newbie question??

[bennyblanco]

hi im new to this website ,i want to know what type of filter to use on my 55gallon tank.

[Kindredspirit]

Benny ~ Welcome to Simply! I can tell you what I use and has worked for me , but I am sure there are better ways to go ~ I have two 55gals and on one I have a HOT Magnum and a Penguin 150 ~ It may be an overkill but my water is crystal ~ On the other one I have a Aqua Clear 30 and a Top Fin 60 ~ I love Aqua Clear, but I wld never get another Top Fin, but it so happens it came with the tank!

Wait and see what others say, Benny ~ and tell us more about your set up and we love pictures!



Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_3_16.gif

[bennyblanco]

lol my tank came with one too thats why i want to upgrade,nother question carbon Cartridges or not? o thanks for the reply

[CAGE-RATTLER]

First off ..... Welcome Aboard Benny!

This has been asked here a few times and i believe the majority uses a Hydro sponge filter along with an Aqua Clear 110.

Some prefer canisters, some prefer the HOB's, some prefer a couple sponge filters only and some use 1 or 2 of each.

Others prefer a wet/dry filter.

Im trying to keep the cost down and just run air driven sponge filters in my tanks all off of one air pump. But i do have a fluval 304 cannister along with sponges in my 100 gallon.

Pretty much personal preferrence and what works best for you.

How heavy your tank is stocked, how often you do water changes, how often you feed, what you feed, wheather its BB of substrate or planted all factor in on how much filtration you need IMO.

[II j L c II]

Rena Filstar Xp3 from Bigalsonline.com That place is the cheapest place you'll find it. I'd suggest Aquaclears as well. They are the cheapest yet most efficient HOB filters. With this amount of filtration, you'll be set.

The way I see it, the more filtration, the less you have to worry about constant water changes (this does not mean u don't do water changes, but less frequent).

Jon

[hexed]

Benny,
Exactly what type of setup are you planning, will it be substrate or bare bottom? You filter(s) will depend on your setup.

[Jarrod]

Benny...welcome to Simply!
As for filtration personally I don't think you can ever "over filter" a tank. I use the Marineland Biowheels that HOB along with sponge filters in all of my tanks..which are all BB btw...Even with the filtration I use which keeps all my tanks crystal clear I do the wc's daily. I do anywhewhere from 30-80% every day in every tank I have set up. I also check my water params daily as well...ok ok I may be a tad bit anal-retentive on the water quality but one thing I have learned here is that water quality is paramount in keeping your discus healthy and happy. That along with the proper diet is essential IMO. As you have questions please post them..for the help and support here is to me invaluable...best of luck on your new discus tank and hope they all thrive and grow well for you!
Jarrod

[bennyblanco]

i have 4 discus not big to or 3 inches and the other about 2.5 inches have gravel,fake plantes,driftwood thats about it .i feed them flakes,bloodworms,frozen food 3 times a day some times 2.i do wc every other day . i clean the gravel every time i do wc.i have a aquatech filter with carbon CARTRIDGES i hear that carbon its not good for discus so what to do just cut open the cartridge and take out the carbon???? im trying to learn to take care of my discus .. thanks for eveybodys info this site its all i need to find what i need ...

[bennyblanco]

i have 4 discus not big to or 3 inches and the other about 2.5 inches have gravel,fake plantes,driftwood thats about it .i feed them flakes,bloodworms,frozen food 3 times a day some times 2.i do wc every other day . i clean the gravel every time i do wc.i have a aquatech filter with carbon CARTRIDGES i hear that carbon its not good for discus so what to do just cut open the cartridge and take out the carbon???? im trying to learn to take care of my discus .. thanks for eveybodys info this site its all i need to find what i need ...

[Jarrod]

i have 4 discus not big to or 3 inches and the other about 2.5 inches have gravel,fake plantes,driftwood thats about it .i feed them flakes,bloodworms,frozen food 3 times a day some times 2.i do wc every other day . i clean the gravel every time i do wc.i have a aquatech filter with carbon CARTRIDGES i hear that carbon its not good for discus so what to do just cut open the cartridge and take out the carbon???? im trying to learn to take care of my discus .. thanks for eveybodys info this site its all i need to find what i need ...


Benny..as for the carbon issue...I run the carbon that comes in the filter pads in my tanks..unless I am medicating for some reason...then I pull the carbon pads out and replace them with a non carbon filter pad until I am thru with the treatment....I keep those in a cycled filter on one of my other tanks that is basically empty of fish and clean of any disease or harmful properties.
I have cut open the filter pads myself before to remove the carbon from them..which does 2 things imo..one it removes the carbon issue from it yet does not affect the bio filtration that the pad has aquired from use. Any time I see that it's getting to be time to replace the carbon based filter pad I will take a new one and rinse it very thouroughly in tap water to get all the carbon dust and stuff out of it...then put it in a dish or pail of tank water that I get during a wc and let it set for a few hours in that water with an airstone to try and promote the biological bacteria to adhere and start to colonize on it before I put it into my HOB filter. Other wise if I'm not going to replace the filter pad I will take it out of the filter and clean it as much as I can in the bucket of tank water I pull during a wc and place it back into the filter....this of course is just how I do things...and they seem to work for me.
As for water changes...again I MAY be a little anal retentive on them..LOL..but I do them everyday...but again I tend to maybe go overboard in some respects on some things...lol..as long as your water params are within the limits they should be and your fish are healthy and happy then you should be ok...sounds to me like they are and that you care for them alot as well..I'm sure others will offer their advice and stuff as well..that's one of the fantastic things about this forum...as they say there's 2 sides to every coin and lots and lots of pages in the books...so what I do or say just happens to work for me so Benny...best of luck with them and above all else ENJOY them.
hth and sorry for going on so long as I did..
Jarrod

[RyanH]

Lose the carbon and rely on biological filtration for your tanks. It can cause problems and is more trouble than it's worth.

Your Discus will do best if you maintain a strong bio filter and change your water regularly.

-Ryan

[bennyblanco]

thanks guy for the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!