What Type Of Filter?

[jim121]

hi i have just bought a second hand tank 120cm long 30cm deep and 38cm high. i am curious as what type of filter would best suit a tank which to me seems quite narrow and long. under gravel, internal or external? any help greatly appreciated thanks.

 

[Tolak]

Filtration depends on the species & quantity of fish you plan on keeping. It also depends on how much money you want to spend. Appearance can come into play as well.

 

[jim121]

Filtration depends on the species & quantity of fish you plan on keeping. It also depends on how much money you want to spend. Appearance can come into play as well.

initally thinking cardinal tetras, pepper corys and dwarf gouramis. Was thinking of spending £50-75.

 

[Piltdownpaul]

How about a fluval plus4 internal-simple to clean and powerful too with a filter blockage detector on the top.

 

[rocknurworld2006]

How about a fluval plus4 internal-simple to clean and powerful too with a filter blockage detector on the top.

yes this filter wud be good, and i wud use the spray bar for these as well so u dont have a owerful flow in tank for gouramis, but still getting maximum filtration

 

[jim121]

Thanks guys. It seems that filter choice seems to be a very sensitive subject. You all seem to be recommending internal filters, are these the best option? its just my lfs has a nearly half price sale on external fluval filters? As these tend to be more expensive i wondered if this would be an opportunity i would be foolish to miss out on?

 

[rabbut]

Having owned a Fluval, you'd have to pay me to use one. Conveniently work do Not everyone has issues with them, and there are a few Fluval fans on here, but both I and work and work's customers have issues aplenty, though with work it's every 3ish years that seals, impellers, bearings e.t.c go.....

Exturnal filters are great for the larger tank, and you could easily get a Tetratec EX1200 on your budget These are IME a good solid filter

You have 130 something liters there, or 30ish UK Gallons. An internal will do it if you want one, but I'd either use two smaller ones, say a pair of Fluval 2+ internals, or a powerhead with the 4+ at the other end to get the filtration up to scratch and avoid algea as a result of dead zones

Fluval internals are the best on the market, but I have a sever dislike of their exturnals. All other internals are about the same IME, but not as good as the Fluval internals.

To give a run down of my preious exturnals for you;

Eheim Ecco. Constant parts failures. Easy to get new parts, but not under warrenty

Fluval 404. Noisy, constant parts failures and eventually the motor head started giving out electric shocks. High maintanance and harder to maintain than the other filters I've used

Rena XP2. Good solid filter, but the seal is hard to access. Keep on the ball with maintanance and it should be fine, but miss the seal and it will go early. Out of your budget too, probibly

Tetratec EX1200. The only filter I've bought two of. No grumbles as yet, other than about the cheap inlet and outlet sets, that are no realy big issue

I've also worked on an Eheim Classic and that was OK, bar it being more tricky for maintance I've also helped tidy up after a Fluval 405 blew it's main seal just outside warrenty at a mates house...

HTH
Rabbut

 

[jim121]

Having owned a Fluval, you'd have to pay me to use one. Conveniently work do Not everyone has issues with them, and there are a few Fluval fans on here, but both I and work and work's customers have issues aplenty, though with work it's every 3ish years that seals, impellers, bearings e.t.c go.....

Exturnal filters are great for the larger tank, and you could easily get a Tetratec EX1200 on your budget These are IME a good solid filter

You have 130 something liters there, or 30ish UK Gallons. An internal will do it if you want one, but I'd either use two smaller ones, say a pair of Fluval 2+ internals, or a powerhead with the 4+ at the other end to get the filtration up to scratch and avoid algea as a result of dead zones

Fluval internals are the best on the market, but I have a sever dislike of their exturnals. All other internals are about the same IME, but not as good as the Fluval internals.

To give a run down of my preious exturnals for you;

Eheim Ecco. Constant parts failures. Easy to get new parts, but not under warrenty

Fluval 404. Noisy, constant parts failures and eventually the motor head started giving out electric shocks. High maintanance and harder to maintain than the other filters I've used

Rena XP2. Good solid filter, but the seal is hard to access. Keep on the ball with maintanance and it should be fine, but miss the seal and it will go early. Out of your budget too, probibly

Tetratec EX1200. The only filter I've bought two of. No grumbles as yet, other than about the cheap inlet and outlet sets, that are no realy big issue

I've also worked on an Eheim Classic and that was OK, bar it being more tricky for maintance I've also helped tidy up after a Fluval 405 blew it's main seal just outside warrenty at a mates house...

HTH
Rabbut

 

[jim121]

Having owned a Fluval, you'd have to pay me to use one. Conveniently work do Not everyone has issues with them, and there are a few Fluval fans on here, but both I and work and work's customers have issues aplenty, though with work it's every 3ish years that seals, impellers, bearings e.t.c go.....

Exturnal filters are great for the larger tank, and you could easily get a Tetratec EX1200 on your budget These are IME a good solid filter

You have 130 something liters there, or 30ish UK Gallons. An internal will do it if you want one, but I'd either use two smaller ones, say a pair of Fluval 2+ internals, or a powerhead with the 4+ at the other end to get the filtration up to scratch and avoid algea as a result of dead zones

Fluval internals are the best on the market, but I have a sever dislike of their exturnals. All other internals are about the same IME, but not as good as the Fluval internals.

To give a run down of my preious exturnals for you;

Eheim Ecco. Constant parts failures. Easy to get new parts, but not under warrenty

Fluval 404. Noisy, constant parts failures and eventually the motor head started giving out electric shocks. High maintanance and harder to maintain than the other filters I've used

Rena XP2. Good solid filter, but the seal is hard to access. Keep on the ball with maintanance and it should be fine, but miss the seal and it will go early. Out of your budget too, probibly

Tetratec EX1200. The only filter I've bought two of. No grumbles as yet, other than about the cheap inlet and outlet sets, that are no realy big issue

I've also worked on an Eheim Classic and that was OK, bar it being more tricky for maintance I've also helped tidy up after a Fluval 405 blew it's main seal just outside warrenty at a mates house...

HTH
Rabbut

wow that is some cv as it were! i really dont think i want to go down the road of twin internal filters, it would just take up even more room. So i will take a look at the tetratec and maybe the rena. By the sounds of things fish keeping is your profession as well as passion. how long have you been keeping fish for?

 

[rabbut]

Been keeing fish for 14yrs, since the age of 4. Folks left me to it pretty much from 5 onwards... I've also worked in a LFS for 2.5yrs, so yes, it is a considerable bit of my life. I realised I now suffer MTS and have an obsession with the hobby this week when I looked for a place for an angelfish breeding set-up

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Been keeing fish for 14yrs, since the age of 4. Folks left me to it pretty much from 5 onwards... I've also worked in a LFS for 2.5yrs, so yes, it is a considerable bit of my life. I realised I now suffer MTS and have an obsession with the hobby this week when I looked for a place for an angelfish breeding set-up

you thinking about breeding those pretty wild type ones you had?

 

[rabbut]

Thats exactly the pair that I'm gonna try. They got about 75ish to free swimming last week in the community tank... Alone in a 20g tall they can't harm any Discus and can spawn fortnightly as they please...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

interesting....... very interesting...... we're in no position to add fish to the tank at present with life on it's head but in a month or tweo we may be and there is definately room.....

keep me posted!

 

[rabbut]

Will do I will probibly get them to spawn and raise the fry to just past free swimming in the 20g and then move the parents back to the community tank. I'd then take over and spend the next month raising the fish. I could get about 30ish to about 1" a piece in a 20g easily, and could raise about 50ish to 50p size in a fortnight where they become sellable also. That isn't however what I'd call a successful breeding set-up. I call it sucessful if I get 95% of the eggs to sellable stage, and all of said fry are of good quality... They lay about 200 eggs at a time, so 150 will become fish food... Not a great loss rate, but it has to be done for the welfare of the better fry

Anyhow MW, if I cancel breeding plans, I'll let you know and we can sort something out with the pair. I could probibly sort you some fry when you are ready if I go ahead with the breeding also. Remember that because they will be raised by the parents to free swimming that these fry should make good maternal parents also, unlike many asian imports The more I watch these fish the more I think they were local bred in the first place. Always a bonus. I still have to convince my Dad that the old tank has to be set-up with the Rena XP2 and heater for breeding them in the garrage yet, so the set-up is by no means guarrenteed

I will keep you updated via PM and bear you in mind as and when I have any fish to move on to a good home

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Thanks mate appreciate it, as I say you know the situation at home at the moment so I'm not wanting to put anymore fish into the tank until we're actually living there and can keep an eye on things.

then i need to have a chat with Ian about stocking as we haven't decided what we're going to re-stock with but as you know we both have a bit of a penchant for pretty wild type angels so I don't think he'd be that hard to convince!