New (Second Hand) Fish Tank Questions W/pictures

[DukeMagnum]

I am not totally new to fish, as I have had freshwater tanks before as a kid, but this will hopefully be my first experience in setting up and maintaining a tank properly.

So, I had been reading and researching about aquariums for about two weeks prior to purchasing the one I did. After browsing Craigslist, and other online classifieds during that time, I found a 30 gallon tank with a nice stand and canopy. It also came with some accessories that I wasn't too interested in. Anyway, the asking price was $175. I managed to negotiate the price down to $100, then picked it up Saturday morning. Now, let's get to the pictures of the thing (it is still pretty dirty--I plan to clean everything tomorrow while I am off):

Here are the accessories that were included with it. I don't plan to use this filter, as I do not feel that it is adequate. The heater, net, and gravel vacuum are probably the only things I'll be keeping. I also got a bunch of assorted fish food that I didn't see a point in including in a picture since most of it will be tossed and it isn't too interesting to look at.

My biggest question is, what filter would be the best choice for this tank? I would like to have a canister filter. I've read about some brands here, but I don't know what to pick. I understand that I'll need one able to filter at least a 40 gallon tank. I figured I'd just get one meant for a 55 gallon tank... but I haven't really seen one like that.

Suggestions?

 

[vulkan]

Filters are sort of a "your own preference" kind of thing. Many people swear by canister filters, others swear by HOB (Hang-On-Back) filters. In the end they both essentially do the same thing, canister filters are better looking in the tank and you can adjust the water current because many come with a spray bar on that you can attach to your water return and adjust your water current in the tank. For a 30 gallon tank I wouldn't recommend a canister filter because of the cost, you can get a nice HOB filter for pretty cheap. If your near a petsmart I just bought a Aqueon QuietFlow 20 (125gph) for my 30 gallon and has been the best HOB filter I've purchased IMO. There's usually alot of room in the HOB filters to pack filter media and a little bit of activated carbon so you don't have to buy those filter cartridges. I feel canisters are more suited for larger tanks such as 55gallons or bigger.

 

[mattlee]

i would get the biggest external filter you can afford as the more filtration the better eheim, tetratec, rena are all good brands to look at alot of people use fluval but alot of people hate them, its personal preferance really. you have a decent sized tank to start off with there and if your anything like most of us on here you will soon want bigger so the bigger external you get means you may well be able to keep it for future use

 

[waterdrop]

Hi there Duke and Welcome to TFF!

Personally I think you can take as little or as much time as you have patience for to research filters. They are at the core of the hobby and there is more information and discussion about them here than you could ever hope to read. At some point you have to just take the plunge and begin to combine your own learning experience with the things you are reading.

As mentioned, its generally true that the cost goes up as you rise through the most common categories of filters: internals, HOBs, external cannisters and sumps. Although there is overlap, typically one of the most important filter parameters also rises accordingly: media volume. With each of these succeeding types you can just hold more media, getting you a tiny bit closer to mother natures media volume (more or less infinite.) Since you've already mentioned being interested in a cannister, I think you can safely dispense with internals and sumps (too little and too big probably for your 30G.) HOBs and ECs can be an awfully close comparison. The larger HOBs can overlap the smaller ECs in media volume and some, like the AquaClears have pretty open and general flexibility for media. One difference is water noise. By definition, usually HOBs and Sumps have more water noise, whereas internals and ECs are sealed off from giving off much water noise.

Both these types of filters will often have the flexibility to let you mix and match media types to meet whatever combo of the 3 main filtration functions that you happen to need: mechanical, biological and chemical. Mechanical filtration is all about catching particles, large, medium and small. Biological filtration refers to the main magic of filters, the growing of two specific species of bacteria to carry out the nitrogen cycle and just create a working biofilter. Chemical filtration is optional and used for special purposes, for instance, carbon works for about 3 days and can be put in to remove medications, take away yellow tannins from wood or help remove the occasional organic smell.

There are at least four major manufacturers that commonly get mentioned here on TFF when discussing external cannisters: Eheim, Rena, Tetratec/Marineland and Fluval. They all have their pros and cons and they all can do well if they are carefully run and maintained. Fluval are quite popular here for their internal filters and have a good following for their cannisters too but tend to have a few more complaints of leaking problems in cannisters than some of the others. Tetratec(UK)/Marineland(US) are very price competitive and have become very popular. They've had a bit of a plastic breakage problem for some periods but its not clear that's ongoing. Rena make extremely competitive models and its been hard to find complaints about them. Eheim are the "high end" of the cannister world, in their Classic and Pro model lines.

When choosing filters you also want to try and find the correct flow rate spec, rather than an advertising figure for size tank it will supposedly handle. Without going in to too much detail, you probably want 5x turnover rate or higher. For your 30G you should probably be comparing the Eheim Pro II 2026, the Rena XP3 or XP2, the Tetratec EX700 and the cooresponding Fluval or Marineland. There may be others to compare too! Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[DukeMagnum]

When choosing filters you also want to try and find the correct flow rate spec, rather than an advertising figure for size tank it will supposedly handle. Without going in to too much detail, you probably want 5x turnover rate or higher. For your 30G you should probably be comparing the Eheim Pro II 2026, the Rena XP3 or XP2, the Tetratec EX700 and the cooresponding Fluval or Marineland. There may be others to compare too! Good luck!

~~waterdrop~~

Thank you for the welcome and for the information.

I had looked at Eheim since they were highly regarded around here, but I definitely believe the Pro II 2026 is out of the question. It just costs too much. I had looked at the Classic Plus 2213 already. Its turnover rate falls a tad short of the 5 times tank size recommendation, though. Marineland also makes a C-160, rated for up to 30 gallons, with a turnover rate of 160GPH. Even though the filters info in the beginners section says you should choose a filter rated for 1.5 times the size of your tank, is it possible that Marineland has correctly rated their filter since it fits the 5x turnover suggestion? As far as the Renas, I think they were way too much filter for my tank. The turnover rate of the XP3 was over ten times the size of my tank.

 

[Tolak]

One thing to consider when looking into purchasing filters is the planned tank stocking. An average stocked peaceful community tank requires less filtration than a heavily stocked cichlid tank, and some species appreciate more or less current.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Tolak. The 5x turnover suggestion is just a place to set beginners down on a scale that later on in their hobby stay they may do differently. As suggested, if you were -not- planning to push the stocking level to the top or above or have lots of heavy waste producers then you should be fine if a filter comes out a little below the 5x number. Many experienced aquarists here work at 4x for a calmer tank. Believe it or not though, many "planted" enthusiasts work at 10x or above! Exterior flow rate, of course, is only one parameter and this was why I started out mentioning media volume. Larger media boxes/volumes usually mean increased dwell time for the water in the media, a good thing. The flow rate in the tank can usually be controlled and directed in to the currents you want by positioning of the outlet devices.

You've already achieved the most important thing: awareness! Over time, as you have different tanks and try different things, you'll be able to apply your own experiences to the issue.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[DukeMagnum]

Thanks again to everyone for the guidance. I have my options narrowed down to a few possibilities.

The first is a canister filter that I already own and have never used. I had forgotten about it until I was telling my dad about the tank I had gotten and he told me that he came across my old filter while organizing his garage a few months ago. I bought it for filtration in a 40 gallon turtle tank around 10 years ago and never got around to using it. I figured I'd head over to my dad's and dig it out of storage a little later today and see what I'm working with. I remember very little about it.

I also checked craigslist, which again proved fairly useful. I found a 2 month old Marineland C-360 for $100 bucks. The guy has had it listed since March 2nd, and sounded as though he was willing to negotiate. I figure I can offer him $50 and go from there. It is rated for tanks up to 100 gallons, and with a turnover rate of 360 gallons per hour, it would be more than sufficient for the job.

My third option is to go back to the drawing board and probably spend a little more than I'd like on a filter. I'll update this a little later today with a couple pictures of the old canister filter once I pay my dad a visit to find it and clean it up.

 

[OldMan47]

I have a few 29 gallon tanks that I run with XP1 Rena canisters, although lately I have started using more and more sponge filters instead of canisters.

 

[DukeMagnum]

Well, I didn't have any luck finding the filter yesterday. I'm going to go back Saturday and look around again, more thoroughly, hopefully. However, the aquarium is 95% clean and ready to go. I took a before and after picture:

The aquarium was a pain to get clean and required multiple scrubbings spread out over a period of two days. To finish it off, I plan to get some aquarium-safe glass cleaner from Wal-Mart to remove any streaks and give it a good shine, inside and out.

The stand came really clean; it was a lengthy process, but fairly easy. Since the thing had set around so long, there was so much dust and cobweb build up that, before I could start with furniture polish, I had to vacuum it. The Pledge really made the wood look good, though. The canopy may require a bit of refinishing here and there, as some water damage somewhere along the line has ruined a couple spots on its underside. Though, I may leave them alone since they aren't visible and are only minimal.

So far, I have invested about $145 in this project. Hopefully, I can keep the total budget (excluding fish) to $300.

Here is the breakdown so far:
Aquarium w/stand and canopy - $100

Gas - $42

Sponge and vinegar - $2.49

I tried to clean the heater, but determined that it was a lost cause and threw it away, along with the filter and a ton of fish food. I thought it might be beneficial to keep the water treatments and medications. Does anyone know whether there is an expiration on those sorts of things? I suppose I could look on the bottle.

 

[DukeMagnum]

I found the old filter. Well, my dad found it and brought it to me, actually. Anyway, it's a Rena XP1, which I think would be fine... but... it's missing a few things. I would need to buy an inlet and outlet kit (which runs between $40 and $50 bucks), and new tubing. Additionally, I'd want to buy a new canister for the pump, since the clip snap is broken on one side, as well as buying two new clips (which cost an absurd $6.99). I'm thinking that this may not be worth it unless I can find a cheaper place to get some parts. I don't want to sink nearly $100 dollars into this old filter when I can get a new and better one for that amount.

My second thought was to clean this filter up and sell it on eBay. I thought it might bring around $40 bucks, and I could just put that toward a new one. I'm also selling a bricked Xbox 360 on there, so perhaps the sale of both items could put me back within budget. I do hate to sell it, though, because I would much rather just use what I have... but I'm not going to throw money at an 8 year old filter--at least not that much money.

Alternatively, does anyone know where I can get parts any cheaper? I don't see what's so expensive about the inlet and outlet kit, it's about 3 dollars worth of plastic. I also thought I'd look for a used one with a bad pump/motor to take a few things from, but no luck there either.

 

[Dan-CR4]

I took a before and after picture:

did u restain the cabinet? as it really looks good now, good job done on cleaning up the tank and stand

 

[DukeMagnum]

I took a before and after picture:

did u restain the cabinet? as it really looks good now, good job done on cleaning up the tank and stand

Nope, that was just furniture polish and probably better lighting. The only part that may get refinished is the underside of the canopy where some water damage has occurred.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Dan, the tank looks really cleaned up and the stand looks a lot better for your efforts. A Rena XP1 would be a great filter but only you can figure out which is the better way to go, fixing it up or putting the money towards a new one.

~~waterdrop~~