# New tank filtration question ......



## Hodgie (Oct 21, 2008)

I am thrilled to be setting up my first aquarium and decided to go big . . . 90 gallon tank. Fish-wise I want to go with Malawi Cichlids. I think they look the best for freshwater fish, and they have great personality. I was happy to find this site for other cichlid enthuiasts.

My question has to do with which filtration to go with. I have read up alot on the different options available and I think I am leaning toward the Canister Filter. I like the idea of hiding as much as possible, and not having a filter hanging off the back, and it covers all mech/chem/bio filtrations. Everyone has their opinion on which is best, but I am leaning toward the Marineland C-360, it looks to have good reviews so far. (Anyone have their own opinion or comment for me???)

I am also wondering if the one canister (up tp 100 Gal / 300 Flow rate) will be enough for my 90 gal tank. Is it necessary to have an Undergravel filter, or even one with a reverse flow?? I have noticed that most "experienced" folks have more than one filter in their tank.

Can anyone comment or leave some feedbank. I am REALLLYYYY excited to start, but I want go into this the BEST way I can, and I have the patience to do so. Thanks for any help!!!


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Congrats on your 90g and welcome to cichlid_forum. 

I have two A/S 110s on my 90g. They do a great job, but maybe not for an over stocked Malawi tank.
I definately _get the thing_ about hiding the mechanicals.

I don't have a canister, but am thinking I would like to try one. 
If I got one I would lean toward a Rena XP3 (or XP4 ?) in addition to one A/C 110.

Hope you get some good info, I'll be watching this post. :thumb: 
Alicem


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

On my 90g I have an Eheim Pro II 2028 mainly for biological filtration, an AC110 mainly for mechanical filtration and a HOT Magnum 250 hooked up to a surface skimmer mainly to keep the water surface free of any film. This combination works great for me.


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## Hawks (Feb 7, 2008)

No need for an undergravel filter, they are the old way of filtration. If your planning on using sand (which I would suggest), you would not be able to use an undergravel anyway.

I have both the C-360 and a xp3, both do a great job. The xp3 has a spray bar included (optional), which is nice but does show a bit more of the tubes though if you do use it. The C360 is very nice and VERY quiet.

I would add a HOB filter as well, an Emp 400 would work well with either canister.


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## Hodgie (Oct 21, 2008)

Thanks so much everyone for the feedback. It sounds like you guys are also using more than one filter. I guess more is better in this case. Maybe I should think about a HOB as well. Funny (Hawks) that you should mention the Emperor 400, that was originally my first choice of filter before I changed my mind and decided to go Canister.

Hawks, can you tell me how long you have had your C-360?? I have read a few negative reviews saying that they leak. Have you experienced this?? I think Marineland has made a good name for themselves, and with the C-Series being new to the market, I would think that they are using some of the newer technology when it comes to filtration. I'm glad to hear that they are quiet - a huge plus, and I've also read that they are easy to take apart and clean/replace media.

Also, I am still going back and forth with using sand or gravel. I love the look of sand opposed to gravel, but which do the Malawis like, and which is easier to keep clean??

I was also thinking about getting (2) Hydor Koralia 2's to help with the circulation. Although they seem a little big, I've heard they are the best. Anybody got any feedback on these ????

(this forum is great !!! You guys are really helpful - thanks again) I'll send some picks of my stand/tank/canopy that I just bought. Gonna stain the (unfinished pine) stand & canopy this week.


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## Timkat4867 (Jan 11, 2008)

I would suggest going for a canister filter such as Rena. I use two of them (xp3 and Xp2) and filters very well. In my opinion HOB filters just get in the way.

For your substrate, sand is much better. You will see more of the malawis natural behaviour with sand. (eg Digging, and spitting) and is easier to clean.

With the hydor power heads, the are bulky, but do circulate well. I dont have any experience with the koralia 2, but I own the biggest (4) and it offers a good current. 
If you went with one koralia 4, and 2 canisters, you would have plenty of filtration, and circulation for a 90 gallon malawi. Thats just my opinion.


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

I feel redundancy is key with filtration. This way when a filter breaks down... you have a bit of a grace period instead of losing beloved fish. With the "grace period", you can source parts for the broken filter for pennies on the dollar, vs. buying a whole new filter in a pinch.

The standard setup (happened by accident, reallu) for our 75g tanks is to have one Emperor 400 (under $40) and a Magnum 350 Pro (with biowheels and under $100). The biowheels take care of the biological filtration... and then we run "cut-to-fit" filter pads on the Emperors in lieu of the pricey factory ones. The Magnums run the plain filter socks and empty media cartridges. I only fill up the media cartridges with carbon when it's needed.... only occasionally do I run the micron filter. On one tank, I finally saved up my pennies and got a UV sterilizer for the return line on the Magnum for one tank.

With all of this stuff, you don't have to get it online all at once... you can always add that second filter down the road as your fish get larger. 

-Ryan


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## Hoggy Boss (Oct 4, 2006)

Congrats on the new tank and welcome to the forum. I think combining filters is a good idea. Canister filters are easy to hide, and great for biological filtration, but some of them don't provide as much suface aggitation as you would like. I would use a good HOB with the canister. Some folks use powerheads to make up for this but I always feel like if your going to add another insturment to your setup it might as well be as useful as possible.


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## Hodgie (Oct 21, 2008)

Thanks again guys for all your helpful input. Can you tell me more about the UV Sterilizers?? I've read a little, but don't know too much about them. How long do the bulbs generally last?? They seem to be a bit costly.

Also wondering about checking the ph on the water. What do you guys use, and what would you recommend??


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Sterilizers are indeed pricey gadgets, for what amounts to a fancy light bulb in a tube... but I'm sold on their usefulness.

Basically, anything *alive* in the water column (algae, parasites, fungus, bacteria, anything with a free-swimming life stage) that goes through the sterilizer at the proper speed (just not too fast!) effectively gets nuked.

Sterilizers will keep your water cleaner by killing algae. It'll also reduce the risk of disease/infections by killing the little guys that like to get into the vulnerable scratches/wounds on your fish.

I didn't really think I "needed" a sterilizer... until our severums caught some weird opportunistic fungus that apparently got in some wounds and just would not quit. It was a slow infection that I couldn't beat with any of the common fungal treatments. To try more aggressive meds, I wound up buying a new 20 gallon hospital tank for dosing meds... I couldn't get that to cycle, and one of my favorite fish was floundering in there... so I bought a brand new 75g tank and stand.... and I still had the fungal problem... but I had a new strategy: almost daily water changes, aquarium salt, and daily dosing with Melafix and Pimafix. This worked, but took nearly 6 weeks to wipe out the fungus. I don't even want to add up what I spent on this problem, but it was a lot more than a UV sterilizer would have cost. On the plus side, I got a couple more tanks out of it! :lol: ... but my wallet hurt bigtime... and our severums were none to happy either. :?

Next paycheck I got an 18w Turbo-twist UV unit.

UV Sterilizers aren't a guarantee against disease, but they do help. They are pricey, though... and the bulbs need yearly replacement.

-Ryan


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## Timkat4867 (Jan 11, 2008)

I use aquarium pharmaceuticals test tube kits. very easy to use. The test strips kind in my experience are inaccurate.


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## Hawks (Feb 7, 2008)

I have had my C-360 and XP3 for about a year now, never had any leaks with either of them. The canisters are very easy to clean and do not leak at all when you do it. Both the C-360 and XP3 have a shut off lever which stops the water flow and allows you access to clean the canister. You will have to buy some additional media for the C-360 I added some bio rings and cheap pot scrubbers to mine.

Sand is the way to go over gravel, much easier to clean when you get use to it. The fish also seem to really like the sand better.

Hoggy Boss has a good point with the surface agitation you get from the Emp400. You could use the spray bar from an XP3 for this as well, but the spray bar is pretty big and ugly to have to look at.

Everyone is going to have a different opinion. I think most would agree to use two different filters for a 90 gallon tank. You could go for a canister and HOB or 2 canisters.


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

Hawks said:


> Sand is the way to go over gravel, much easier to clean when you get use to it. The fish also seem to really like the sand better.


Say... do you know of a "sand FAQ" or similar... I love the look of sand, but know nothing of how to manage with it! :roll:

Thanks!
-Ryan


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## Steve St.Laurent (Oct 2, 2008)

Sand FAQ - http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/sand.php


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## ace36m (Oct 19, 2008)

I have a Hydor Koralia 2 that I should be recieving tomorrow I can let you know how it works in a 55 gal tank


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## DanDee (Mar 7, 2008)

Welcome to the CF..
I've got two C360's in my 180 and one in my 50g. The first two I got leaked right out of the box! :x 
Marineland stepped up and replaced them fast. These two are working great so far (3 months).
I have no experience with the HOB's. 
Sand over gravel for sure.
I also installed an UGJ system that works really well to keep the bottom of the tank clean. I have read a number of posts here where a lot of people don't like them. It took some time to get them tuned, but now they work good.
You can checkout my build right here.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... p?t=173811
Dan


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