First upgrade in 6 YEARS !!! ALL Tetra Equipment- w/pictures!

[noob4lyfe]

Update this weekend.

Went out to purchase a 300watt Aqueon heater. This I believe is the non-pro version. I had a few options including: Fluval & Top Fin. Chose this because of the Lifetime Warrenty

Water temp is about 77F. Had a major slowdown because of that, but things are back to moving along

 

[noob4lyfe]

Yey got my pictures right side up

Started using my Canon Powershot. So the should be better quality from hereon in

 

[noob4lyfe]

**Update**

I have the setup near complete. I'm showing that its cycled and everything! But now theres a problem.

The HOB filters a little noisy. Especially being right next to the living room, it causes rattling/humming noises. So with the holiday season, I was looking for canister type filters. Found some pretty good deals too!

Marineland® C220 Canister Filter- $96
http://www.petsmart.ca/sale/fish/marineland-c220-canister-filter-zid36-5119415/cat-36-catid-900003

Fluval® External 206 Canister Filters- $75
http://www.petsmart.ca/sale/fish/fl...d36-16925/cat-36-catid-900003?var_id=36-16925

Fluval® External 306 Canister Filter- $95
http://www.petsmart.ca/sale/fish/fl...ster-filter-zid36-5105737/cat-36-catid-900003

Do you guys have an experience with upgrading from a HOB to Canister type. If so, with any of these models?

Saddly the Fluval doesn't hit the spot in terms of Gal ratings since the 206- rated 45Gal, 306- Rated 70Gal. And with the 306, the price becomes the same as the Marineland. So I'm thinking more is better for my 55Gal setup :/

My objective is #1- Quiet. And second- Ease to clean periodically.

Which would you recommend, if any.

Thanks folks !

 

[Goodtoast]

Yes! I bought a 38G aqueon kit from Petco and the HOB filter it came with was extremely unsatisfying to me as I felt that it only filtered a fraction of the total water in the tank and provided no water circulation at all... So I bought the Fluval 206 and the upgrade was game changing, without a doubt the greatest buy I've ever made... In my opinion, just get a Fluval 306 for your tank, it'll work wonders and don't worry about the Gallon ratings, the more the merrier. The filter is as quiet as it gets and will keep your water perfect... Have fun, man

 

[noob4lyfe]

Yes! I bought a 38G aqueon kit from Petco and the HOB filter it came with was extremely unsatisfying to me as I felt that it only filtered a fraction of the total water in the tank and provided no water circulation at all... So I bought the Fluval 206 and the upgrade was game changing, without a doubt the greatest buy I've ever made... In my opinion, just get a Fluval 306 for your tank, it'll work wonders and don't worry about the Gallon ratings, the more the merrier. The filter is as quiet as it gets and will keep your water perfect... Have fun, man

Absolutely agree. Water circulation is KEY. It became more apparent when I realized that I may be changing the stock in the tank. Thinking of getting a vampire tetra. And water flow was the #1 criteria for having a fish like that. It would definitely help that the filter be adding to that flow, as well as power heads.

Woke up last week, and found one of the HOB's stopped working!!! Only to realize that the cord to the motor is getting loose. Like seriously?! And yes, all that bacteria generation died of course. Never good to have casualties BEFORE a tank is fully setup.

Now as for the purchase. I do want to disclose, I did make a canister purchase. And I did ask around a lot! Like I mean A LOT. Prices were good, and I think I MAY have made my choice partially based on frustration from these HOB's (rattling noises, water dripping, etc.). And it came down to Fluval or XXX. As for the gallon ratings, the suggestions were the same as Goodtoast mentioned, 'more the merrier'. Now, just to keep things interesting, I will hold back from disclosing my actual purchase until it arrives in the mail It is being brought over by approximately Christmas time. I will be busy, but can post pictures of it + unboxing when it arrives. Super excited for this purchase.



A side issue. I am having problems keeping a consistent temperature in my tank. I have a 300watt in my 55gal and it should be more than enough. As for water circulation, I've positioned it right next to my air stone pad (uplift current) and the 2 HOB filters are creating circulation as well. When I dip my fingers in at times, its quite cold and the heater doesn't even recognize it. Current heater: Aqueon 300 watt( Non-pro edition) - Life time warranty (brand new)

 

[noob4lyfe]

Looks like Christmas came early folks

 

[predatorkeeper87]

canisters are nice, eheim makes a good product so you should be happy.

Several things to help you out:

Bottled bacteria is a game changer, it works, and works well.
I use tetra safestart+ and Seachem Stability. They both will do as advertised and cycle a tank instantly.
however, if you don't have a good source for the bacteria it won't do you any good to dump it in without adding the fish at the same time. Bottled bacteria is meant to be dumped in with the fish the same day.

your HOBs you are having trouble with what sounds like the impellers going bad. easy cheap fix and you can have some back up filtration in the event you need it. just do a search for your HOB and I imagine replacement parts are easy to find.


a 55 was what I graduated into the major leagues with as well haha. Then i got two more...then a 150...then a 310...you'll feel the addiction hit you soon enough hahaha. good luck!

 

[soul_assassin]

Eheims classics are the best. If you already have the RRS in the 25g all you need to do is take all the filtration from that tank as well as all the water and place them into the 55. You dont need to do any messing around with bottled ammonia or extra BB.

 

[noob4lyfe]

Easier to answer most of the questions by doing a tank update



Here she is !!!


I did a bacteria transfer and even inserted scrubbies & green pads into the Ehiem to kickstart that as well. Predatorkeeper87 said it best, get goldfish in there. They are the best option, and are massive poopers. I started off loosing 2/10 when initially putting them in. But that was an instant kill, since they died within 15min. Probably due to water quality shock. 2 weeks after, I added my baby. Stable ever since.

Problems: If you see the first picture, heater on the left is 'heating', while the other is off (green). The right one is my new Aqueon Pro. This happens on an on-going basis, even though they are set to the same temperature. I know forsure this is NOT a water temperature zoning issue, because I have plenty of flow in my tank. I had this problem with the last Aqueon heater too. Any suggestions here?

 

[noob4lyfe]

canisters are nice, eheim makes a good product so you should be happy.

Several things to help you out:

Bottled bacteria is a game changer, it works, and works well.
I use tetra safestart+ and Seachem Stability. They both will do as advertised and cycle a tank instantly.
however, if you don't have a good source for the bacteria it won't do you any good to dump it in without adding the fish at the same time. Bottled bacteria is meant to be dumped in with the fish the same day.

your HOBs you are having trouble with what sounds like the impellers going bad. easy cheap fix and you can have some back up filtration in the event you need it. just do a search for your HOB and I imagine replacement parts are easy to find.


a 55 was what I graduated into the major leagues with as well haha. Then i got two more...then a 150...then a 310...you'll feel the addiction hit you soon enough hahaha. good luck!

Just for future reference, is this the stuff you were referring to:






Taken from a LFS. Are those prices reasonable as well?


As for the HOBS, I will keep those on temporarily until the Ehiem is up an running. After that I will sell them. I trust the Ehiem will keep me good for bacteria needs. However, its the heaters that I don't trust. So I will keep a double on those to diversify my risk. Its good to note on the flip side, if you're buying used HOB filters on kijiji, be sure to inquire about these sounds. As that could add to a future expense of a tank.

You're spot on with this statement: "55 was what I graduated into the major leagues". Summarizes my purchase in one line. My initial thoughts on a 55gal, it is definitely an upgrade. But if you want good (+55gal) vs. minimal (55gal) swimming room for your fish, I would have got something slightly bigger. Now with that said, I probably won't upgrade that soon because if you see in the picture, my tank snug fits the stand. So it would a hassle doing that again. Something for future fish keepers to consider when upgrading. If you're not limited by a good used deal, try to get a bigger stand than your tank. Easier to upgrade in the future.