# What do you use to filter your 125 gallon?



## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

So...what do you use to filter your 125 gallon tank? Please give me some examples.  I know overfiltration is where its at.

I was thinking technically 1 - Fx5 and two Penguin 350's should do the trick on a 125g (equals about 1100 gal/hour).

If not would 2- Fx5's and 2- Penguin 350's do the trick (equals about 1500 gal/hour)? I'm dead set on getting at least one Penguin 350, for the surface aggitation and the extra biological filtration (bio-wheels). Two would probaly be better and create more current. Any thought or suggestions?

*Oh yeah...I'm not much of a fan of Aqua Clear filters. I bought one (the largest one) and the plastic was super flimsy...I broke it trying to get it to fit over the tanks back bracing/edge. Plus I've had a Penguin 350 on my 46 gallon for over a year and it just keeps on trucking!

Thanks for the help guys! :thumb:


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

Mybe get a penguin 400 and Build a sump, cheaper and less fuss. I do mine with a Mag 350 full of aragonite and a 20 gallon sump with about 800 GPH of actual return. I also use a koralia #2 to diffuse flow in one direction from the return. Oh and you don't really need surface agitation if you're running a sump because of the surface skimmer intake. HTH


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

Now that I think about it my return my be more like 950 GPH


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## cichlidpastor (Jun 20, 2009)

niccomau said:


> So...what do you use to filter your 125 gallon tank? Please give me some examples.  I know overfiltration is where its at.
> 
> I was thinking technically 1 - Fx5 and two Penguin 350's should do the trick on a 125g (equals about 1100 gal/hour).
> 
> ...


If I'm not mistaken I believe the fx5 pushes 925 gph. if you put one with 2 pen 350's that's more like 1625 gph. I use 2 Emperor 400's and a 1 magnum 350.

Why penguins and not emperors?


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## Icey101 (Nov 5, 2007)

two Emp 400 and two C-360 for my 125 gal.


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## @nt!x (Feb 9, 2009)

I would use a sump. They are a lot easier to deal with.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i caught a look at an emperor in an opened box at a pet store, i would go with one of them instead, i like the media baskets you get with them

i agree with the sump people for that size, not an easy task though


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*I know overfiltration is where its at.*
Have to disagree with that. Enough filtration to achieve your goals is "where it`s at". Seems some peoples goal is to have the most gph, with little regard for the real purpose of the filters. Madly pumping huge volumes of dirty water, no mater the GPH bragging, is still pumping huge volumes of dirty water.

*1 - Fx5 and two Penguin 350's should do the trick on a 125g (equals about 1100 gal/hour). *
The FX5/penguin seems a good combo to me. I am glad you took the media restrictions into account on your GPH figures..many truly believe they are pumping the "advertised" flow through their filters.

* at least one Penguin 350, for the surface aggitation and the extra biological filtration (bio-wheels). *
For a 125, the FX5 and one penguin would be a great match. I love having a HOB for the ease of filter service. With the amount of surface area your tank/decor will provide, along with whatever bio media you might have in the FX5..those bio wheels would have little or no, effect. They would provide an easy to get at source for tank "seeding". 
I too am a big fan of wet/dry sumps..*There just are no comparisons to them for filtration, period. *
But, they are not a system for everyone. If you are not a "handy" person, the costs involved in "off the shelf, plug and play" are huge, not to mention the set up. 
From your post, I got the feeling you want good filtration, without a bunch of hassle..
Good luck


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## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

Thanks Kaiser! Your pretty much pegged it, I am not really a handy person and I would love hassle free stuff lol! The set up of a sump just seems like a lot of work to me. I like how easy it is to service my Penguin 350, just pop out the cartridge and your pretty good to go. Not that I can't learn and pull off a sump, but I kinda want to stick with what I know, I've had a canister and HOBS before, so it's easy peasey.

I'm always really good about keeping a clean tank, I also like to sneak a few plants in there too. I guess overfiltration might not have been the best phrase to use, but I'm trying to follow the 10x guildeline, because it hasn't done me wrong with my 46 gallon tank. Maintaining a tank with adequate filtration and flow is a lot easier imo. A lot less gravel vac involved. :thumb: I'm planning on doing an All Male Hap tank with about 10-11 large fish.

Thanks for all the great responses. I'm glad to have support on the 2 penguin 350's and 1 fx5 idea. It seemed like overkill at first... then I read an article about the fx5 and how it was tested with no filter media, which makes a huge difference.


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

The 10X "rule of thumb" generally applies to HOB style filters, and may not apply to canisters or sump systems. As Kaiser pointed out, "enough filtration" is really where it's at. Once you've got enough bio filtration, zero ammonia/nitrite is zero ammonia/nitrite, no matter what your gph is. The one thing you can get from extra filter flow is more/better mechanical filtration, but that's mostly for your benefit rather than the fish. As long as you're doing regular water changes and vacuuming your substrate, you'll be good to go with way less than most people choose to use. There is, however, something to be said for redundancy. Unless I had a sump setup I don't think I'd ever do just a single filter on a tank that size. I must second Kaiser's recommendation for a single FX5 and a single penguin, though if a second penguin makes you happy, it's your tank!

Just have to make one other point -- if you're increasing your mechanical filtration, as long as you're cleaning that mechanical media at every vacuum/water change then you've got the same water quality, and increased water clarity. If, however, you are vacuuming/water changing more often than you're cleaning the mechanical filtration media, you will have better clarity but you will actually have worse water quality (in terms of nitrates) than if you had less mechanical filtration (i.e. with less mech. filtration you vacuum the gunk off the bottom of the tank, rather than picking up and storing it in a filter pad where it turns into nitrate as it decays)

-Rick (The armchair aquarist, who's large tanks have always been lightly stocked)


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

I really feel outgunned now..... My 125 has been up since june 08 and I have run an xp3, fluval 204 and 404 all stuffed with bio and mech filter material. Nitrates are always in check. I would discourage HOB if you run sand. A drilled sump seems to be the best solution because of ease and effectiveness(quiet, no water spillage, lots of media price)


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

I agree with "Verbal Kent" although and I am an emperor fan. Take into consideration the needs of your fish too. For instance, as I mentioned I have a 950 GPH (True return having done the math for head, media and restriction.) and a Mag 350. I also mentioned using a Koralia #2 for diffusion, that is, it is aimed in such a way as to diffuse the entry power of 950 gallons so I don't blow my fish all over. My Gobies hang out in the "wash" these two create but, other than gobies, Tanganyikans don't appreciate much current.

So if you've got river fish, by all means, blowem around, if not...


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## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

Planning the tank for male haps that range from 8-13 inches when full grown  Okay I've never really had too much flow before...is the Koralia #2 a powerhead? Sounds pretty handy if its both ...I imagine the fish as juvi's wouldn't appreciate the same ammount of current they would as adults. Might be a good thing for me to buy aswell.


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

It is a power head and they're great for a number of things. You can aim it upward to create real good agitation, or you can diffuse with it. The small cross currents power heads create tend to "swirl" up poop and stuff giving it a few chances to hit a filter intake rather than the substrate.

JMO, rift lake cichlids don't come from lakes which contain almost any current, however, IME, in captivity they do benefit from a very little bit. I think because plants and other anaerobic bacteria present in lakes process the nitrate present thus making wild substrate the cleanest place to be whereas in the flow-less aquarium all the toxicity gathers on the floor. So a bit of flow is good but keep in mind it doesn't take much to move things around without moving fish around.

With rift lake cichlids I think a good tip is to organize your flow however you like and watch to make sure your fish are not having to swim continuously to keep themselves in one spot. AF rift cichlids are not built for that kind of riverine flow. The only exception would be, as I mentioned, "Surge Zone" fish, but even then you want more downward flow than river like flow.


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## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

> You can aim it upward to create real good agitation, or you can diffuse with it.


I like the idea... I'm going to put that on the list. It would be good to have that kind of versatility in a tank. If a situation arises ( ex: Ich, treating it with salt and uping the temp requires really good aggitation and oxygenation) it would be good to be able to adapt quickly. Not have to run out and purchase one on the fly. Haunting the forums I read a topic about a Fossorochromis rostratus that was gulping excessively (but not at the surface). None of the other fish were doing it. It was determined that the Fosso, the largest fish in the tank, and one of the most active, was suffering from a lack of O2. The guy bought a power head for aggitation and the Fosso stopped gulping. I plan on having a Fosso so it'd be a good investment. Plus all the fish would benefit from lots of O2 in the water anyways.

Thanks so much for the great suggestions guys! I've always been sort of an obsessive planner, and the forum always helps me plan better for eventualities.

Oh here's another question...do any of you use an inline-heater (the kind that can only be used on canisters)? I've only used the intank ones, so do they work good? Any problems?


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## Rick_Lindsey (Aug 26, 2002)

My Dad has a hydor inline heater on the return from an Eheim to his 55gal south american tank, and he has no problems with it.

-Rick (the armchair aquarist)


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## BigFish77 (Feb 1, 2009)

I have a 180 gallon tank with large haps, similar to the proposed 125. I am running a C360 and Magnum 350 with the bio-wheels. Neither provide adequate surface agitation, so I added two internal power heads one for the surface one for the tank floor. Each power head has an attachable filter so they keep the tank clear. I do routine WCs and clean each canister on alternating weekends. This set-up works fine for me. I am thinking your stock list will be somewhat close to mine pheno, fossie, spinolatus, and some peacock/lethrinops mixed in as well. The big guys love the currents, especially my fossies they school together and swim in the flow. I have seven, 2-3 inch fossie waiting for them to mature before splitting them up. They are my first fossies, cool fish you'll enjoy them. Good Luck, oh never used an in-line heater but interested to see if they are dependable.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

I use two Rena XP3s on my 125 male peacock/hap tank. I have the spraybars on the end walls blowing toward the middle. I have them pointed mostly down at about a 45 degree angle. I drilled two extra holes in the bars to add jsut a bit of surface aggitation. The inlets are both at the center back abiout 8in each side of dead center. Good flow, no visible poo.


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## tankhead (Aug 8, 2008)

I have a sump on my 125gal. The only maintenance is to rinse out the floss every few weeks during water changes.


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## MalawiLover (Sep 12, 2006)

tankhead said:


> I have a sump on my 125gal. The only maintenance is to rinse out the floss every few weeks during water changes.


I had a sump, and it worked great, I just got tired of the noise while I was watching TV (Kept making me have to pee) opcorn:


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## tankhead (Aug 8, 2008)

Understood. My son likes it. It reminds him of those in-home waterfalls / fountains that you can buy.


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## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

Haha I have a tank in my bedroom and it drives me nuts if the water level is low because of the biowheels splashing. Bigfish you pegged some of em. The final stock list is going to be (unless it isn't available at the time):

1-Buccochromis nototaenia
1-Fossorochromis rostratus
1-Exochromis anagenys
1-Lethrinops furcifer
1-Mylochromis gracilis or Mylochromis lateristriga - both if possible
1-Nimbochromis venustus
1-Nimbochromis fuscotaeniatus
1-Placidochromis milomo
1-Protomelas spilonotus Mara Rocks
1-Protomelas sp. 'Spilonotus Tanzania'
1-Protomelas taeniolatus

Seeing Malawilovers filter set-up I might just invest in two canisters... I don't think I can afford two fx5's but I might be able to get a C-360, or a Rena to go with. Penguin 350's run about $40-50 here. Getting two doubles the price and for about $20-40 more I can prob. get a canister. Haunting the forums tells me that canisters come out the more efficient filter versus a HOB. Plus they usually come with a spray bar...and are much easier to attach powerheads or skimmers to.

For a 125 gallon tank don't you usually need two heaters? Does the same idea apply with inline heaters? Would I need one for each canister?

LOL, sorry guys I bet you feel like your playing 20 questions with your kids or something :lol:


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## DanDee (Mar 7, 2008)

I've got a 180g...2 X C-360's *AND* a 40g sump. Love the sump, easy for mech. filter maintenance and bio. I clean the 360's twice a year!

Whatever can's you get...get two alike...saves money. :thumb:

I don't have any heaters at all  My problem is the water is to warm :-?

Dan


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## newday (Mar 15, 2008)

I use 2 x eheim 2028 with hydor external heaters on each canister for a 220G tank litght stocked with 18 fish. External heater is the way to go. Keeps more stuff out of the tank, much cleaner look in my view.


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## niccomau (Oct 14, 2008)

Good deal on the inlines. I definatley want to get some, thanks for the response Newday. DanDee, you water is prob. too warm cause of all the water pumps. You got the two pumps in the C-360 and one for the sump right? I read an article about water pumps and they were talking about the higher voltage pumps heating the water up a bit more than the lower voltage ones. Sounds like you have quite a bit filtration...would it mess with your set-up if you got a lower voltage pump for the sump?


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