# 90 gallon filtration - what would you add?



## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

I have a 90 gallon heavily rocked mbuna aquarium that I need to add more filtration to. The substrate is sand, and there is probably several hundred pounds of various river rock piled up, along with a foam and concrete DIY background.

I have no idea how many fish I have in there, but I have at least....25-30 adult fish, and another 10 or so juvies, along with multiple females holding. Short of taking everything apart, I can't pull holding females out, so I'm letting them spit into the tank, but apparently there are plenty of hiding spaces :fish: 

Current filtration is an XP3 and a penguin 330. 680 gph by my count, and I don't think the penguin filters it's 330 gph very effectively. Personally, the 10x rule is a bit overkill for me, as my water is perfect out of the tap, and I do regular 40% water changes. I'm not having any problems, but I think I might want to make sure I beat any problems to the punch. I'm not a big fan of the penguin, as aquaclears seem to work better for me, and are easier and cheaper to maintain.

What would you add? I'm leaning towards another canister over a HOB due to ease of maintenance, and also because of the DIY background makes it difficult to add another HOB without getting out the carving knife. As always, when it comes to price...less is more :thumb: In the near future, I'll be setting up a 135 that will be primarily filtered by a DIY sump, although I might want to add some mechanical filtration to that one as well.

Let's hear some suggestions. TIA.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

i would build a d.i.y sump.my 110g has one plus 2 canisters and i don't think i really need the canisters.my 180 has a sump and i think they are the way to go personally.
another xp3 would work, or whatever you find on craigslist for cheap.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

fishwolfe said:


> i would build a d.i.y sump.my 110g has one plus 2 canisters and i don't think i really need the canisters.my 180 has a sump and i think they are the way to go personally.
> another xp3 would work, or whatever you find on craigslist for cheap.


I've been watching craigslist for awhile, and haven't seen a single decent filter come across. Not one. Maybe an AC 50, but that's not even close.

I had thought about a DIY sump, as I have a spare 20 gallon tank sitting around. I'm wary of adding any more weight to the set up though, as the tank already runs parallel to the floor joists. That, and I think adding a sump to an already set up tank might be tricky, as it will be my first DIY sump. It's also in my dining room, so I'd prefer to keep it as silent as it is now.

I'm not in love with my xp3, so was considering a C220/360 or a 2215/2217 as an option. I know the smaller of the each style would be enough, but would I regret going with the smaller filter later?


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

yes  always get as big as money allows.you can never over filter.plus if you get a bigger tank your filter will handle it.


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## ice_9 (Jul 19, 2006)

There has recently been some pretty good info on the Aquael Unimax canisters.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=147750&highlight=unimax+pro

Bit pricey, but apparently pretty good can.


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## mithesaint (Oct 31, 2006)

ice_9 said:


> There has recently been some pretty good info on the Aquael Unimax canisters.
> 
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=147750&highlight=unimax+pro
> 
> Bit pricey, but apparently pretty good can.


Thanks for the tip, but a bit too pricey at this point. I only need to add a little filtration, and those look like pretty heavy duty units. Might just take my advice from another thread and add another XP3 to allow redundancy in spare parts!


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## CICHLUDED (Aug 4, 2006)

I had 2 XP3â€™s on my 90g that worked fine for along timeâ€¦ I think I paid $100 a piece for themâ€¦

I recently purchased an FX5 for a 200g tank on e-bay for $150 (shipping & all) which is about 3 times the filter for $50 more.

Either wayâ€¦ I would add another canisterâ€¦


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

If a deal on a FX5 could be had for around 150.00, it is money well spent. I've been running a single FX5 on my 90 for over a year now (stocked similer to yours) and it keeps the water crsytal clear with no need for additional filteration. Maintainance is fantastic, very low! If you factor in selling what you have, you could end up with better filteration for less than adding another XP3.

But then again, there's not much fun in selling, you already have a 2nd tank in mind, I assume more will come


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

If a deal on a FX5 could be had for around 150.00, it is money well spent. I've been running a single FX5 on my 90 for over a year now (stocked similer to yours) and it keeps the water crsytal clear with no need for additional filteration. Maintainance is fantastic, very low! If you factor in selling what you have, you could end up with better filteration for less than adding another XP3.

But then again, there's not much fun in selling, you already have a 2nd tank in mind, I assume more will come


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## khaki (Jan 12, 2008)

i would get the marineland C-360


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