What is the best filter system?

[aklemmensen]

Hi Guys,

I have a 75 G tank with 4 discus and 2 angel fish (and a constant algae problem, but that's for another day) with sand. I am pretty new to this, my tank and fish are about 1y old. I need to upgrade to a better filter, the one I have currently is what the tank came with from Petsmart. I can tell its not doing a great job. I understand canister filters are much better for the tank. I have been looking around but I wanted to ask advise. I see them from around $65+ on amazon, and $200 + at pet stores. With such a big price difference I want to make sure I get a right thing. My husband was even talking about buying a pump and making one. He is a very handy person, but that just scares me. He kills my fish and he is out on the curb! :) Any advise is appreciated.

Anya

[dragon1974]

Hi Anya,

Ok so....Tell us about your process from start to finish. How big are the discus, how old, what do you feed, how often to you feed, how much water changes do you do?

Once you fill in the blanks I think you'll get more info. Also I think you're able to post pics seeing that you're at the 10 post mark. A couple pics of the tank along with the discus will be very helpful.

Also, welcome to SD

[dpt8]

Hi Anya, I think you'll get as many opinions of filtration as there are in this forum. For a 75 gl I would use a 110 Aquaclear with prefilter of a 70 sponge and two V sponge filters run by small air pump. I do not like canister filters as they contain too much filth. If you change water often and vacuum thin layer of sand, this set up will work great. Algae problem may be due to HIGH Nitrates.. Should be down near no nitrates. Did you test your water ??

[MendoMan]

Canisters don't contain filth, they remove it from the water. It's your job to keep them clean. I have two on my 140 gal.Like dpt8 many different opinions what ever you decide keep them clean and operating good.

[rickztahone]

Hi Anya, I think you'll get as many opinions of filtration as there are in this forum. For a 75 gl I would use a 110 Aquaclear with prefilter of a 70 sponge and two V sponge filters run by small air pump. I do not like canister filters as they contain too much filth. If you change water often and vacuum thin layer of sand, this set up will work great. Algae problem may be due to HIGH Nitrates.. Should be down near no nitrates. Did you test your water ??

I'm actually on the opposite boat, I love canister filters over HOB's for a few reasons, but I have never thought of canister filters as containing too much filth. Just like with any other filtration system, they need to be maintained, and if they get filthy, it is time to clena them up.

The canister filter brand I have always recommended is Rena brands, specifically the xp3 in your case. I have never had one fail on me, and they are super quite and easy to maintain. Additionally, you can run inline heaters on canister filters which takes the heater out of the tank, another bonus.

You can find some used ones on CraigsList for around $50-$80 depending on condition. If you do purchase used, I suggest a good bleach cleaning, but not on your main tank ;)

[Larry Grenier]

I agree that you just need to keep the "filth" from building-up in a canister just like you do with a HOB.

Another nice, easy, kinda-cheap, and un-obtrusive option would be 2 aquaclear 70s; alternate cleanings so to never be wiping-out too much bacteria at once.

http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-70-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422377299&sr=8-2&keywords=aquaclear

I use just the two sponges and squeeze them in a bucket of tank water once in a while. I personally don't like the big gurgling/splashing sponge in a display tank.

Make-sure you have a way to vacuum the sand while doing frequent water changes too.

[jim LI]

I have a 72 gallon bow front, I use 2 eheim 2217s with hydor inline heaters and eheim pre-filters on each intake pipe. i have been using eheim for 20 years and never a problem. they do get full of filth, meaning they are doing their job. i clean mine once a month, changing the filter pads and cleaning the hoses, if needed. it takes a bit longer than changing the filters for HOB.

[DISCUS STU]

I use Eheim 2215 and 2217 Canister Filters on my tanks. Not the newest of tech., they go back to the late 70's and early 80's, but with a few design modifications of over the years they are still viable. I run two in closed circuit with each other. The first is the pre-filter to the second one which contains all Eheim bio media.

This may be a little expensive so an Eheim 2217 and an Aquaclear 110, which I've also used, would be a good combination. You can purchase the Eheim fully stocked with media and they're running some good deals on this. Occasionally an impeller may need to be replaced as well as the ceramic shaft, but they're usually good for many, many years.

Per MendoMan; yes, they need to be cleaned. I do this once a month. Takes about 10 minutes, even with this older style of Eheim. Just get the shutoff valves for the intake and outflow. It will make life much easier.

[Jason F]

I have one sponge filter and an AC 110 on my 75g and absolutely love that setup. The AC's are nice cause they're easy to maintain and you don't need to constantly be replacing cartridges like you do in most HOB filters. I've also got two non-discus tanks, one has a penguin bio wheel and the other has an eheim canister, which for the life of me I can't figure out why it flows so little, that I'm currently switching over to ACs.

[DISCUS STU]

...and the other has an eheim canister, which for the life of me I can't figure out why it flows so little, that I'm currently switching over to ACs.

Have you opened up the impeller housing to see if you have either a broken shaft or a cracked impeller?

[RodneyL001]

As you see there is no easy answer to your question, I am a real fan of canister filters, but I also have a HOB filter on my tanks. It appears the most complete system is a sump, although I have never had one. I like the notion that you can have more filter media inside a canister filter, but the simplicity of a HOB filter is appealing.

[Jason F]

Have you opened up the impeller housing to see if you have either a broken shaft or a cracked impeller?

Yes I have. The unit came with the tank so it was used and I took it all apart making sure everything was there and not broken before I set it up. I also open it up every couple cleanings just to keep it running better.

[aklemmensen]

OK sorry for just getting back to you guys. My discus are a little over a year old. Two 5 inch guys one 4 inch and a 1 inch little guy with 2 two inch angels. I used to change water twice a week at at least 30% but now I have stopped and only add water. I don't have a top so it evaporates a lot ( working on that) . I did get a fancy new vacuum that just removed the filth and leaves the water in. I'm doing that daily in not multiple times a day as I love it! The reason I stopped addining so much water is that its my understanding that I keep adding more nutrients for the algae. But like I said that's a different topic entirely. I have penguin bio wheel 350 currently. But the wheels stopped spinning and that's a problem. I changed the filters after a water change last time and found my small discus swimming up side down but big thanks to this site I saved him ( pretty proud of myself, I'm far from a discus expert). So I really need a new filter as this one sucks! Oh and I feed combination of flakes and live or freezer dried worms 2-3 times a day. I try to make sure there is no left overs. Thanks for all great info guys

[aklemmensen]

Oh and I used to check my parameters and everything was fine so I honestly stopped. But will check it now since the algae problem is fairly recent. A few months

[ericNH]

I believe a sump is the very best filtration system you can do for your tank, if done properly, and if it's an adequate size. But I use canister filters, (2xmarineland magnum 350) and they seem okay. Reliable filters, I will give them that. I used to use HOB's but I really feel that they are inferior. With plenty of wc's and sponge pre-filters though, HOB's work well and even some of the xperts use them.

However, I've been eyeballing the Rapids Pro RP3 - it's a magnificent-looking filter, and there's plenty of room for both mechanical and biological filtration elements in the baskets, which you can clean and change while the filter keeps running. Imagine that! If anyone is familiar with this product, please share your impressions.

[DiscusRob]

I run a wet/dry with a mag 7 return pump on my 75 drilled tank.

[lilpoo]

i believe all filter systems do their jobs. its up to the owners to maintain it properly

[Eti]

I believe a sump is the very best filtration system you can do for your tank, if done properly, and if it's an adequate size. But I use canister filters, (2xmarineland magnum 350) and they seem okay. Reliable filters, I will give them that. I used to use HOB's but I really feel that they are inferior. With plenty of wc's and sponge pre-filters though, HOB's work well and even some of the xperts use them.

However, I've been eyeballing the Rapids Pro RP3 - it's a magnificent-looking filter, and there's plenty of room for both mechanical and biological filtration elements in the baskets, which you can clean and change while the filter keeps running. Imagine that! If anyone is familiar with this product, please share your impressions.

+1//Lord I wish I would have started my discus experience with a sump...I have had a sump for 6 month and my fishs are so happy, relaxed and eat like pigs..I had so many trouble with HOB and above all canisters (even though I was aging my water and changing my 75g water 100% everyday)...SUMP is thw ay to go, little pricey, but on the long run, it will save you a lot of stress and time spent on the disease section..

[Jason F]

i believe all filter systems do their jobs. its up to the owners to maintain it properly

This is true to an extent, some designs are just flawed though. As for maintenance a filter with a design which allows for easy and/or cheap maintenance will almost always be better maintained by the owner. Think about it. If filter A requires cartridges or what not be bought and replaced every cleaning and it takes 20 minutes to clean, and filter B has cleanable foams or whatever and only takes 5 minutes to clean which filter do you think the owner will be more likely to maintain well?

[ericNH]

Very tue Jason F. Same can be said about water changes. Make maintenance convenient, and it will be done with pleasure.

I want to add to this thread - i just picked up an Aquaclear 110 HOB filter, because one of my 2 magnum 350's is getting lazy. And I gotta say, this is one *super* HOB.