New Tank Setup--Filtration????? Magnum HOT or other suggestions??

[David]

I'm in the process of buying a tank. I'm getting a 75gallon. I'm
planning on adding some plants and making it a community tank with
Barbs & Rainbows.

What do you all suggest for filtration. I'm sure it's been asked
hundreds of times.

I want the easiest to maintain. Least amount of hassle and no water
spillage. But, of course, I want the most effective as well.

I have not set the tank up yet.

I purchased 2 Magnum HOT (250 gph each) to use as my sole filtration.
I did not purchase the Biowheel or vaccuum attachment. Will the 2
Magnum HOT filters provide adequate filtration, ie. Biological??
Everyone keeps saying, including the manual, that they are for
Mechanical/Chemical, not Biological, unless you get the Biowheels.

I was hesitant to buy these HOT filters since I'm not so wild about
the needed space behind the tank to fit the filters.

Other options: I liked the idea of an external filter hidden inside
the tank stand, but I've heard that externals are kind of a pain to
clean and kinda expensive.

Power filters need space as well and I guess are noisier.

For whatever reason I not so keen on an undergravel filter. Read some
things and not too wild about the extra tubing running up the back of
the tank.

All suggestions are welcome for my current purchase or changes or
combinations. I can return what I purchased.

Thanks,
David

[Billy]

"David" > wrote in message
om...
| I'm in the process of buying a tank. I'm getting a 75gallon. I'm
| planning on adding some plants and making it a community tank with
| Barbs & Rainbows.


Your setup sounds like an ideal candidate for a canister filter. I
like the Eheim Pro series, but the Fluvals seem very popular right
now. I've had bad luck with them.
Canister filters, of which the magnums are a type of, *ARE* a bit
weak on the biological filtration score. HOWEVER!!!! With the added
fact that you will have live plants, you should be fine. I have been
running a heavily loaded 45 gallon tank on an Eheim Pro 2320 for a
couple years, and my ammonia and nitrite are zero, and nitrates are
usually so low, I have to add supplements to keep my plants alive.

They are quiet, nearly invisible, and compact. I clean my eheims only
when flow is reduced due to gorp in the filter media, so maintenance
is a mess, but scheduled maintenance would be much easier.<g>

Eheim: http://www.aquahobby.com/products/e_ehpro.php
Fluval: http://www.aquahobby.com/products/e_fluval.php


HTH

billy


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[George Pontis]

In article >,
says...
> I'm in the process of buying a tank. I'm getting a 75gallon. I'm
> planning on adding some plants and making it a community tank with
> Barbs & Rainbows.
>
> ...
>

If noise is a concern, canister filters can be quite good. The tubing running up
behind the aquarium is not that obtrusive. You would need one of the largest sizes
for that 75 gallon aquarium just to get adequate flow rates and water circulation.

My personal experience is limited to a small Eheim Pro 2224 and a smaller Fluval
104. I like the Eheim design a little more, and the unit is remarkably quiet and
vibration-free. However the Fluval is plenty good enough, media and parts are
somewhat more available, and the cost is less than half that of the Eheim Pro
solution.

[Bill Stock]

"David" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm in the process of buying a tank. I'm getting a 75gallon. I'm
> planning on adding some plants and making it a community tank with
> Barbs & Rainbows.
>
> What do you all suggest for filtration. I'm sure it's been asked
> hundreds of times.
>
> I want the easiest to maintain. Least amount of hassle and no water
> spillage. But, of course, I want the most effective as well.
>
> I have not set the tank up yet.
>
> I purchased 2 Magnum HOT (250 gph each) to use as my sole filtration.
> I did not purchase the Biowheel or vaccuum attachment. Will the 2
> Magnum HOT filters provide adequate filtration, ie. Biological??
> Everyone keeps saying, including the manual, that they are for
> Mechanical/Chemical, not Biological, unless you get the Biowheels.
>
> I was hesitant to buy these HOT filters since I'm not so wild about
> the needed space behind the tank to fit the filters.
>
> Other options: I liked the idea of an external filter hidden inside
> the tank stand, but I've heard that externals are kind of a pain to
> clean and kinda expensive.
>
> Power filters need space as well and I guess are noisier.
>
> For whatever reason I not so keen on an undergravel filter. Read some
> things and not too wild about the extra tubing running up the back of
> the tank.
>
> All suggestions are welcome for my current purchase or changes or
> combinations. I can return what I purchased.
>
> Thanks,
> David

My first tank (55G) had an AquaClear 500 and two penguin 660R running the
RUGF. I like the AC500, dead simple, cheap to operate and fairly flexible
filter media if you use the bags. I used the polyester batting from Walmart
for filter floss. The new tank (75G) will have two Fluval 304s, with no UGF
filter. Probably one 304 would be enough, but I like the idea of a backup,
plus it will give me more media options. I've had the one 304 cycling on the
old tank for about a month (waiting for parts) and it's been fine. I
originally had the had some concerns about mess/leakage with the externals,
but the Fluval quick disconnect valve is relatively painless. I got both
304s for $99 CDN each from different sources, so they are not expensive.