Recommendations on Filtration system

[Losago1980]

Hello group,

I'm looking to set up a 100g tank, and I want to provide the best available filtration in the market for this DT. I know that it is all relative to the stock but I am keeping it simple: 100 gallon, 7-8 adult (6"+) discus, 2 corydora, 3 small plecos. substrate is white sand, piece of drift wood and a couple Anubias. Simple. I was thinking of going with 2 sponge filters (one in each side of the tank) plus a canister filter (Fluval FX-6). But I've heard that the FX-6 would be overkill (???). Should I go with a strong HOB filter instead of FX-6? Just wanted to hear your thoughts and what everyone does in your large DT's! Thank you and hope everyone is doing well.

Luiz.

[Iminit]

I’m running a 125 with the fx6 and a powerhead with 2 sponges. It moves 350gph. I clean the fx6 every 2 months. Overkill! I don’t think so. It’s actually an easy filter to work on. Put a sponge on the intake and it will probably be enough. My tank has 13 discus and about 20 dither fish + rcs and mts. Plenty of plants :).

[BrendanJ23]

If the budget allows, go the fx6. Personally I’m not a fan of HOBs or sponge filters.
I run two fx6s on my 180g.

[Losago1980]

Hi Brendan,

Budgeting is not the issues, honestly, I am more concerned about the aesthetics: the aquarium sits high and those large hoses from the FX6 would look weird on the wall. I've only seen pictures of it, but are they really big/thick? do you think that it could be a way to "hide" these hoses/tubing?

Luiz



If the budget allows, go the fx6. Personally I’m not a fan of HOBs or sponge filters.
I run two fx6s on my 180g.

[14Discus]

Funny how people differ. I love HOBs and use two AC110s for each large tank (75g And 60G). I also am a sump lover and have sumps for all my tanks. I actually got rid of my FX units a ways back. Both sumps and HOBs are very easy to service and do the job well for me. Sumps are limitless in possibilities of filtration options and the larger AC 110 HOBs are pretty versatile as well....imho.

[Johnny95132]

I'd totally recommend HOB over canisters too. Value wise, HOBs just can't be beaten. The marineland penguin 350 go for $20 which is a fraction of the price of a fx6 ($250). Sponges are also great, as they are simple and unlike HOBs don't have to change cartridges. Might be ugly with a big black sponge in tank though.

[Iminit]

Johnny remove the cartridge and add a sponge. Do one side one month that the other the next month. Never need cartridges again. I’ve got 3 marinelands running now. Just great cheap filters!!

[14Discus]

Before I went w AC 110s, I, too, used Marineland 350s and 400s w great success. The 110s, though, hold so much more media/surface area of one’s choice. I put the large sponge in w a few bags of biohome/matrix and cleaning them is a breeze once in a while. Btw....I still have my Marinelands as backups. The 110s can be slowed a bit when feeding then turned up afterwards and I do use a presponge on the intake tubes.

[Losago1980]

Funny how people differ. I love HOBs and use two AC110s for each large tank (75g And 60G). I also am a sump lover and have sumps for all my tanks. I actually got rid of my FX units a ways back. Both sumps and HOBs are very easy to service and do the job well for me. Sumps are limitless in possibilities of filtration options and the larger AC 110 HOBs are pretty versatile as well....imho.

Hey Bill,

You know... I've been studying and reading about that. I never had an open sump filter before, but now I think that's going to be my choice. Thanks for bring that up! Do you think it makes it easier on your WC schedule?

Luiz.

[14Discus]

Yes it really helps. My nitrates usually hover between 10-15 between changes. Do know that my sumps are large and maximized for each tank. My 75g tank has over a 1200g hourly turn over Rate with the two AC 110s and sump. When I do my course sand vacuuming at each WC, there is hardly any gunk or disturbance.

Here is a link to a couple of pics and data abt the sumps.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?137138-Sump-design&highlight=Bill+Garthe+sump

[BrendanJ23]

Hi Brendan,

Budgeting is not the issues, honestly, I am more concerned about the aesthetics: the aquarium sits high and those large hoses from the FX6 would look weird on the wall. I've only seen pictures of it, but are they really big/thick? do you think that it could be a way to "hide" these hoses/tubing?



Luiz

Not sure I understand completely. Why would the hoses be visible in your setup?

[BrendanJ23]

Funny how people differ. I love HOBs and use two AC110s for each large tank (75g And 60G). I also am a sump lover and have sumps for all my tanks. I actually got rid of my FX units a ways back. Both sumps and HOBs are very easy to service and do the job well for me. Sumps are limitless in possibilities of filtration options and the larger AC 110 HOBs are pretty versatile as well....imho.

Perhaps I don’t fully understand the love for hobs. My interpretation/experience is that, the hobs are smaller, less flow and can’t have anywhere near the biological capacity of the fx6. Even if you ran 3 or 4 of them on a tank to the equivalent biological filtration capacity, what about flow? Don’t get me wrong, they’re probably fine for the smaller aquariums, I’m referring to larger ones here. Please note this is not an argument, just looking to learn something :)

[14Discus]

Your issues have merit and are not taken as argumentative. The three things I have concerns with regarding canisters are as follows.
1. Leaks.....rare though they are, can be frustrating.
2. I have backup power for my tanks, but with a prolonged outage, hydrogen sulfide can build up in a large canister. If you do experience a long outage, unplug your canister so that the polluted water does not go into tank. Just backflush your unit upon start up, then switch it to normal filtration.
3. This is my biggest concern. Many, including I in the past, who setup a canister just let it run for long periods wo cleaning. Even if it looks clean when cleaning, there tends to be a nitrate factory function. Any filter (canister, HOB, or sump) used needs regular cleaning to remove the building blocks for nitrate production which are the trapped material in the foam sponges and even bioballs if used. Putting biohome or matrix in can help for anaerobic action/nitrate reduction, but cleaning canisters is much more arduous imho. With HOBs, cleaning is a breeze and thus I do it more often. My FX unit had a flow rate of 550g per hour. Each of the AC 110s has a flow rate of 300g per hour. Note.....my flow rates are based on a unit with media in it. The numbers for both would be much higher wo media in them. Water entering the tank also gets oxygenated well w HOBs and surface agitation.

I’m putting cost aside, but it is a factor. When I used my FX, I also had to buy spare parts for when needed. Lastly, I like being able to see the filtering. With canisters, I had no way of knowing, short of NO3 tests, of when or if I needed to clean. HOBs can easily be seen regarding whether they need cleaning or not. Now....others have opinions that differ from mine and that’s fine. I’m just sharing the reasons why I no longer use my FX and am happy with the sump/HOBs combination for each tank. My HOBs largely do mech and aerobic action with my sumps doing additional mech, aerobic, and anaerobic action.

I have to apologize for my earlier posting of this where I wrongly said it was argumentative.....I thought to type “not” in the first sentence, but skipped doing so by mistake. Your comments were in no way argumentative and I errored by not completely double checking my post prior to posting. Brendon....I regret having made the error and hope you accept my sincere apology.

[Iminit]

I think the reason for the unsightly hoses would be they have no background on the tank. So you see the hoses going up the back.
As to canisters I too don’t care for them. The fx6 is new and I got it on sale so I’m taking the chance. And very happy so far. Others canisters I’ve had have leaked! Just to many places to leak from and with the intake almost at the bottom there’s always that disaster. Hobs leak much less. For me I’ve never had one leak. As to not seeing if a canister needs to be cleaned. I clean mine every 2 months no matter what. Yes it could go longer. Hobs I usually run 2 and clean 1 every other week.
Another really good hob is the tidal filters. I have a 110 on my 90 with a marineland 350 and the tidal is soundless and has a huge media basket.

[14Discus]

Your issues have merit and are not taken as argumentative. The three things I have concerns with regarding canisters are as follows.
1. Leaks.....rare though they are, can be frustrating.
2. I have backup power for my tanks, but with a prolonged outage, hydrogen sulfide can build up in a large canister. If you do experience a long outage, unplug your canister so that the polluted water does not go into tank. Just backflush your unit upon start up, then switch it to normal filtration.
3. This is my biggest concern. Many, including I in the past, who setup a canister just let it run for long periods wo cleaning. Even if it looks clean when cleaning, there tends to be a nitrate factory function. Any filter (canister, HOB, or sump) used needs regular cleaning to remove the building blocks for nitrate production which are the trapped material in the foam sponges and even bioballs if used. Putting biohome or matrix in can help for anaerobic action/nitrate reduction, but cleaning canisters is much more arduous imho. With HOBs, cleaning is a breeze and thus I do it more often. My FX unit had a flow rate of 550g per hour. Each of the AC 110s has a flow rate of 300g per hour. Note.....my flow rates are based on a unit with media in it. The numbers for both would be much higher wo media in them. Water entering the tank also gets oxygenated well w HOBs and surface agitation.

I’m putting cost aside, but it is a factor. When I used my FX, I also had to buy spare parts for when needed. Lastly, I like being able to see the filtering. With canisters, I had no way of knowing, short of NO3 tests, of when or if I needed to clean. HOBs can easily be seen regarding whether they need cleaning or not. Now....others have opinions that differ from mine and that’s fine. I’m just sharing the reasons why I no longer use my FX and am happy with the sump/HOBs combination for each tank. My HOBs largely do mech and aerobic action with my sumps doing additional mech, aerobic, and anaerobic action.

I have to apologize for my earlier posting of this where I wrongly said it was argumentative.....I thought to type “not” in the first sentence, but skipped doing so by mistake. Your comments were in no way argumentative and I errored by not completely double checking my post prior to posting. Brendon....I regret having made the error and hope you accept my sincere apology.

I’m reposting this hoping, by sequence, that Brendon and anyone else who read my recent post and may have been offended are assured that I merely made a mistake and I wish to make it right. I goofed and regret it....sorry.

[BrendanJ23]

I’m reposting this hoping, by sequence, that Brendon and anyone else who read my recent post and may have been offended are assured that I merely made a mistake and I wish to make it right. I goofed and regret it....sorry.

LOL no all good, don’t stress. I assumed it was a typo.

[Willie]

I've used canister filters as well and have had to deal with some leakage issues. At the end of the day, ease of cleaning (essentially replacing the floss) makes HOB's more preferable. It takes me about one minute to pull the floss out and put in new floss into a HOB and there's no excitement about restarting the flow. :p Then there's the ridiculous price markup for canisters - basically a bucket with built in trays.

HOB's are also far better with biological filtration due to the exposure to air, while canisters are limited to dissolved oxygen in the water for aeration. For comparison, air contains ~20% oxygen while the maximum level of dissolved oxygen in water is 30 ppm.

Just my 2 cents...

[Vinni Smith]

I, like Willie love HOB filters.
Easy to clean
And yes, I think more oxygen as well.
They have really come a long way the past few years!
I have about 3 different types and really love the design of all of them.

[Losago1980]

Hey Brendan, sorry I miss this reply. It's visible because my tank is a window tank, up on the wall. so the tubing would have to go around the frame. But at any case, i decided to go with the sump filter, I think it will be more discreet on my set up since I'm building a cabinet underneath it anyways, plus, from what I've been reading, more efficient and helpful with water changes.

Luiz

[Losago1980]

Hey Willie, thanks for the feedback. Can I pick your brain and ask your opinion on sump filter?

Luiz.

[Willie]

Hi Luiz;

I have not used sump filters myself, but have many friends that do. They work very much like an HOB, in that the floss material is readily accessible and the system is well aerated. The main difference with HOB is that it sits beneath the tank and is much bigger in capacity. You can make one out of a spare tank easily enough, but these are noisy and create a great deal of humidity. The commercial versions are tightly sealed to reduce noise and limit humidity. They are expensive for a reason.

Good luck, Willie

[peewee1]

i use the AquaClear 70 on both 30 gallon and 20 gallon tanks. 300 gallons per hour and less bulky than a canister filter. Quiet, efficient and reliable biological and mechanical filtration. It uses a bottom-up design usually only found in canister filters. This means the water rises up from the bottom of the filter, rather than trickling from the top down. This allows you to use a ton of media for better filtration and lets you experiment with your media mixture. The flexibility you have with this is a huge selling point. Get your AquaClear 70 today!

[14Discus]

I agree w peewee. My 30g has a AC70 as well. If you go w a larger tank, get the AC110. It holds a ton of media. Btw...if the sponge is too thick, you can half it so as to free up still more room for additional media of your choice. My 60g and 75g tanks each have two AC110s. Very good filtration. Combine these w a sump and you’re off to the races.