filter opinions for 120 gal tank under $400

[agrainger]

starting a 120 gal tank with thin sand substrate.

original plan was for fx5, but have been told too high flow for discus. 600gph

can get fx5 for $240, don't want to spend any more then $400

thinking maybe 2 - 2217 each 208gph

thanks for any help

[William Palumbo]

Send me the $400 bucks...and I'll send you my AC110, and a Hydrosponge filter...what I run my 125 biotope with!...Bill

[Jennie]

I use 2 ac110's and 1 sponge on my 125

[fishorama]

I'd go with 2 AC 110s too...& will soon

[agrainger]

don't want the noise and ugly filters hanging on back. looking for canister filters.

[Frankr409]

starting a 120 gal tank with thin sand substrate.

original plan was for fx5, but have been told too high flow for discus. 600gph

can get fx5 for $240, don't want to spend any more then $400

thinking maybe 2 - 2217 each 208gph

thanks for any help

Who on earth told you that??? How could a FX 5 be too much filter for a 120?

[Jennie]

They're actually very quiet and can't be seen if you have a background on the tank??
don't want the noise and ugly filters hanging on back. looking for canister filters.

[William Palumbo]

True Jen...Wait until you have to clean those canisters...Bill

[Jennie]

LOL, Tis why I don't have one anymore.. It's actually easier for me to get up on step stool to reach my 110's than unhook the canister and lug it out from cabinet!! Kinda short, lol

[DiscusOnly]

Who on earth told you that??? How could a FX 5 be too much filter for a 120?


I told him that! Nothing against the FX5. Moves a lot of water so great mechanical filter. In a 48" long tank, there is going to be a lot of water movement. I recommended getting 2 of the eheim based on his budget. With cannister, I prefer 2 cannister over one.

I recommended the AC110 but he was not interested in HOB.

Van

[Jennie]

Van, I could have a tank full of show quality discus with all the money I wasted on aquarium products!!!

[William Palumbo]

Wish I had the money spent on lighting and filtration!...Bill

[DiscusOnly]

Van, I could have a tank full of show quality discus with all the money I wasted on aquarium products!!!


Different people have different preferences. In my house, I actually prefer to have the sound of water in my foyer. Another consideration is that the footprint of that 120gal is 24" deep. Using a AC110 would mean the tank has to be out from the wall a bit more.

[Jennie]

I like the sound of trickling water, which I get slightly with the HOB's..yes mine is out about 7 inches or so, which is fine since I need to get back there for cords and such. Bill, I hear ya!!!

[William Palumbo]

You need it away from the wall to get to those "jumpers"...Bill

[Jennie]

LOL, No sh.. yall got me so worried now.. there's a gap at the hob.. I need to get glass made;(

[agrainger]

my wife actually likes the sound of water, but i do not when trying to watch a movie. i had a fluval 404 and mag 350 on my prev 90 tank. i know about the maint.
if your tank is 7in from the wall. i don't want that. prev tanks were only about 2in from wall.

just comparing opinions on filters. for canisters everyone says eheim is best. i liked my fluval 404. but have never tried eheim. 304 is rated approx same gph as eheim 2217.

my lfs uses all HOB biowheel filters. i know they work well but not what i want.

[Altum Nut]

I run a Eheim 2217 in each of my tanks over 100g along with 2 #5 sponge filters.

...Ralph

[DiscusOnly]

Don't go by just the gph. If you look at a lot of the Eheim Pro series, you will be surprised by how low the gph is. Look to see the filter's ability to hold filter media. That's why so many people like to use the AC110.

Van

[agrainger]

i looked at the pro II 20208. i can get for $$209. a little higher then 2217. don't see much difference. 340gph. which 2 would put me the same as the fx5(609 gph) in flow.
2217 has 1.5 gal container
2028 has 1.9

is there any other benifit to the pro series i don't know about

[DiscusOnly]

i looked at the pro II 20208. i can get for $$209. a little higher then 2217. don't see much difference. 340gph. which 2 would put me the same as the fx5(609 gph) in flow.
2217 has 1.5 gal container
2028 has 1.9

is there any other benifit to the pro series i don't know about

If you can find 2 Eheim Pro II 2028, I would go with that. The pro II are older filters. I have two 2026 and the only difference between mine and the 2028 is I only have 2 trays.

Van

[agrainger]

actually just found the pro III 2180 with 500w heater for 399. think its a good idea?
thanks for all your help

[Chad Hughes]

Get the FX5. I use it on a 150 and you can barely tell that it's flowing in the tank. It may move a lot of water, but the return is split and diffuses the flow. It's a great filter for a great price! I've had mine for years without ANY problems.

Best wishes!

[Justice]

I use a 1 AC110 & 2 Hydro #4 Pro Sponges on my 120 but it is BB

I was going to use 2 AC70's instead of the AC110 but they would not fit the rim of it.

[DiscusOnly]

actually just found the pro III 2180 with 500w heater for 399. think its a good idea?
thanks for all your help

If it was me, I would not go that route.

I have a few eheim Pro and most are older. I find them reliable and does the job well. What I don't like is the added extra stuff with the new filter such as the 2180 because it could only mean more things could break. My preference and recommendation is still 2 cannister filters for the larger tank instead of a single large cannister filter. Not everyone's going to agree and you will learn quickly that what works for one may not work for another. If you don't believe me, just search do a search on water change for discus on this forum.

Van

Van

[agrainger]

I know there will be many different opinions. Just trying to get a general consensus. From what I can tell the 2217 do not have baskets.i would think maint would be easier with them. Trying to decide what to oder. Found the 2180 but then found out I needed 150 in media so that is out.

[DiscusOnly]

I know there will be many different opinions. Just trying to get a general consensus. From what I can tell the 2217 do not have baskets.i would think maint would be easier with them. Trying to decide what to oder. Found the 2180 but then found out I needed 150 in media so that is out.

Actually, I find the maintenance easier with the baskets in the pro series. I take the basket out during water change and run the tank water over the baskets.

[David Rose]

Fluval FX5, Ehieim Models and one of my personal favorites usually at a bargain price are the Rena XP3 or XP4. I'm currently using Fluval G6, Rena XP3, a wet/dry sump and a few AquaClear 70s on my various tanks, so it depends on your situation what might work best for you. In general, all these models perform well and I've had no issues.

I got my G6 for $300 one month used off eBay and love it for ease of maintenance and with a little leg work, you can find bargains on most brands. The G6 is easiest to maintain over any other model I've used.

Best of luck!

[Frankr409]

Fluval FX5, Ehieim Models and one of my personal favorites usually at a bargain price are the Rena XP3 or XP4. I'm currently using Fluval G6, Rena XP3, a wet/dry sump and a few AquaClear 70s on my various tanks, so it depends on your situation what might work best for you. In general, all these models perform well and I've had no issues.

I got my G6 for $300 one month used off eBay and love it for ease of maintenance and with a little leg work, you can find bargains on most brands. The G6 is easiest to maintain over any other model I've used.

Best of luck!

+1 I am also running the Fluval G6 and it is the smartest, easiest to clean filter I have ever used. I'm never buying another Eheim.

[Chad Hughes]

David,

Do you have a connection with Fluval? I'd love to see what you could get the G6 for wholesale!

It's a beautiful filter!

Best wishes.


Fluval FX5, Ehieim Models and one of my personal favorites usually at a bargain price are the Rena XP3 or XP4. I'm currently using Fluval G6, Rena XP3, a wet/dry sump and a few AquaClear 70s on my various tanks, so it depends on your situation what might work best for you. In general, all these models perform well and I've had no issues.

I got my G6 for $300 one month used off eBay and love it for ease of maintenance and with a little leg work, you can find bargains on most brands. The G6 is easiest to maintain over any other model I've used.

Best of luck!

[Jhhnn]

I have very little experience with canister filters, other than my 2 PennPlax Cascade 1200's. The first was acquired in a used aquarium deal, and worked well enough that I bought a second when I set up a new tank. The second one has some impeller chatter, for some reason, but both serve my purposes. I use sponge inserts, biorings, and eheim substrat pro. I'm not concerned with water polishing- I don't even try. They're bargain priced from Kensfish. M Morris uses them too, iirc, for a lot longer than I have, and likes 'em.

The used one + some sponge filters does the work on a 120 gal tank BB just fine.

Parts aren't easy to find, but they are available. Just hold on to the instructions for later. I needed some minor parts for the first used one, and an email to Pennplax got me a link to an internet vendor, who treated me well.

[David Rose]

Not sure why I didn't see your message earlier...sorry Chad. As for Fluval....actually I'm working with Hagen now to set up an account. Getting good pricing almost always comes down to the volume of product(s) you can buy at any given time. Sometimes you may have to buy at least six of something, or 200, 500, 2000, etc to get discounts; otherwise, it's standard pricing from the wholesaler to the retailer/reseller. Most manufacturer's will just smile or laugh at the reseller if you want significant discounts and don't meet their minimum purchase requirements. And they aren't always upfront as to what their minimum purchase amount is and will just fish for information to see how much you are intending on buying now and on-going before they want to talk discounts. Hence my rationale for starting IGO PRO (International Group Orders PRO) and combining our buying power here as Simply Discus members together to get better discounts. The first challenge for me is to get enough interested folks to commit to wanting to buy a product in order to get a manufacturer or wholesale company's attention.

Whewwww.... sorry for all the detail, but there is a little background in what I'm up against in getting we Simply members good pricing or for any reseller for that matter. It all comes down to volume you can buy that gives leverage to get good to great discounts.

As for the Fluval G3 and G6, Hagen management is not selling these models one unit at a time to resellers to start. A reseller has to buy a "start up" display for their store and there are only two options costing $2500-$3000 or a $4500 package for instance. Hagen, at least for now, is also governing the lowest price that a reseller can sell these two models. Although, I won't know what that $ amount is until I've set up my account...assuming I move forward.

So will you take six units Chad? :) :D :)



David,

Do you have a connection with Fluval? I'd love to see what you could get the G6 for wholesale!

It's a beautiful filter!

Best wishes.

[jcardona1]

I think an FX5 would be perfect. Anybody who says 600gph is too much has never seen this filter in operation. You will hardly even notice the water movement. I have a 1000gph pump running the sump on my little 57g. Contrary to what you'd believe, there is no fast moving current in the tank and the fish are calm as can be.

[Harriett]

Get the FX5. I use it on a 150 and you can barely tell that it's flowing in the tank. It may move a lot of water, but the return is split and diffuses the flow. It's a great filter for a great price! I've had mine for years without ANY problems.

Best wishes!

DITTO with Chad. I have had mine since they became available in the US. Mine is on a 180g. It was a little light so I added a 1200 Cascade canister filter and they do a nice job on this size tank.

Cleaning the filter is some work but with a big honkin foam prefilter on it, I only clean it it about every 4 months and it's not real dirty then. In the plumbing department, I built a spray bar that runs parallel to the floor of the tank a few inches off the bottom--water returns straight up the back wall and there is good exchange on the surface. My loaches surf in it at night. The smaller filter also has a spray bar that runs down the length of the tank a couple inches below the surface, so water is kept gently moving over the whole surface.

It works nicely. I would definitely consider an FX5 for a 120 up to a 150. I like to be prepared in an emergency so would recommend buying an extra impeller assembly to have on hand. That's a lot of bio to lose if the impeller eventually goes. and you have to wait for shipping.

Best regards,
Harriett

[agrainger]

actually ended up getting a used 144gal half circle aquarium. ordering the fx5. tyring to decide how to get the best(even)flow in the tank. thinking of intake in center of tank and either output in center(directed to both sides) or making a diy spray bar.

[angel eyes]

Just in case your order isn't final yet...
I've got a 90g,
I use TWO rena filstar Xp4's that are prefiltered with Lustar Filter-Max III Prefilters AND a AC110 (flow set to lowest position) that is also prefiltered with the Lustar Filter-Max III's.

I've read Fx5's rock too, but unsure if you can decrease the flow enough through prefiltering?

Eheim 2080 & 2180 are good options too...but they are HEAVY beasts when it comes time to do monthly filter maintenance/cleaning.

[angel eyes]

Ps. for a semi-circle shape tank you can probably get away with a diy spraybar if your filter has enough power I'd do flexible tubing and simply drill pilot holes into it with a small bit AND then attach it to the inside of the tank with suction clips. Dependant upon the hose size you can order the suction clip brackets from various places.
I.E. Eheim tubing is affordably priced at bigalsonline and they have the clips there too if you don't mind green, other wise maybe look for some rena tubing since it's pretty flexible. Can also goto brick and mortar stores like home depot and lowes for tubing.

[14cichlid]

lol i have 2 tetra whisper 60's (get the old model new ones suck) for my 55 gallon tank.

my friend has a 120 gallon with one filter rated at 400 gph

mine togeater are rated at 600 ghp

you tell me whats better, both cost around 90$

[rickztahone]

2 renas xp3's and your golden

[agrainger]

fx5 is already shipped. should get it in a couple days. going to wait till it comes in to look at it but i am thinking i am making a spray bar or buying another outlet diffuser and splitting the outlet to both corners with the return in the middle.