mr fuzz both would work. some say fx5 is to much for a 75. but i have had one on a 55 and it worked fine for the fish i have. but the 305 and ac110 is a good combo for that tank. and if you upgrade with out getting anymore fish you don't need to upgrade your filtration. although some will disagree to my saying.
Filtration for Cichlid 75G
- Thread starter mrfuzz
- Start date
depends on the flow pattern, would you use a sponge pre-filter, would you depend the filter to conduct the daily maintenance required.
personally, id use a Rena xp4 for that tank.
personally, id use a Rena xp4 for that tank.
I always vote for overfiltration and multiple filters. That way if something happens and you cant do your maintennance as much as youd like you have a little more wiggle room. Also if something happens to one of your filters youve got back up. Id go with a rena over the fluval. I think they are easier to maintain and service. Cant speak for the FX5 but I hear good things.
90 gallon with 2 emp 400s and the o mighty fx5 and 1200 power head 2 baskets with bio max and gray trays on the 400s with bio max with 14 rbp about 4.5 inches long.
Very Nice! Thank you guys.
I'll just stick with my guns and pursue the two(2) filter route as I originally planned.
Yeah - Be awesome to have the FX5 & the AC110 (I could turn down the flow rate of the FX5)
But ultimately, I have no idea when I'll be upgrading to 100+ gallon tank.
as for the RENA xp3/4's - Ive been looking at them and reading reviews, But they just look like they're cheaply made - and Ive hard that as well.
Only pit falls ive heard from the Fluvals 300 series - is they can leak without proper maintenance.
I'll just stick with my guns and pursue the two(2) filter route as I originally planned.
Yeah - Be awesome to have the FX5 & the AC110 (I could turn down the flow rate of the FX5)
But ultimately, I have no idea when I'll be upgrading to 100+ gallon tank.
as for the RENA xp3/4's - Ive been looking at them and reading reviews, But they just look like they're cheaply made - and Ive hard that as well.
Only pit falls ive heard from the Fluvals 300 series - is they can leak without proper maintenance.
I have to say I think an Eheim 2217 does a MUCH better job than a 305. There's a lot more media space inside the 2217, and I personally love how the solid waste settles to the bottom in a 2217- i backflush my filter by letting water from the tank run through it backwards and siphon into a bucket and all of my fry come popping out along with a TON of waste. I had a 2217 and a cheap powerhead on a heavily stocked 60 gallon (SA cichlids, gar, and polypterus were growing out for the 90 and they ate a lot of feeders) and it kept it SPOTLESS, but a 75 I cleaned with a 405 on it was always filthy, and the 405 was a lot harder to tear completely apart, compared to my eheim that I backflush and change the top polishing pads every few months. Takes me 10 minutes, where the 405 needed cleaned at least once a month, and it always took me 20+ minutes to scrub out the whole filter and piece everything back together.
Kensfish.com has the 2217 for $130- cheaper than the 305! Throw that on one end and any HOB you want on the other end to help move water and add some filtration, and you're golden. I'm a big fan of AC, but eventually I ended up putting an old Emperor I had lying around on my 60. Figured if I was gonna use electricity on a powerhead, I may as well use the filter instead, but it was entirely unnecessary on the 60 gal, except for helping with water movement.
Edit: Yes, the 405 I cleaned leaked. 2217+AC110 = cheaper than fx5. Then you have two filters running, and that much more peace of mind.
Kensfish.com has the 2217 for $130- cheaper than the 305! Throw that on one end and any HOB you want on the other end to help move water and add some filtration, and you're golden. I'm a big fan of AC, but eventually I ended up putting an old Emperor I had lying around on my 60. Figured if I was gonna use electricity on a powerhead, I may as well use the filter instead, but it was entirely unnecessary on the 60 gal, except for helping with water movement.
Edit: Yes, the 405 I cleaned leaked. 2217+AC110 = cheaper than fx5. Then you have two filters running, and that much more peace of mind.
thanks for input.
I was eyeballing the EHEIM canisters for awhile - I know they are reputable here and other places.
the EHEIM classic just looks so simplistic?? I guess because I have not seen the inside of one before.
I was looking more towards the EHEIM Pro 2224?
I was eyeballing the EHEIM canisters for awhile - I know they are reputable here and other places.
the EHEIM classic just looks so simplistic?? I guess because I have not seen the inside of one before.
I was looking more towards the EHEIM Pro 2224?
noo, you just need at the most an eheim 2217.. i have one, will never go without it. so simple to take apart and clean, it comes with TONS of media in it, and is a race horse over the LONG number of years it will work.. (some have/are working for over 20yrs now) the classics are a solid built filter.
It is super simplistic, and that's the beauty of it. Simplicity works. Very well.
There's an open space at the bottom to catch anything big that comes through your intake. Then there's a layer of hollow tubes over that that keeps bigger solids from getting into your bio media. Put down a layer of cotton batting (it comes with pieces cut that fit it, and when these got dirty I bought simple cotton batting from Wal-Mart and cut it to fit myself. Works just as well for about 1/4 the price, if that), and pour your bio media on top of it. Polishing pads go on the very top. The entire canister is packed full of media, compared to all of the stuff that is in other styles. All of those trays take up available space for media, and they all make it so that some water can bypass media somewhere. Every other canister I've seen has open space in it somewhere- space that doesn't serve any purpose, but can't really be filled with media in any useful way. The simplicity here basically takes any type of tray and uses filter floss instead. Certainly makes sense to me.
Just found this, and it shows the different ways you can set up the filter. If you need more mechanical or less bio, you can do whatever you want, making it infinitely more customizable than filters that come with trays limiting you to what can go where.
There's an open space at the bottom to catch anything big that comes through your intake. Then there's a layer of hollow tubes over that that keeps bigger solids from getting into your bio media. Put down a layer of cotton batting (it comes with pieces cut that fit it, and when these got dirty I bought simple cotton batting from Wal-Mart and cut it to fit myself. Works just as well for about 1/4 the price, if that), and pour your bio media on top of it. Polishing pads go on the very top. The entire canister is packed full of media, compared to all of the stuff that is in other styles. All of those trays take up available space for media, and they all make it so that some water can bypass media somewhere. Every other canister I've seen has open space in it somewhere- space that doesn't serve any purpose, but can't really be filled with media in any useful way. The simplicity here basically takes any type of tray and uses filter floss instead. Certainly makes sense to me.
Just found this, and it shows the different ways you can set up the filter. If you need more mechanical or less bio, you can do whatever you want, making it infinitely more customizable than filters that come with trays limiting you to what can go where.
