Filtration Sanity Check Questions

Setup:
I've got a 46 gallon tank that's cycled nicely for 12 weeks. Gravel
Substrate, Plastic Plants, 6" bubble bar, and Penguin 170 Power filter.
25% water change once a week, 78-80 F temp, South American Flooded
Forest Biotope.

I've been adding in fish and invertebrates for the last six weeks- and
I'm pretty much near the limit of bioload I should have in the tank. (44
inches of adult size animals. Most of them are currently juveniles at
less than 1/2 of their full size.) However, as I'm adding fish, I've
noticed a steady decline in the ability of the biological and mechanical
filtering to keep up.

Everyone's healthy and happy so far, but I don't want to run into
problems down the road, and I'd like to add more filtration- if nothing
else, for a backup system when I need to clean out the penguin, etc.

Other parameters:
I can't have clutter and noise where the tank is placed, have less than
$100 US to spend, want parts I can rinse out and put back in (unlike the
Penguin 170).

Questions:
After doing some homework on the net, I've settled on getting a
submerged internal filter, probably a Fluval 4+. (I especially like the
idea that I can add a peat filter to it to help out the pH, but that's a
minor concern.)

Does this sound like a good choice, given these parameters?
Is the Eheim Aquaball worth the extra dough over the Fluval? If so, why?
Is the 4+ overkill? Since I already have the Penguin 170, would a 3+ do?

Thanks in advance for any on-topic opinions.

"John Thomas" wrote in message
...
|
| Questions:
| After doing some homework on the net, I've settled on getting a
| submerged internal filter, probably a Fluval 4+. (I especially like
the
| idea that I can add a peat filter to it to help out the pH, but
that's a
| minor concern.)

I've found the submerged filters to be effective, but high
maintenance. Mostly due to the need to remove covers and reach into
the tank to change or rinse the media, not to mention lost space in
the tank, and I find them unsightly, particularily in species and
'theme' tanks.

|
| Does this sound like a good choice, given these parameters?
| Is the Eheim Aquaball worth the extra dough over the Fluval? If so,
why?
| Is the 4+ overkill? Since I already have the Penguin 170, would a
3+ do?
|
| Thanks in advance for any on-topic opinions.

I'm a firm believer that there is no 'overkill' when you're
talking filtration. Unless the outflow is pinning fish up against the
glass, having some cushion is nice.
I really don't like the Aquaball, but for only one reason, the
maintenance is even worse than the Fluvals. The media is VERY small,
and will clog fast. You're going to be pulling that bad boy out of
the tank once a week. Other than that the Aquaball is a fantastic
device, but Fluval has really stepped up to the plate recently. I'd
go with the Fluval if you're set on the submerged design.

All that said, you have 100 dollars to spend. In your situation,
I'd take 45 dollars of that, and get a Marineland 400, and mothball
the 170. Use the other 55 dollars to buy the little woman something
to butter her up for permission to add yet another tank.


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In message , John Thomas writes
Setup:
I've got a 46 gallon tank that's cycled nicely for 12 weeks. Gravel
Substrate, Plastic Plants, 6" bubble bar, and Penguin 170 Power filter.
25% water change once a week, 78-80 F temp, South American Flooded
Forest Biotope.

I've been adding in fish and invertebrates for the last six weeks- and
I'm pretty much near the limit of bioload I should have in the tank.
(44 inches of adult size animals. Most of them are currently juveniles
at less than 1/2 of their full size.) However, as I'm adding fish, I've
noticed a steady decline in the ability of the biological and
mechanical filtering to keep up.

Everyone's healthy and happy so far, but I don't want to run into
problems down the road, and I'd like to add more filtration- if nothing
else, for a backup system when I need to clean out the penguin, etc.

Other parameters:
I can't have clutter and noise where the tank is placed, have less than
$100 US to spend, want parts I can rinse out and put back in (unlike
the Penguin 170).

Questions:
After doing some homework on the net, I've settled on getting a
submerged internal filter, probably a Fluval 4+. (I especially like the
idea that I can add a peat filter to it to help out the pH, but that's
a minor concern.)

Does this sound like a good choice, given these parameters?
Is the Eheim Aquaball worth the extra dough over the Fluval? If so, why?

odd; my aquaball was cheaper than the fluval option, which is why I got
it. I've got the fluval 1+ in a small tank and the biggest aquaball in a
46 gallon tank. I like the aquaball a lot; I like the different
chambers, I like the adjustable flow and optional bubble, I love the way
you can move the top of it around any which way you like to have the
flow of water pointing wherever you want. It's almost completely silent
(as is the little fluval). It's great at biological filtration but
doesn't seem to be as good as pulling bigger chunks out of the tank as
the fluval (bear in mind that the fluval only had 13 gallons to cope
with) - the fluval sucked in leaves, excrement, uneaten fishfood (not
that there was much of that) etc. The aquaball seems to leave all the
leaves and some of the rest bobbling round the tank; for me that's not a
problem at the moment but it might be as the fish get bigger. I should
probably try rearranging the chunks of wood by the filter to see if that
helps...

I think what I'm saying is: "your call".

Is the 4+ overkill? Since I already have the Penguin 170, would a 3+ do?

Thanks in advance for any on-topic opinions.

--
sophie

Hey John,

I purchased the Penguin 330 for my 55 gallon tank last week. The thing is
pretty big, but it uses two filters (one on each side of the intake), has
two containers to put additional media in (peat, etc), and also has a
BIO-Wheel for each outflow (two total).

I know another individual recommended the Marineland 400, but, I would also
think that the Penguin 330 would work perfect for you. The only differences
between the two is that the Marinline 400 puts out 400 gallons per hour (so
they say) and the Penguin puts out 330 gallons per hour. In your 46 gallon
tank, the 330 would be more than enough. In addition to that, the
Marineland has a switch on the top of it to slow the rate of flow. But, the
Penguin has little notches in the intake pipe, probably 6-7 of them, so you
have more settings regulating the flow.

The Penguin 330's can be found online for around $22-$23. In my personal
opinion, I would save the extra money for something down the road. The
Penguin and Marinelands are made by the same company also.

Brian S.

"John Thomas" wrote in message ...
Setup:
I've got a 46 gallon tank that's cycled nicely for 12 weeks. Gravel
Substrate, Plastic Plants, 6" bubble bar, and Penguin 170 Power filter.
25% water change once a week, 78-80 F temp, South American Flooded
Forest Biotope.

I've been adding in fish and invertebrates for the last six weeks- and
I'm pretty much near the limit of bioload I should have in the tank. (44
inches of adult size animals. Most of them are currently juveniles at
less than 1/2 of their full size.) However, as I'm adding fish, I've
noticed a steady decline in the ability of the biological and mechanical
filtering to keep up.

Everyone's healthy and happy so far, but I don't want to run into
problems down the road, and I'd like to add more filtration- if nothing
else, for a backup system when I need to clean out the penguin, etc.

Other parameters:
I can't have clutter and noise where the tank is placed, have less than
$100 US to spend, want parts I can rinse out and put back in (unlike the
Penguin 170).

Questions:
After doing some homework on the net, I've settled on getting a
submerged internal filter, probably a Fluval 4+. (I especially like the
idea that I can add a peat filter to it to help out the pH, but that's a
minor concern.)

Does this sound like a good choice, given these parameters?
Is the Eheim Aquaball worth the extra dough over the Fluval? If so, why?
Is the 4+ overkill? Since I already have the Penguin 170, would a 3+ do?

Thanks in advance for any on-topic opinions.