Biofilter needed with mag. 350 for 55 gallon?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Paunat

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 28, 2010
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Looking to setup a 55 gallon NA native tank, probably with perch or bluegill. Also considering exodons though. Is the mag 350 sufficient or do I need some other type of filter too?

Any comments about the species or filtration greatly appreciated.
 
if you bought the was it the delux? it comes with the bio wheel and such. But if you have just the filter and want bio then you gonna have to do what i did. you could use the carbon media container and fill with bio of choice( i used ceramic rings) and get the blue filter pads that wraps around the carbon container. the down side with this is it only holds so much bio. option two is i used the carbon container or micrion cartridge(fill the carbon container with any mech media, i used the blue bonded filter pads) and just fill the whole outside of the filter with the bio of choice(baged it or not). The only problem with this is the rings get dirt and clogged and you have to clean it in tank water to get the large stuff and builds up out. Which is why i use the micron cartrige, the cratridge needs cleaning fairly often like the bio so i do them at the same time. You could always use a prefiter on the intake of the mag350 but i didnt like it cuz it didnt really help much. These filters suck ass when it comes to bio but excell when it comes to mech, you might wanna pick something up just for bio like another canister or hob and use the mag350 for pure mech.
 
Thanks for the help. If I picked up a separte HOB for bio would it need to be for a large tank too since it's only doing bio filter?
 
Well I personally would go larger, that way if you plan to upgrade tanks you won't have to get another filter or anything. In terms of bio for hob's I would go with either a emp400 or ac110.
 
I would bet your intank surfaces would be more than enough for a healthy bacterial colony.
The Magnum would not be my choice for a single filter. Not even the Pro with the Bio wheel.
I run a Penguin350 and Mag HOT250 on my 55 full of Africans and they do an excellent job of keeping the tank clean and the water clear.
The HOT250 is only run with the micron cartridge which lasts a week before it needs cleaning.
The Bio wheels on the HOB are used more to oxygenate the water than as an additional Bio media. I can remove them with no change to ammonia/nitrite.
A pair of quality HOB, or HOB and a Mag would serve you better than a single Mag350.
IMO
 
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