MY 180 GALLON AQUARIUM NEEDS A FILTER
- Thread starter Dr Fish
- Start date
on a 180 gallon??? ditch the UGF idea IMO. these things are becoming obsolete and cause more grief than anything else IMO.
the best? eheim pro 2 filters. the 2028 would do nicely on your tank. the only other i would recommend after an eheim would be the filstar xp3-which is also a great canister.
good power filters to supplement a canister? the ac 500, emp 400, penguin 330.
on a tank as large as that one i would use a canister or some sort plus 2 power filters.
explanation? your UGF's (unless gravel vacced very ofter) build up nitrates in your tank like crazy. they also wipe out your ability to keep large cichlids which will dig them up and render them useless.
why not JUST power filters? well.... i used to only use them also, but found that cleaning them all the time got really annoying, and there wasnt enough space to hang them on the back of my tank! canister filters allow you more time between cleaing (a LOT more) and offer a better quality filtration since the water is moving through so much more media than with a power filter. a canister filter alongside a powerfilter or 2 is a great combo for most tanks.
just my 0.02$
M
the best? eheim pro 2 filters. the 2028 would do nicely on your tank. the only other i would recommend after an eheim would be the filstar xp3-which is also a great canister.
good power filters to supplement a canister? the ac 500, emp 400, penguin 330.
on a tank as large as that one i would use a canister or some sort plus 2 power filters.
explanation? your UGF's (unless gravel vacced very ofter) build up nitrates in your tank like crazy. they also wipe out your ability to keep large cichlids which will dig them up and render them useless.
why not JUST power filters? well.... i used to only use them also, but found that cleaning them all the time got really annoying, and there wasnt enough space to hang them on the back of my tank! canister filters allow you more time between cleaing (a LOT more) and offer a better quality filtration since the water is moving through so much more media than with a power filter. a canister filter alongside a powerfilter or 2 is a great combo for most tanks.
just my 0.02$
M
Managuense has a great point. But first we need to know what your going to stock your tank with. If your fish are omnivorous eaters you will probably want two canister filters for your BIO-FILTRATION and a power filter as your MECH-FILTRATION system. For non-messy eaters you can get by with just two canister filters for that size tank with monthly 10-15% water changes. Alternate filter cleanings.
I would use 4 emperor 400s. Bio-wheel filters are better than any canister. Alot of people say canisters are good because you dont have to clean them much, but by not cleaning it often youre just letting the waste sit in there and break down, causing higher nitrates. In a filter such as the emperor, you can clean the mechanical media (just stuff in some filter floss, you dont have to use the cartridges, I use floss in mine) more often before the waste gets to break down and the bio-wheel will take care of the rest.
ahhhh.... here we go again.
no one can convince me that the emperor 400 (which i run currently) is better for biological filtration than an eheim canister.
yeah, water has 7ppm oxygen .....blah blah
the air has ------thousand ppm .....blah blah
therefore the biowheels are the best for biological filtration b/c the air has more oxygen available for nitrifying bacteria??
NO!
you can only have as much bacteria as you have surface area.
how much surface area does a bio-wheel have? not much
how much does a huge canister filter have?? a whole lot!
just b/c oxygen is more plentiful in the air doesnt mean that filters like aquaclears and canisters have bacteria that are gasping and starving for oxygen.... i think that the aquaclear 500 (with 2 sponges) does just as good a job as the emp 400...probably better actually.
i run an emp 400, a 280 and the eheim 2028 on my 125 and i will be the first to tell you that i like the emperors, but they are really nothing compared to the eheim canister. it is like comparing a ford tempo to a BMW.
M
no one can convince me that the emperor 400 (which i run currently) is better for biological filtration than an eheim canister.
yeah, water has 7ppm oxygen .....blah blah
the air has ------thousand ppm .....blah blah
therefore the biowheels are the best for biological filtration b/c the air has more oxygen available for nitrifying bacteria??
NO!
you can only have as much bacteria as you have surface area.
how much surface area does a bio-wheel have? not much
how much does a huge canister filter have?? a whole lot!
just b/c oxygen is more plentiful in the air doesnt mean that filters like aquaclears and canisters have bacteria that are gasping and starving for oxygen.... i think that the aquaclear 500 (with 2 sponges) does just as good a job as the emp 400...probably better actually.
i run an emp 400, a 280 and the eheim 2028 on my 125 and i will be the first to tell you that i like the emperors, but they are really nothing compared to the eheim canister. it is like comparing a ford tempo to a BMW.
M
i like via aquas.a great high flow alternative to eheims,and they are almost exactly the same in design.hey managuense,why not have an eheim power some bio-wheels and then you can have the best of both worlds.bio-wheels without pumps are avalible,which is cool cause i don't like the emperor series too much either.
Well for value and quality, I just love the Marineland Magnum 350 with the Bio-Pro 60. You get a fantastic canister plus the benefit of two bio wheels.
I know some people don't like the Magnum, and I wouldn't use it alone (without the Bio-wheels) but I'd swear by it. I had two run for over 4 years on a 350 g tank without a single problem (and the tank always looked fantastic).
And of course the fact that you can get an entire Magnum 350 Bio-Pro setup for under $90.00 (minus shipping) doesn't hurt either
I know some people don't like the Magnum, and I wouldn't use it alone (without the Bio-wheels) but I'd swear by it. I had two run for over 4 years on a 350 g tank without a single problem (and the tank always looked fantastic).
And of course the fact that you can get an entire Magnum 350 Bio-Pro setup for under $90.00 (minus shipping) doesn't hurt either
Yes I know that the Magnum could be bigger, but for a 180g it should be fine.
And the via aqua would still require him to get some type of bio wheel (you wouldn't want just a canister on a 180 tank). I know just about any unpowered bio wheel could be used with either model, but the magnum bio-pro setup has it included for that price! (not to mention the cool gravel cleaner)
And the via aqua would still require him to get some type of bio wheel (you wouldn't want just a canister on a 180 tank). I know just about any unpowered bio wheel could be used with either model, but the magnum bio-pro setup has it included for that price! (not to mention the cool gravel cleaner
)
i actually run the emp 400 and 280 on my 125 with the eheim 2028.
i was just arguing that an emp 400 in NO WAY does the job an eheim does, even though i still like the emperors ok.
i had a mag 350..... and really cant recommend them for anything other than clean-ups.
i actually bent my "outtake" tube when i was putting the lid back on....(talk about crappy cheap plastic)
i also hate the o-ring and the fact that the hoses clamp onto the canister with those pain in the A-- rubber band things.
the gph and the micron ability give it a specific use IMO, which is mainly to do massive mechanical filtration on tanks with a high level of fish.
aside from that, i would never use one for the above reasons and the fact that other canisters are better for the price.
M
i was just arguing that an emp 400 in NO WAY does the job an eheim does, even though i still like the emperors ok.
i had a mag 350..... and really cant recommend them for anything other than clean-ups.
i actually bent my "outtake" tube when i was putting the lid back on....(talk about crappy cheap plastic)
i also hate the o-ring and the fact that the hoses clamp onto the canister with those pain in the A-- rubber band things.
the gph and the micron ability give it a specific use IMO, which is mainly to do massive mechanical filtration on tanks with a high level of fish.
aside from that, i would never use one for the above reasons and the fact that other canisters are better for the price.
M
all i was getting at was that for the price you can get 5 times the filter at 20 dollars less,and then you could still hook up bio wheels and the cost would still be reasonable,unlike if you were to put multipule magnums or emperors.and i don't think that a lone magnum could ever handle the bio load of a normals stocked 180 gallon tank.perhaps 180 liters but never 180 gallons
after i read my post it seems that i came off as a bit on an arse....
sorry bout that, it wasnt intended. one of the problems with typing i guess....lol
and i do agree about the bio-wheel attachment. i am a fan of the bio-wheels in general, but just not to the extent of them being the "end-all" of biological filtration as some people do.
M
sorry bout that, it wasnt intended. one of the problems with typing i guess....lol
and i do agree about the bio-wheel attachment. i am a fan of the bio-wheels in general, but just not to the extent of them being the "end-all" of biological filtration as some people do.
M
So catfish, do you think the via aqua is really 5 times better than the magnum? And would one along with some type of bio-wheel be sufficent for a 180g tank? I know everyone swears by the eheim canisters, but they are a bit more steep in price too.
Not doubting you at all, just trying to get the facts. (maybe I was lucky with the magnums I had in the past, cause they were fantastic) But I will be looking for a good value/efficency filter system for the 187g we are building (as long as I get no more negative discussion from Lotus)
Not doubting you at all, just trying to get the facts. (maybe I was lucky with the magnums I had in the past, cause they were fantastic) But I will be looking for a good value/efficency filter system for the 187g we are building (as long as I get no more negative discussion from Lotus)
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i see the via aqua as the poor mans eheim.i'll show you why
via aqua 750:gph 316,volume 1.95gal. intake 16mm,return13mm
no spill fill cap,integated hose connetion/shut off valves/quick disconnect union.screw down hose connects.
eheim2328 thermofilter:gph273 volume 1.89 intake.75inches return .75 inches one push auto prime,combination safety lock,shutoff,hose connectors,flow meter,and flow rate cotrol. now see if you can find a couple of pics of both modles and you will be supprised at the almost exact same filter sans a few cosmetic diffrences and a couple of nifty features.the via aqua is much closer to the eheim 2028 professional that the 2328 thermofilter but even then thats nitpicking.all i know is i got my via aqua from big al's for 70 bucks and i love it!
via aqua 750:gph 316,volume 1.95gal. intake 16mm,return13mm
no spill fill cap,integated hose connetion/shut off valves/quick disconnect union.screw down hose connects.
eheim2328 thermofilter:gph273 volume 1.89 intake.75inches return .75 inches one push auto prime,combination safety lock,shutoff,hose connectors,flow meter,and flow rate cotrol. now see if you can find a couple of pics of both modles and you will be supprised at the almost exact same filter sans a few cosmetic diffrences and a couple of nifty features.the via aqua is much closer to the eheim 2028 professional that the 2328 thermofilter but even then thats nitpicking.all i know is i got my via aqua from big al's for 70 bucks and i love it!