Ted Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hello, I'm sure this must have been asked before, but, We are looking for some advice on a filter for a 65 gallon aquarium. The tank will be used for Cichlids and be planted, should we go with a HOB or a Canister, and which brands would you reccommend? HOB's are less expensive but it looks like canisters do a better job of filtration and would provide better bio filtration system. How about leaks, cleaning intervals, performance, etc? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catshanon Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 The amount of filtration will depend on your stocking level. I have always run my tanks with AquaClears and I have found them very easy to clean. I have a Magnum250 HOB that is time consuming. Aquaclears are plain and simple so a lot of people in this forum use them. I haven't used canisters at all, so I cannot say anything about them. I would suggest you go with a HOB (maybe 2) instead of a single Fluval 404 or the higher end Eheim brands. If your tank is heavily planted, you might not need over filtration. One of my tanks ran for 10 days without a filter and there wasn't any casualties since I had it densely planted. Raj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkangel Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I use 2 filters on all my tanks. Makes cleaning easier and you are able to alternate the filters. I also overfilter the hell out of my tanks. I am running canisters and hob, Except on my planted tank. I am running 2 canisters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 one of each is the way to go due to cleaning. how big is the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajays Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I used a XP 3 worked very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Will you be adding CO2 for the plants? HOBs cause higher CO2 loss because of the surface turbulence. As catshannon mentioned, If it's going to be heavily planted, the plants will be doing much of the bio-filtration for you and you can safely go with a smaller filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Will you be adding CO2 for the plants? HOBs cause higher CO2 loss because of the surface turbulence.As catshannon mentioned, If it's going to be heavily planted, the plants will be doing much of the bio-filtration for you and you can safely go with a smaller filter. Thankks for the reply, We were not planning on adding CO2, should we be if using a HOB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catshanon Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Will you be adding CO2 for the plants? HOBs cause higher CO2 loss because of the surface turbulence.As catshannon mentioned, If it's going to be heavily planted, the plants will be doing much of the bio-filtration for you and you can safely go with a smaller filter. Thankks for the reply, We were not planning on adding CO2, should we be if using a HOB? You add CO2 for the plants and only for demanding and difficult to keep plants. I don't know what kind of cichlids you will be keeping as not all plants can be kept with cichlids. Angels and apistos will not harm plants, but African cichlids will destroy some plants. So, depending on the type of plants and the lighting, you can add CO2. You need to have a balance between lighting and CO2. Too much of either one and you will have an algae breakout. Raj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digital-monk Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 (edited) I think you could do two HOB's for a 65 gallon and that would give good filtration. For me I would want a canister if the tank was any bigger than 65 gallons. Canisters are far superior in terms of flow rates, media capacity, and many are easier to clean. I'd suggest you look at an XP3, in my opinion they're the easiest to clean. Edited March 15, 2009 by digital-monk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Posted March 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Thanks for all the information folks, It looks like we will try a canister filter, and have been looking at the Eheim's, both the 2215 and 2217 classics. The 2217 has 50% more media than the 2215, and has a greater flow rate, but would it be too much? We just got back from the "Big" store in Edmonton, I swear that the cost went up from last weekend, but I couldn't find the gent I talked to last week. Are they are the only Eheim dealers in town? I will check the net, but would rather support a local shop. If you have any opinions good or bad about the Eheim's or their various models (Ecco, Classic, Pro) we would appreciate it. I am starting to dream about aquarium filters at night, I gotta get something soon, so I can get back to my old dreams. Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishful Thinking Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 I run two eheim 2217 classics. They are great. Quiet/silent, huge media capacity and no bypass. One will be lots for 65 gallons. In regards to whether or not the flow rate would be too much, I wouldn't worry about it. Flow rate in the eheim classics is not as powerful as other canisters, but with the design of them, they don't need as much flow because of the large media volume and lack of bypass. I would recommend the 2217 as it gives you plenty of filtration and can be moved onto larger tanks in the future more easily than the 2215. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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