Rena Xp Filstar Xp2 Canister Power Filter

[nukeonekitty]

how is the Rena XP FilStar XP2 Canister Power Filter? I found one on ebay for a good price and was wondering if it worked well for mbuna.

 

[Druchii]

anything that increases the LPH of your tank is a good thing

what is your tank size, what is the filter you have at the mo - are you looking to replace it or run a second in tandem?

sorry to ask the question but otherwise you'll not get a true answer

 

[nukeonekitty]

I am planning on running the Rena XP FilStar XP2 Canister Power Filter and my current Topfin 60 in tandem on my 55 gal mbuna.

 

[Druchii]

Never heard of the other filter you mention (but then I'm on the other side of the pond to you)

Aslong as you can fit all the pipes in etc etc then having two filters is the best way in my opinion to filter your malawi tank.

Safety if one goes down, but most importantly increasing the filtration to allow over stocking

 

[nukeonekitty]

This might sound like a very newb question, but whatelse will i need to buy with the canister filter? Just a power head?

 

[adambrum]

The rena xp2 is a very good filter i run a xp3 on its own in my 55g, Everything you need is in the box , if you decide to use the spray bar open up the holes a bit it stops the strange noise it makes.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Very cool, I'm gonna go pick one up tomorrow!

wait... It comes with all the media too? If so which media did yours come with?

 

[adambrum]

yep media is in there , sponge, carbon and filter floss on the xp3 you get a spare basket which i have crushed corel in.

They take about a week to quieten down if you give them a shake it gets all the air out also i haved marked the water line on mine when the media is removed so when i clean it i fill it with water from the tank and there is no need to prime.

 

[nukeonekitty]

Okay i got the rena xp3 instead! I couldn't resist. My question is whether or not the spray bar should be under or above water level.

 

[adambrum]

You can have it above pointing down or below pointing up, be warned (i did this) if you have it under the water pointing up when you do a water change you might get a bit wet. Now i just use the jet instead.
One last thing there is a flow thing in the box the middle bit of the valve comes out and you can attach an air line but it does not tell you about this in the manual.

 

[jgray152]

There is one guy on ebay selling REna XP filters for a high price and oonly takes money orders, I feel suspicious about him. Im all about PayPal. Just be carefull on ebay and don't get ripped off.

 

[Druchii]

Okay i got the rena xp3 instead! I couldn't resist. My question is whether or not the spray bar should be under or above water level.

Depends upon how noisey you want it..

if you don't mind the noise then above is fine, however the best results i beleive are from just under the water (1") facing up so about 6" from the outlets it's just at the poit of breaking the waters surface tension. This will give maximum surface exchange (oxygen) and will lead to better water conditions and hornier, more colourful fish

 

[nukeonekitty]

When I turn the spray bar up does it need to actually break the water and make bubbles or can it just make ripples and waves while getting O2 into the water?

 

[adambrum]

Causeing bubbles does not add o2 to the water the way it works is by disturbing the surface and driving off co2 i think, so ripples are fine.

 

[Druchii]

echo to Adam's response, ripples are the way too go