Canister on tiny tank?

[Kissyboots]

So I'm back and really, really tempted to set up my 6.6g bow-front again. However, I want to keep the maintenance as simple as possible, especially if I need to leave it in the care of my brother or my mom next year.

I've got a bunch of stuff sitting around from my 55g and figured I could upgrade the filter on the 6.6g. Obviously an Eheim 2236 Ecco (up to 80g) is complete overkill, but is it even possible on a 6.6g? I remember it was creating quite the current in my 55g, so I'm thinking it would be too strong and create a never-ending carousel in the 6.6g.

I also found a Marineland H.O.T. Magnum which I didn't know I had. I must have gotten it used, but I never set it up. Not sure if it functions or not.

Also, no live plants. I still have everything from the 55g planted tank, but that's way too much work. I'd probably have pebbles, a small cave, a couple plastic things, and at most three fish. As lame as it sounds, I'd be perfectly content with just a betta.

Opinions?

 

[FreshyFresh]

IMO, either is way too big a filter for a ~6g tank.

You could possibly try the canister and throttle the discharge if you wanted to experiment.

 

[exhumed07]

i built a diy canister filter big enough for a 55 gallon tank for my 20 gallon paludarium. i've got maybe 5 gallons of water in it and a waterfall. i just put a ball valve in the line to control how much flow i have. that may be an option.

 

[Orion]

I have a Finnex canister running on a 7.5 gallon that I"ve been very pleased with. And it does it's job cleaning the tank, not hard to change media out and I bought it for around $40 from Amazon I think a few years ago. I really have liked it.

The hardest part with these types of canisters is that most of the time (at least for me) the filter is sitting at the same level as the tank which leads to some difficulty getting the intake/return hoses exactly where I would like them.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Great points on both the ball-valve for throttling and the fact that the hose stiffness and looks can be an issue.

Another thought is using some hose/plumbing fittings to reduce down the size of the suction and discharge hoses for a small tank. Might want to just do this to the discharge side though. Centrifugal pumps like this have no problem what so ever with discharge throttling, but suction throttling can cause air leaks and/or cavitation.

 

[Mamajin]

I just put together a 6G Fluval Edge 2 and replaced the default filter last night with a Zoo Med Nano 501 canister, and it's probably the quietest little filter I have. I chose this one because it's what I saw a lot of people using with the 6G Edge, so figured I would give it a try as Id not read any complaints with it.

I had a hard time locating the filter where I live, but I finally found it at Petco. The manager even matched the price I found on Amazon.

Zoo Med Nano 501 for 2 - 10 gallon tanks
Max G.P.H. 79
Pre Filter cubic inches 17.0
Bio Filter cubic inches 27.5
3.5 x 6.5 x 5.9 (D x H x W)
Comes with spray bar, deflector (so you can use either or), mechanical filter sponge, bio ceramic media, and carbon.

 

[Kissyboots]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'd have it sitting under the tank, but I still might have issues with hose stiffness. For now, I'll just stick with the puny filter it came with and see how it goes. I don't want to spend too much time making modifications if I just end up chickening out and tearing it all down again, ha! It's been so long...

 

[exhumed07]

I solved my issue with hose stifness with pvc pipe. i got 2 90* elbows and used about 8 inches of straight pipe. i formed it into a u shape and slid my hose through it. helps keep the hose in place as well as keep the hose from wanting to kink.