# canister filter ?



## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

newbie
hope everyone is good !
have a ?
*** had a 55g tank for about 7 yrs
i have now tore it down added caribsea cichlid substrate,limestone rock, and a aquatop cf500 canister filter using the spray bar and i also have a whisper 60 HOB
my question is
if i get rid of the whisper and add another cf500 would that be overkill,the one i have now doesnt really seem that forceful with the spray bar
i figure with the media and spraybar i would be about 550 gph with both canisters,does that sound about right ?
my water stays at about 8.2 ph
thanks to anyone who replies
neil


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## Boe82 (Mar 6, 2014)

Did you make the spray bar yourself? If so you could try re-making it with smaller holes.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

the spray came with the filter,it works fine,i have it pointed toward top of water
i just want to get rid of the HOB so i thought about adding another aquatop cf500,just wasnt sure if it would be to much
both would give me about 10 times the water turn over
the HOB is just loud and ugly hanging there
the tank is in my livingroom


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

The CF500 should be able to filter that tank by itself. You could take the hob off and monitor the water parameters if you're not sure.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

i totally agree that it can filter this tank,the whisper done it by itself for 7 yrs so i know the cf500 will but im trying to achieve that 8-10 times the size of your tank turnover that everyone talks about
im going to put about 10 to 15 african cichlids in it and it also gives me back up
i just dont want to blow them away


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## stayfrosty (Mar 31, 2011)

I have 2 xp4 on my 55 so no not overkill go for it


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

what gph you think you have


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

At 575 gph the CF500 turns your tank over 10 times. The 5 trays can be configured to take care of your mechanical and bio needs.
By itself it's more than enough filtration for a 55. 10X turnover is a personal preference not a necessity.


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## stayfrosty (Mar 31, 2011)

I have 900 gph but it's reduced with filter having lots of media


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## praveentnair (Jan 4, 2014)

it all depends on the water quality parameters. As long as you can keep the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate under control with one CF 500, a second one is not needed. Also if you can get a turn over of more than 8 times the tank's capacity that is enough. If you are watchful on your budget, better spend the money on a good quality aquarium heater than a second canister.

The sound from whisper - is that the motor running or the vibration from the top lid? If it is from the top lid, I would try to suppress it some how and keep HOB. It is always good to have a backup in case of any failure.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

For the price of buying another one of those canister filters you could just build, and add a sump system, and not worry about anything. 
Only way your going to find out if you need more filtration or not is by testing your water, to give you accurate advice. GPH ratings arn't going to indicate how your water is.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

testing water for what ?
amm,nitrite ,and nitrate all show 0 ppm


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

You didn't post your parameters til now, but now i see i didn't realize this was a empty tank, my bad. I skimmed too fast through.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

foxcrazy90 said:


> testing water for what ?
> amm,nitrite ,and nitrate all show 0 ppm


There's something wrong if you'r showing 0 nitrate.
Anyhow, I agree that the 10 times turnover thing is just some weird number people throw around. I kept a 120g tank with 15 Tropheus and 12 Petro Trews using only sponge filters.
If you want more flow, how about adding a powerhead?


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

noddy said:


> foxcrazy90 said:
> 
> 
> > testing water for what ?
> ...


i had gravel and just whisper 60
tore it down and added cichlid sand and limestone and canister filter
i have about 11 comet goldfish in it now been in thee about 1 1/2 weeks
*** done two small water changes and tested the water wigh api test kit everything showed zero and ph 8.2
the goldfish are very active
i did not clean the whisper so it has some bacteria
i was also hoping the second canister would allow me to go longer on water changes maybe every 3 or 4 weeks is that possible
i have thought about a power head
2 canisters would also keep it cleaner as im a clean freak !!


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

11 comet goldfish and no reading at all? Something is very off...

Thing about nitrates though is a filter really isn't going to get rid of nitrates, water changes will thats really the main point of water changes. So how often between is going to come down to your bioload, and testing to see where it's at once that all gets fixed, and established.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

im gonna wait till about sunday and test the water again


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I would be keeping an eye on those water parameters. If you are showing 0 nitrates, I would expect to start seeing amonia then nitrite soon unless your test kit is out of date or faulty in any way. If you'r a clean freak, then yes, another canister will help keep the water looking clear, but it won't allow you to go any longer between water changes. All the canister will do is break down the waste and turn it into nitrate, which is what you are removing with your water changes.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

bought the the test kit in the summer
its the api liquid test kit
im gonna wTch the water and test again
fish are very active and dont seem stressed at all
*** not lost one fish in the week and a half they have been in the tank
thanks for all the replies


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## MoKoy (Sep 12, 2013)

you can never have too much filtration.IMO


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## crazycolt42 (Nov 10, 2013)

I have two aquatop cf400uv's running on 3ft 65g and love it. I have noticed that the flow is not impressive with them either. I think the GPH ratings are ideal with certain length of straight tubing and probably the absolute max rating. I would not worry about blowing the fish away. I doubt that would happen. The addition of another canister will give you more surface disruption for o2 vs. getting a power head( unless you place the power head near the surface), allow for less frequent cleaning of the canisters, gives you a back up, and keeps your tank clear for sure. What it will not do is change how often you need to do water changes as the media does not remove nitrates. Canisters take care of ammonia, nitrites, and debris. You should prepare to do water changes weekly especially if your a clean freak and to avoid nitrate build up. Also, even though the model that you and I have has UV sterilization, I still get quite a bit of algae growth due to phosphates, so I still have cleaning to do with every water change. The aquatops are an excellent bang for the buck, but I agree that I would not go cheap on your heating needs to get another canister. You could get a Cf400, but for the 20-30 more, you wouldn't have to buy different sized pads for replacement when you clean them. Which brings a good counter point, two canisters means double the filter maintenance ( although shouldn't be as often) and double the polishing/flossing pads you have to buy. That has not been bad for me. I am cleaning out one canister every three weeks, going 6 weeks for each one. The last time I cleaned one it was not even that dirty, so I may go longer - but I am doing weekly 40-50% water changes as well. Like Noddy said, you should be seeing nitrates - if your using the API master test kit and doing it all correctly, ( gotta shake the #[email protected]! out of the nitrate chemical #2) then something should have a reading. Keep checking closely, or take a sample to LFS and have them perform a test. Hope this helps!


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

i plan on cleaning the filters each month alternating each one
i took water to lfs said water was perfect
i think im gonna get another 500 since i can get it for $130 with media in it
if you use the whole spray bar its not that forcefull it gets better if you shorten it
my heater is a aqueon nothing special keeps tank at 78 i have thermo on each end of tank
if you dont mind me asking what order is your media in in your canister


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## crazycolt42 (Nov 10, 2013)

Sounds good foxcrazy90. I have aqueon heaters and they have always served me well. Never had a problem with them. I never thought about shortening the spray bar... might have to give that a try. Thanks! The way I believe the flow goes through the aquatops is: first down through the UV sterilizer area, then to the bottom, and back up through all the media trays. So, in the bottom I have the mechanical sponge + fine cotton filter, 2nd I have cotton filter + charcoal media, and in the top I have cotton filter + ceramic rings. I have been reading a lot about people not using chemical filtration in their canisters, but I have plenty of room with two canisters and know that it does not hurt. Just seems like a lot of chemicals enter the tank b/t the tap water and dechlorinator. I like the idea of having something to filter out some of those chemicals in the water if necessary. Gives me a piece of mind I guess. Once a month will be great. I have been really happy with how easy they are to clean out. Hope you like your 500's. I am actually going to get two of them as well for a 5ft 115g. Bought it on Craigslist and it came with an fx5. I like a lot of filteration so I am going to use the fx5 under the water more for circulation and have two 500's near the surface for the surface agitation with the two spray bars. If your LFS matches your readings and your fish seem happy, then things must be good. It is always a relief though when you start getting those nitrate readings which confirms successful cycling! Thanks for the advice on the spray bar!


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

ok so done another water check today
ammonia = 0
nitrites = 0
nitrates = 5-10 ppm
should i do water change or wait til nitrates are a little higher


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Your water change schedule should be dictated by your nitrates. Try to keep them @ or under 20 ppm. Weekly water changes are the norm. With cichlids, waiting 3 weeks will most likely put you in a situation where nitrates are too high and affecting your fish in a bad way.


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## foxcrazy90 (Mar 13, 2014)

ok
thanks


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## crazycolt42 (Nov 10, 2013)

Good to hear you got some nitrates! Iggy is right that weekly is safe habit to get into. Some do more or less, but weekly is a good rule of thumb. If you wait for them to build to 20ppm, you're gonna have less "cushion" to work with to keep it below 20ppm. I started doing water changes when my ppm got to b/t 10-15ppm. Good luck with the tank!


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