Cichla owners filtration set-ups, lets see them

[kendragon]

I think the better question to ask is what's your water change routine, and what are your average nitrate levels. The purpose of bio filtration is to keep ammonia and nitrites at 0, and that's the easy part. As long as you have plenty of water moving over some sort of media with enough surface area, you'll never see ammonia or nitrites.

The challenge is keeping up with the nitrates produced by the filter due to these big messy fish. If you can manage to keep nitrates at near zero levels, you'll have happy and healthy cichla. Keeping them in constant 40-100ppm of nitrates is not ok IMO. Nitrate is like a poison. Would you want to be exposed to second hand smoke every day all day?

True true. Filtration and UV does not replace WC. However, a good filter IMO should be easy to maintain and efficient. Being exposed to second hand smoke is something we have to deal with because it's going to be there but if you can clear the air quick and easy, people will be a lot happier.

 

[johno27]

I run a 100 gallon rubbermaid wet/dry on my 300 setup

2 filter socks
around 1,000 nylon potscrubbers
3600 gph reeflo for sump to tank flow
and a 500gph pump running a spray bar over the scrubbies/drip plate

I keep Nitrates in check with a 2gph 24/7 drip system, a refugium set up in my sump and the occasional purigen

Happy water = happy fish

 

[Boogiemn1]

Nice setup john . Ill have some pics. Once my set up its alittle more permanent

 

[pwmin]

300 gallon...Eheim 2262 and 50 gallon DIY sump


growout 75 (2 mono, 2 orino) has 2 Penguin 350's. Thought I was maybe going to trade for a sumped 225 gallon, but deal fell through

 

[gangster]

Nice sump John! I love the spray bar idea running over the media. Pothos is one thing i would also like to add to my sump. Could we see a pic of the plants growing in the sump now? What are the lit up by?

 

[johno27]

I used swords and vals for plants to see if I could get better results with truely aquatic plants. They are lit by a 6700k compact bulb.

I will see if I can get some pics but it is really cramped. My filter is all my stand can take lol. Thankfully the only maintanince I really have to do is washing filter socks.

 

[Boogiemn1]

It took me alittleto find a canister that would fit in my stand its been running for about three weeks and I'm very satisfied

 

[johno27]

Looks good what kind of media does it use? Do you just backwash it to clean it?

 

[Boogiemn1]

Its a mechanical so it just has a large capacity cartridge in it.I really wanted to set up something like kendragon but my main tank sits in my bedroom.it takes so much space as it is I decided what ever I do its gonna fit under my stand. So this was it

 

[kendragon]

I tried cartridges as well. Problem is after about a month the organics start to build-up on the element material. Normal rinsing will only get you a few days before it clogs. I stay away from acid or bleach soaking. That high capacity cartridge requires a high rpm pump which is what you got. Don't be shocked when you get your electricity bill. That Pentair pump is a energy pig.