Hi, I just bought a 55 gallon(US) aquarium, and need some guidance on a good filter and air pump for it. I'm very new to the hobby, and have been reading up on everything I need to do. Just thought I'd make a post and get some info on my exaxt tank. It's 48"x12"x18". Any and all suggestions are apprecitated.
Need Guidance On Filter And Air Pump
- Thread starter mr big87
- Start date
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Well, filters are a big topic around here, as you can imagine 
. But, just to make some short comments, by the time you get into the larger tanks like a 55g, its probably ideal, if you can afford it, to be looking at the large external cannister type filters. I have a smaller tank than you and I use one. In your case you could use one or you could even consider two smaller ones to gain the advantage of one being a "backup" for the other and the advantage of being able to clean them alternately.
Its tough to give advice about size because people have different goals. One guideline we often use to start the ball rolling with beginners is to consider "5x turnover" which means that you have to research the filter models and attempt to find the "flow rate" in gallons or liters per hour (not the same as the size tank they say they can handle!) and figure out how many times per hour the complete volume of the tank can be "turned over." 5x turnover for a 55g is 275 US gallons per hour, which is a lot of pumping. This is a good recommendation for a classic beginner community tank but its important for me to mention that you will hear other things here too, depending on your goals. There are "planted tank" hobbyists who like to use even 10x and higher turnover or to use supplemental water movement devices. There are also experienced hobbyists who can operate beautiful tanks with less than 5x turnover, but at least its a starting point suggestion.
External cannisters are nice because they house a larger volume of filter media than the next step down, the HOB (at least is most cases) or the next volume step below that, the internal filters. Also, external cannisters have trays that are very flexible about what media they will take and thats a big deal in the hobby. The trays can also make cleaning much easier.
Hope this helps you get started!
~~waterdrop~~
ps. welcome to the beginner section!
. But, just to make some short comments, by the time you get into the larger tanks like a 55g, its probably ideal, if you can afford it, to be looking at the large external cannister type filters. I have a smaller tank than you and I use one. In your case you could use one or you could even consider two smaller ones to gain the advantage of one being a "backup" for the other and the advantage of being able to clean them alternately.Its tough to give advice about size because people have different goals. One guideline we often use to start the ball rolling with beginners is to consider "5x turnover" which means that you have to research the filter models and attempt to find the "flow rate" in gallons or liters per hour (not the same as the size tank they say they can handle!) and figure out how many times per hour the complete volume of the tank can be "turned over." 5x turnover for a 55g is 275 US gallons per hour, which is a lot of pumping. This is a good recommendation for a classic beginner community tank but its important for me to mention that you will hear other things here too, depending on your goals. There are "planted tank" hobbyists who like to use even 10x and higher turnover or to use supplemental water movement devices. There are also experienced hobbyists who can operate beautiful tanks with less than 5x turnover, but at least its a starting point suggestion.
External cannisters are nice because they house a larger volume of filter media than the next step down, the HOB (at least is most cases) or the next volume step below that, the internal filters. Also, external cannisters have trays that are very flexible about what media they will take and thats a big deal in the hobby. The trays can also make cleaning much easier.
Hope this helps you get started!
~~waterdrop~~
ps. welcome to the beginner section!
Thanks very much. I've pretty much made up my mind to go with a canister filter. And as much as I want to have live plants, I'm not sure if I should go for that yet. I also read up on the 5x turnover rate, but not using 2 smaller filters. I may have to look into that.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Of course you can get into the classic "make" war here when trying to discuss Fluvals, Renas, TetraTecs and Eheims as most all have their favorites. Where you live can make a difference in availability. Noise and of course expense are factors too.
Being will to be gentle with the equipment and to routinely and carefully make yourself perform all the preventative maintenance can sometimes be as big a factor as the various advantages and disadvantages of the different makes and models.
~~waterdrop~~
Being will to be gentle with the equipment and to routinely and carefully make yourself perform all the preventative maintenance can sometimes be as big a factor as the various advantages and disadvantages of the different makes and models.
~~waterdrop~~
Well I've found I can get a Eheim canister for a 66 gallon tank for $70 from Petsmart (not sure if you have those where you live) and from what I've read people like Eheims.
http
/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753158waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, I use an Eheim Pro, model 2222 on our 28 gallon. You can study up on the Eheim filters at eheim.com
The Classic, Pro and Pro II model lines are all excellent. I would avoid the Ecco, Thermofilters, Wet/Dry filters and the Pro3 line is probably too expensive and large for your application. You should be looking at the Pro II models or a couple of the Pro or Classic models.
Eheim filters are extremely high quality but also tend to be rather expensive. They are very quiet and very well thought-out. TetraTec filters are very good and quite a bit less expensive but only available in Europe I believe. Rena and Fluval can also be quite good if well-maintained. Fluval are particularly known for well-made internal filters. AquaClear make excellent HOB (aka "Power" filters) which are very flexible about media but of course make more water noise, being an HOB.
~~waterdrop~~
The Classic, Pro and Pro II model lines are all excellent. I would avoid the Ecco, Thermofilters, Wet/Dry filters and the Pro3 line is probably too expensive and large for your application. You should be looking at the Pro II models or a couple of the Pro or Classic models.
Eheim filters are extremely high quality but also tend to be rather expensive. They are very quiet and very well thought-out. TetraTec filters are very good and quite a bit less expensive but only available in Europe I believe. Rena and Fluval can also be quite good if well-maintained. Fluval are particularly known for well-made internal filters. AquaClear make excellent HOB (aka "Power" filters) which are very flexible about media but of course make more water noise, being an HOB.
~~waterdrop~~
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