# Filtering Options For a 55?



## goldtopper (Jun 27, 2008)

What the best, budget in mind, options for filtering a 55? I was wondering if an Emporer 400 is sufficient? I would also have an airstone, sub-substrate.
My fish would likely be 12 demasoni, 5 yellow labs and 5 rusties.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

With a stock list that large I would definitely get at least one large canister filter (rated for 100 gals or so)... if not two. IMO canisters do more of the dirty work (which you will need) whereas HOB are more suitable for smaller stocking levels.

You may want to do a HOB as well to increase surface agitation as high oxygen levels will be important in your tank as well.

A canister + HOB will probably be a good setup for you.

If you only have a budget for one HOB filter, I would definitely suggest reducing your stock list.


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

if you're looking for the cheapest option that would do well with your setup, I'd go with two penguin 350's. They are pretty decent filters and if you print out the price on petsmart.com and take it in the store you'll get them each for $26. I have one running along with my Marineland C-360 and I have to respectfully disagree with edouthirt, sorry, but I've found that my HOB does most of the "dirty work" and picks up most of the solid waste. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier with my cannister filter but IME the canister works well for biological filtration, not so much for mechanical filtration. I'm rather heavily stocked as well.
50g show with:

7 yellow labs
1 Albino red top zebra ( i know, kind of ramdom :lol: )
16 demasoni 
6 synondontis 
1 7" sailfin pleco

With my weekly 25%, I feed twice a day and it still takes about a week for my nitrates to get above 30ppm.
To sum it all up, GO WITH THE TWO PENGUIN 350's. :thumb:

Khris


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## Heyguy74 (Aug 11, 2005)

I would go for at least two filters. This way you have a backup running if one fails for some reason. I like one canister at least but two pengiuins or emporers would work fine.


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

bananahands,

Oddly enough when I said "dirty work", I actually was talking about biological filtration... however, I can totally see how my poor choice of words can very easily be taken as cleaning up poo.

However, in my exerience, the canister (which I also have c-360's, I used to have a c-360 X penguin 350 but the penguin died and I replaced it with another c-360) does as good of a job picking up poo as the HOB did. In regards to filters picking up poo... it is (IMO) far more important to have the right kind of water movement to get the poo over to the intakes... Whether it gets sucked up by a HOB, or cannister... it's not gonna come out the other end of the filter either way.


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

I totally agree, thats why I'm working on a UGJ to help get the poo over to the c-360 intake. I'm saving up right now for a second c-360 (just got out of the military, not much extra cash) to replace my penguin. I figure the two of them would be more than enough plus I kind of think of the 350 intake as an eyesore. I have my c-360 intake in the corner and would put the other in the opposite corner. I made a spray-bar out of pvc so you don't even see it at all, plus i get plenty of silent surface agitation. :thumb:

Khris


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## edouthirt (Jan 22, 2008)

Once you get the second c-360... you're gonna sit there and be wondering if everything is actually on... it's gonna be so much more quiet.

Right now my 29 gallon brichardi tank is being filtered by a HOB type power filter (one of the Eclipse system set ups)... I eventually want to upgrade that as well to a canister at some point because as my brichardis start breeding like mad... I think the eclipse system is not going to be able to keep up with the bio load. And it would be nice to have that be a silent tank as well.


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

I know what you mean, when I first got my c-360, I hooked it up and unplugged my penguin for a minute to listen. It was almost completely silent. I had a bubble wall in my 50g for a while because the fish kept gasping for oxygen. I just couldn't get the c-360 outlet to sit high enough for surface agitation. Thats why I built the spray-bar, I couldn't stand the look and the sound of the bubble wall and air pump. I couldn't believe how much quieter it was without the bubble wall. My penguin doesn't make too much noise, I keep the water level very high since I have the spray-bar for agitation. I'm very happy with the look and function of the spray-bar. I saw another guy on here had two c-360's and built a spray-bar the length of the tank with the outlet for each attached to each end. I think I'll copy that design.

Khris


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## algae eater (Jul 29, 2008)

I have a 55 and for the past couple years have used an Eheim 2215. It does a nice job of keeping things clean and is very quite.


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## dtress3 (Jan 27, 2007)

Can anyone share how-to steps or pics on making a spray bar?


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

super easy! just get 1/2" pvc and whatever elbows you need to hang it over the back of your tank. then run the pvc down the back of the tank (i had it go down about 10") then connect your hose to a barbed pvc connector. Cut the pvc portion for a spraybar to whatever length you'd like. I drilled 1/8 holes about every inch and a half. Then use pvc glue/cement to glue it all together. But I didn't glue the actual spray portion to the 90degree elbow so that I could rotate it and adjust the spray direction.

Here's what the barbed fitting looks like. 









Here's the end cap that you DO glue on. (and I know, my holes aren't exactly straight, I tried :lol: )









Here's the almost finished product. I sprayed it with black Krylon Fusion paint after this but forgot to take a picture.


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## dtress3 (Jan 27, 2007)

Thanks, let helps! Would I connect this to my output hose on the C-360 instead of using the one that comes with the canister? I would have never understood instructions without pics


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

yes, rather than using the output that comes with the C-360, you just slide the hose onto the barbed connector and use the clamp that came with the filter to keep it snug.

Khris


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## knotty dreadlocks (Oct 31, 2008)

do you have a recent pics of this spray setup


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## BANANAHANDS (Mar 22, 2007)

NO, not right now, and my girlfriend lost my XD card for my camera so it may be a while. Let me see what I have already on the computer.


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