i have a 72 gallon bowfront aquarium, currently i have 2 aquaclear 110 power filters on it but was wondering if i should really use a canister filter and was wondering about uv sterilizers and if i should use one on my tank? i'm fairly new to the hobby and am hooked but i'm always looking to learn more about how to make my tank better. if anyone has some advice about what i should do with my setup i'd like to hear about it. thanks
72 bowfront setup
- Thread starter kevinw818
- Start date
Think of having UV as an added buffer to make your tank cleaner but it's not a must. Purpose of UV is to kill microbes in the water as it passed through the UV light and exposed to the light for a limited amount of time. If you want to run a UV through a canister outlet then you may want to choose a canister with a lower flow rate. Two aquaclears should be sufficient for a 72 bowfront but wouldn't hurt if you add an canister such as an XP3, Eheim Pro II, or Eheim Classick.
two AC110's containing just the sponge it comes with and the rest bio-max, will be great for that tank. With just those two filters your turn over rate is almost at 14 times an hour, which is great. I dont think any more filtration is needed, unless you want to.
IMO there is no such thing as too much filtration, but Joey is right. Two AC110s will definitely do the trick on your tank. As for a UV light, you really don't need them on a FW tank unless you are having problems with algae blooms. Not necessary, but they don't hurt.
in my tank i have a small green terror, a small jack dempsy, both around 3 in. also i have a flowerhorn about 6 in. a pike cichlid about 8 in and a lima shovelnose catfish about 7in. also a pleco to keep the algae undercontrol...i really wanna get a bigger tank but i need to get the money i wanna get into a 155 bowfront....i think i'm gonna get rid of the flowerhorn soon he's just too much of a bully even though he looks really good. i don't know if i should have the canister filter just for the bio-max a guy at the lfs told me i could load it up with the bio noodles and it would be killer on my tank! so i don't know.
Adding a canister to your tank is like buying an insurance policy. Having the canister will allow to not worry if you run a little late on waterchange schedule and AC110 maintainance schedule. If you got the money for one I would go for it. Get an XP3 or Eheim. Those are the only two brand I would recommend.
do you think i have too many fish in the tank that i have? people tell me that they won't grow to their maximum size if their not in a big enough tank? i don't know if my tank will stunt my fish's growth.
Some of them will have to go as they get older. The Lima Shovelnose will get way to big for a 72g and it depends what kind of pike cichlid you have. Some are dwarfs and will stay small while others will get too big for that tank. Since it's already 8", it probably isn't a dwarf. The GT and JDs should be fine. The Flowerhorn should be in a tank by itself.
