not now have a tank that is completely suitable to properly house that fish all its life.
Loaches and Corydoras should never be housed together, regardless of tank size. Loaches have real territorial strengths, and clowns are quite established in this; the poor cories will be outcompeted for food and space.
However, there are issues with this stocking. Angelfish and loaches are not compatible, because the activity level of loaches will annoy (at the very least) the angelfish, and that means stress which means poor health. And before it is said, yes, there are undoubted those who keep these together, but that does not make it in the best interests of the fish, and it is not responsible fishkeeping.
The loaches also get huge and need a group of six as Colin noted, and unless you now have a tank that is 8 feet in length so they can properly grow into it, it would be best not to get clown loaches. They would manage in this tank for a year, maybe two, but what if you do not end up getting the proper sized tank? That is just not fair to the loaches. I learned a maxm years ago and have never deviated from it--I will never buy a fish for which I do not now have a tank that is completely suitable to properly house that fish all its life.
Loaches and Corydoras should never be housed together, regardless of tank size. Loaches have real territorial strengths, and clowns are quite established in this; the poor cories will be outcompeted for food and space.
internal sump!
silent! effective! and all the flow you could want!
now when it comes to filtration...
you got canisters and their humming...
hang on backs and sponge filters and their trickle
sumps...hmmm dead silent?
the questions are...
where is the tank in your house? and do you mind noise?
then comes duration without maintenance and ease of maintaining...
- hob filters being at the bottom of the list requiring more maintenance as they're smaller and get filthy quite faster
-then come sponge filters which have very little flow as it pulls water from the sponges as the air goes up
which is VERY minimal as bubbles don't cover the pipe and if the sponge filter is one of those where the air intake is in the same pipe as the outlet of the air even worst
(IF going sponge filter always grab a DOUBLE sponge filter as the intake air pipe tends to be separate from the outlet one which gives you more pull and also easier to maintain...pull out sponge VS take the whole thing apart with a single sponge one)
-now canisters...VERY effective some also very noisy hence the questioning if you mind the noise.
maintenance is less required as water is actually pushed through the filtration so regardless of how dirty things are as long as it isn't plugged it should run...
keep in mind the longer you leave a canister without maintenance being done it forces the motor/impeller to work harder and can cause damage by negligence
-sumps...too much to be said around sumps as people can design them in MANY MANY ways
you have internal (in tank) sumps with overflow and underflow using gravity where the water goes through a bunch of partitions and then a return pump
or water being pulled through a pump and then using gravity to push the water through partitions and onto the tank
now comes the noise factor...do you want noise or not? if yes then overflow if not underflow
then comes maintenance...do you want to do more maintenance or less? and this is where you decide your pump...inline or not
as inline will require the pump to work harder pulling the water through filtration much like a canister and a regular pump only has to deal with water in/out without working harder
then comes design...do you want filter socks? if yes I suggest a dual sided intake for an internal sump and for an under the tank sump a control nozzle for noise on the piping (always make sure to use needle valves as ball valves will gradually plug and require maintenance or tearing things apart)
then the media etc...best design I've seen which can last up to half a year was actually a horizontal design where the sponges/filter floss once they're blocked the water goes over the plugged ones and into the next ones and next ones and next and next...with something like a row with 10-15 pieces of each coarse/floss together
also some people decide they want plants/shrimps in their sump so it can act as extra filtration
at the end of the day you have to decide what's best for you and how much time and money you can give
me personally I like dual sponge filters for their ease of maintenance and sumps because they just give that extra humpf look
silent! effective! and all the flow you could want!
now when it comes to filtration...
you got canisters and their humming...
hang on backs and sponge filters and their trickle
sumps...hmmm dead silent?
the questions are...
where is the tank in your house? and do you mind noise?
then comes duration without maintenance and ease of maintaining...
- hob filters being at the bottom of the list requiring more maintenance as they're smaller and get filthy quite faster
-then come sponge filters which have very little flow as it pulls water from the sponges as the air goes up
which is VERY minimal as bubbles don't cover the pipe and if the sponge filter is one of those where the air intake is in the same pipe as the outlet of the air even worst
(IF going sponge filter always grab a DOUBLE sponge filter as the intake air pipe tends to be separate from the outlet one which gives you more pull and also easier to maintain...pull out sponge VS take the whole thing apart with a single sponge one)
-now canisters...VERY effective some also very noisy hence the questioning if you mind the noise.
maintenance is less required as water is actually pushed through the filtration so regardless of how dirty things are as long as it isn't plugged it should run...
keep in mind the longer you leave a canister without maintenance being done it forces the motor/impeller to work harder and can cause damage by negligence
-sumps...too much to be said around sumps as people can design them in MANY MANY ways
you have internal (in tank) sumps with overflow and underflow using gravity where the water goes through a bunch of partitions and then a return pump
or water being pulled through a pump and then using gravity to push the water through partitions and onto the tank
now comes the noise factor...do you want noise or not? if yes then overflow if not underflow
then comes maintenance...do you want to do more maintenance or less? and this is where you decide your pump...inline or not
as inline will require the pump to work harder pulling the water through filtration much like a canister and a regular pump only has to deal with water in/out without working harder
then comes design...do you want filter socks? if yes I suggest a dual sided intake for an internal sump and for an under the tank sump a control nozzle for noise on the piping (always make sure to use needle valves as ball valves will gradually plug and require maintenance or tearing things apart)
then the media etc...best design I've seen which can last up to half a year was actually a horizontal design where the sponges/filter floss once they're blocked the water goes over the plugged ones and into the next ones and next ones and next and next...with something like a row with 10-15 pieces of each coarse/floss together
also some people decide they want plants/shrimps in their sump so it can act as extra filtration
at the end of the day you have to decide what's best for you and how much time and money you can give
me personally I like dual sponge filters for their ease of maintenance and sumps because they just give that extra humpf look
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