Upgrading My 120l Tank Filtration....

[Dave Spencer]

My Juwel internal filter doesn`t seem to be keeping the water in my tank as clear as I would like, as only crystal clear will do. Being a densely planted tank I wasn`t overly concerned about the capabilities of the built in filtration as my plants were going to be carrying out most of this operation (EI), but now I want to supplement the filtration with an external filter for greater water clarity.

Does anybody have any experience of Aquael filters? I was thinking of adding their 150l version to supplement what I already have.

Hoping to post some pictures soon, once I have been able to rescape some of my fast growing weeds. What I will be looking for are some nice looking small leafed mid/background plants to go along with some needleleaf Ludwigia that is just starting to come along nicely. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance, Dave.

 

[Fwapp]

Mr G has an external AquaEl unit, and seem suitablt impressed with it.

Noticed it in the thread 'Darker side of cycling'

 

[MoreCoffee]

Mr G has an external AquaEl unit, and seem suitablt impressed with it.
Noticed it in the thread 'Darker side of cycling'

He does and he is
However I've only just set it up, so it's early days...... but the signs are encouraging.

I've just set the tank and AquaEL 500 filter up today and can say that so far I'm really impressed with it.

The build quality seems pretty good, the built in 9W UV is a very welcome (and unexpected) bonus.

Now I've got it running, I'm really very impressed with the water movement around the tank. The filter has 2 x intake's and 2 x outflow pipes. I've set it up with one at each end of the tank and I can see no dead spots anywhere, water movement is really good at both ends of the tank. There is constant underwater movement, but the surface is 'ripple free'. The filter has 2 pumps (2 impeller's) and the whole thing is silent !
I'm sat next to the tank and can't hear a thing !

I particularly like the spay bar, that comes in 5 sections and is very flexible. All the intake and outflow pipes are very versatile in the way they can be setup. I've tried setting it up as in this pic .......

You can see from the pic that I've got it in an 'L' shape, the 2 vertical sections push water along the back of the tank, the first two horizontal sections are about mid water and push water from back to front and the final section is pointing down and ensures water movement along the substrate. At the other end of the tank is the more usual type of outflow.

The filter media supplied is fine, but I've removed the ZeoWonder (Zeolite) and replaced it with Kent Cell-Pore BioBlox.

My only concern with the filter is the availability of spares in the future.
Particularly impellers, but I'd also like to try get hold of a second spray bar.

The you find the 250 and 500 versions of the filter is here =====> AquaEssentials
They do have adjustable flow control, so you could use the 250 if you wanted 'over filtration' ...... never a bad thing !

There are also some instructions online here ======> AquaEL UniMax Pro

Al

 

[Dave Spencer]

Thanks for your help chaps.
Al, I didn`t realise output was adjustable, so I think I will go for the 250 with a UV steriliser from the Aquariumsuperstore.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Thanks for your help chaps.
Al, I didn`t realise output was adjustable, so I think I will go for the 250 with a UV steriliser from the Aquariumsuperstore.

I could be wrong, but I think it's only the '500 Plus' and '700 Plus' versions that have the internal UV unit.
Worth checking though !

 

[Dave Spencer]

The Aquariumsuperstore are showing a 150 and 250 with a UV steriliser, but their site appears to be down until the new year.