Terrie Lee Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 I have been looking at filtration for the 55g I am going to get in a few months. I want to know if I should go with a hang on the side power filter or a canister filter. I would also like to know what everyone else uses in their freshwater tanks and why. Everyone was so quick and helpful with the glass vs. acrylic question. Thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 If you're mainly interested in keeping fish, then I'd go for an HOB, or two. Especially the AquaClears, they're easy to use and maintain. If you're going to do a planted tank, then I do prefer the canister filter because you can set them up so to get less surface agitation and a lot of flow deeper in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaddict Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 and canisters are generally silent, I have eheim the pro series, and are silent! and can handle a large bio load with a huge surface area for bacteria! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 For the larger tanks, definately the canister. They can be cocealed ubder the tank. With 1 very large and preferably two HOB, they take up a lot of space ontop of the tank. However you can't grow plants out of your canister. So if it's a none planted tank and you'd like to grow plants out the top of them (many benifits to this), then HOB. For a larger tank you might want to consider a powerhead also with a sponge filter. You can airate the water as well as add extra movement in your tank. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 (edited) It really boils down to the type of fish you plan on keeping, whether you want a planted tank, or just fish, how silent the filter must be for your set up, and how much $$$ you want to spend. When my 55 was up & running I ran two AC 110's on it, but it had no plants, lots of mbuna (that could easily handle the current) and I was able to muffle most of the AC noise (not that they were overly noisy) by having a wooden canopy cover the tank. With a canopy my filters were just as invisible as a canister would be. If money is no object, then a couple of Eheim canisters would be the way to go, but if you decide on going the HOB route then AC's will give you the best bang for your buck. Either way, I prefer to always run at least 2 filters, no matter what the size of tank, just in case one of them fails. When it comes to filtration, redundancy is always a good idea. HTH Edited February 5, 2007 by RD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzig Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 personally if i were you i would most likely go with 1- Aquaclear 70 or 110 hang on filter and 1- Rena XP2 canister. i have an AC110 and a Rena XP3 on my 90g Oscar tank (no live plants), dead silent except the waterfall and my water parameters are always on par. Originally i wanted to buy an Eheim canister but because of my budget at the time i went with the Rena XP series. To be honest the next canister filter i buy whether on a budget or not will be another Rena. I am very impressed with the quality,ease and efficiency with the Rena. I agree with RD thats its by far better to have 2 or more, especially on larger tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunl Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 I've used the AC's before without any issues. If the noise bothers you, fill the water level right up to the overflow outlet on the filter. If you don;t want to do that or can't keep it that full all the time (like a house with one tank and really low humidity that cause large evaporation), silicone a piece of plexiglass onto the end of the outlet so it lowers further into the water. If the impeller is good on an AC, the majority of the noise will be from the outlet flow dropping onto the water surface. Bring the water to the outlet, or the outlet to the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted February 5, 2007 Report Share Posted February 5, 2007 I used to run 2 a/c 500s on a 108 and it was planted never had any issues with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Used both aquaclear and eheim hob filters. Like the aquaclear the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbuna Ron Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I like eheim cannisters. They are quiet, carry a large biological load and are very durable. If you combine a cannester with a aquaclear, you have the best of both. It is better to overfilter IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainmaker69 Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 When my 55 was running, I ran an Aquaclear 70 and a Fluval 304. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punman Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I'd go with two AC300s (AC70) if you want efficient and cheap. I have three Eheim classics - one bought used, one on sale in town, one cheap by U.S. order. They are nice and silent but much more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 (edited) I'm running a Fluval 404 and an AC 50 on my 58 with good success. But if I could go back and do it again, a slightly larger HOB would be nice. The canister is great and does most of the work anyways IMO. Edited February 6, 2007 by Albertan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 In case you're going for a moderate to heavily planted tank: you can get away with a much smaller filter than what would normally be recommended for a fish only tank. You would basically need it only for mechanical filtration and water movement. The plants take care of the biological filtration (you don't even need to cycle a tank that is well planted from the start.) Also no need for carbon or anything that would absorb fertilizers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinless Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 my 55g is running an emp400/eheim2017 combo. no plants. pleased with the setup, few issues. no surprises Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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