What filter(s)? Type/Brand

[DISCUS STU]

Sorry to come late to party but yes I made the same mistake assuming that I could raise juveniles in a planted tank with sand as opposed to gravel. These fish were sourced from a seller on this forum and were probably a little smaller, about 1.5" or so, bu of the the six, three ultimately didn't make it and all where constantly getting bacterial infections that I would then have treat in a bb qt tank.

a 55 gal. is really the minimum for the number of fish you're going to keep if you'd like to raise them to a decent size. After they've grown to a good size, maybe 5" or so you may be able to put them into a planted tank but I wouldn't assume that the benefits of having plants outweigh the possible detriments in regard to bacteria and other problems.

I use old fashioned 2215 or 2217 (now called something else) in circuit with the first one having all the mechanical media while the 2nd one has all the bio media (Ehfisubstrat), UV come off of these as the last stage. Many use sumps, but I'm lazy and go with what I know and am comfortable with. Water changes are about 50% every 3-4 days though you can never do enough water changes.

[Neptune]

SunSun canister filters have performed well for me on my planted tanks. A lot of bang for the buck with them.

[Kyla]

having aquariums myself for decades before adopting some discus from kijiji i was also of the opinion that discus keepers promoting bare bottom tanks and daily water changes were a bit whack. i found out the hard way how wrong i was. u r getting really good advice which, if followed, will save u tons of stress and $ in the long run.

[Ryan925]

having aquariums myself for decades before adopting some discus from kijiji i was also of the opinion that discus keepers promoting bare bottom tanks and daily water changes were a bit whack. i found out the hard way how wrong i was. u r getting really good advice which, if followed, will save u tons of stress and $ in the long run.

+1 I was riding the same boat Kyla was.

Do it right from the start no doubt

[TheLankster]

Thanks for all the help guys. I only need one canister right? If I buy a canister that can do up to 75-100 I shouldn't need another filter should I?

[gluedandscrewed]

the KISS principal,,,,ph, clean water and temp.....IF we are to be judged by the number of dead fish in the trash can we all qualify as experts, mine? 9 discus raised from dime size, now about 3 inches,,no tank cycling, no chemical filtration, only particulates, planted tank, sand on bottom....... again , water, ph and temp will keep the fish happy everything else is nice to have but unnecessary and expensive. you can buy a SunSun canister filter with 9 watt UV bulb for less than $100 delivered, a fraction of what you pay for one in the fish store, chinese but actually works great,,,,,

[Neptune]

The filter part of the SunSun is pretty solid. The UV part is a bit sketchy, there is not enough contact/dwell time the way the UV is designed into the canister.
So, buy a Sunsun for the filter/value, consider the UV more or less useless.

[gluedandscrewed]

i have read that the dwell time is too short for sterilization so i installed a ball valve in the discharge line and every now and than just cut down the water flow rate for a couple of days hoping that will help, but i am tatally happy with the cheap chinese filter,, even tho i hate to say it,,,,,

[TheLankster]

The filter part of the SunSun is pretty solid. The UV part is a bit sketchy, there is not enough contact/dwell time the way the UV is designed into the canister.
So, buy a Sunsun for the filter/value, consider the UV more or less useless.

How about Fluval 306? For a 50 gal

[gluedandscrewed]

dont know what the 306 is rated but i would get the biggest one i could,,,what no manufacturer will tell you is how the gph were obtained,,,what the test parameters were,,, type of media, amount of media, head pressure, etc,,i think most of the filters would herniate them selves trying to pump out the stated gph in the real world,, you can always put a $2 valve inline and regulate the flow if its excessive,, only way to tell the real tank turnover rate is to test it in your set up....

[modealings]

2 quick ideas - especially for saving money.

1. Why not just use 2 sponge filters in a grow out tank? IMO the maintenance can't be beat. While WC's are a necessity, many would argue that frequent wipe downs of the tank are important too. A canister filter adds significantly more surface area that will be difficult to wipe down - tubes, canister, etc. Two sponges and a pump will likely only cost $30. You can rinse a sponge in seconds, whereas canisters require significantly more work.

2. UV sterilizers can only get what is in your water column. Any organism living in your substrate or on the tank walls will not be killed. May be a waste of money if you are doing large daily water changes.

If I was starting over again I would invest more in making water changes easier (aging barrels, faster pump, python, etc). Best of luck.

[Ryan925]

2 quick ideas - especially for saving money.

1. Why not just use 2 sponge filters in a grow out tank? IMO the maintenance can't be beat. While WC's are a necessity, many would argue that frequent wipe downs of the tank are important too. A canister filter adds significantly more surface area that will be difficult to wipe down - tubes, canister, etc. Two sponges and a pump will likely only cost $30. You can rinse a sponge in seconds, whereas canisters require significantly more work.

2. UV sterilizers can only get what is in your water column. Any organism living in your substrate or on the tank walls will not be killed. May be a waste of money if you are doing large daily water changes.

If I was starting over again I would invest more in making water changes easier (aging barrels, faster pump, python, etc). Best of luck.

I would say it's all personal preference. Not everyone enjoys seeing sponges in their tanks. Growout tanks are also display tanks for some of us. My canister takes me about 5 mins to clean. Simple. I clean while tank is draining. No extra or wasted time

As far as uv goes they have many benefits. The in tank and in filter ones are gimmicks. All of these other $100 or less uv units don't give you much benefit either. For a quality uv you are looking in the $300+ range like the emperor Aquatic, aqua uv, etc. When I finish my sump I will be running a 40w aqua uv unit.

Many on this forum will knock uv because they don't believe in it or believe it's "needed" that doesn't mean that it doesn't have benefits when used properly

[modealings]

I would say it's all personal preference. Not everyone enjoys seeing sponges in their tanks. Growout tanks are also display tanks for some of us. My canister takes me about 5 mins to clean. Simple. I clean while tank is draining. No extra or wasted time

As far as uv goes they have many benefits. The in tank and in filter ones are gimmicks. All of these other $100 or less uv units don't give you much benefit either. For a quality uv you are looking in the $300+ range like the emperor Aquatic, aqua uv, etc. When I finish my sump I will be running a 40w aqua uv unit.

Many on this forum will knock uv because they don't believe in it or believe it's "needed" that doesn't mean that it doesn't have benefits when used properly

Ryan - completely agree on the personal preference. Was just suggesting a low cost alternative that can likely produce the same results.

[Ryan925]

Ryan - completely agree on the personal preference. Was just suggesting a low cost alternative that can likely produce the same results.

Of course. Filtration is always a debate as everyone has their own preference. There are many ways to skin a cat. To each there own of course

[TheLankster]

Currently purchasing Eheim Jager 250 watt heater...

looking for the other piece