Filtration Sys for 300G Tank

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F

Fai

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 29, 2010
91
1
38
West Hills, CA
Hi,

We are migrating from our 55 G and setting up our largest tank yet. a 300G glass tank. No Sumps; using external cannisters only; preferable Fluval FX5.

Planned Fish -
1 Aro (currently 18 inches); 2 Blood Parrots (currently 8 inches); 1 Pleco (currently 10 inches); 1 Dr. Fish (currently 4 inches); and plan to introduce a Red Tail Cat.

Planned Decor -
1. Migrate from black and red gravel to Pure or Ultra White sand or Gold sand (if available)
2. Two pieces of large drift wood for the Pleco and Dr. Fish

Some of the questions I have are -
1. How many FX5 will I need to do a great job on this tank?
2. How difficult is cleaning the sand base?
3. Recommened pounds of sand will I need for a 300G (96L x 30W x 24T)
4. Suggestions on a good heating system?

Thank You.
Fai
 
55G --> 300G (wow... that's a pretty nice upgrade)
In my opinion, for your current stock I would do at the very minimum 2 FX5s. The reason why I say at least 2 is I do not think your tank is heavily stocked. And as you get more fishes I would upgrade to 1 more FX5, with 4 being most optimal.

As far as heating goes, since you live in socal (I'm assuming the average temp in your house is around 70-75ish year round) I think 2 300w eheim heaters should do the trick.
FYI: 1 defective 300w heater was able to raise the temp in my 200g tank from 78--> 88.

I personally use a 300w hydor inline. I don't like submersible heaters (ruins the look of my tank, and my fishes always knock out the heater from suction) However, adding an inline heater/UV requires you to get another type of filter with smaller in/outlets. I would recommend a XP3/4 (I dont think XP4 is worth it) as the in/outlet is 5/8", which will fit the hydor perfectly if you choose to go this route.
 
Youre gonna hate me for saying this, but with the current stock you have, youre going to be better off in the long run setting up a sump. 2 Fx5's will only turn your tank 4X per hour and with the arro, plec and rtc you're going to have alot of waste to deal with. You could build a sump with 3x the flow and water volume for less money. To turn your tank 6X per hour you'll need 3 Fx5's which will run around $800 with shipping. You could build a sump that moves the same water volume for about half the price. Plus maintenence will be way easier with far greater bio capacity.

Just saying, but if you want to spend more than twice the money for much more difficult maintenance and it looking like a science experiment, do at least 3 fx5's. 4 would be optimal, but you'll need some earplugs as well.

About 4-5 bags of pool filter sand and a 300w ebo jager would be perfect. 2 ebos to be safe. Good luck!
 
I would personally go with the Eheim 2262 instead of the Fluval (though not a bad choice). The Eheim will cost a little more but will pay for itself in the long run. Also want to give two thumbs up to Marinelnd I sent them 6 300w heaters that were defective after years of use and they sent 6 new heater back without question. They heaters come with a life time warranty. Something to consider.
 
Jc1119;5148064; said:
Youre gonna hate me for saying this, but with the current stock you have, youre going to be better off in the long run setting up a sump. 2 Fx5's will only turn your tank 4X per hour and with the arro, plec and rtc you're going to have alot of waste to deal with. You could build a sump with 3x the flow and water volume for less money. To turn your tank 6X per hour you'll need 3 Fx5's which will run around $800 with shipping. You could build a sump that moves the same water volume for about half the price. Plus maintenence will be way easier with far greater bio capacity.

Just saying, but if you want to spend more than twice the money for much more difficult maintenance and it looking like a science experiment, do at least 3 fx5's. 4 would be optimal, but you'll need some earplugs as well.

About 4-5 bags of pool filter sand and a 300w ebo jager would be perfect. 2 ebos to be safe. Good luck!
Click to expand...

size sump?? gallons?
 
Brian_Indiana;5148603; said:
I don't understand the earplug comment? I have x2 FX5 on my 220 and they run almost perfectly silent. Sumps make a lot more noise than canisters IMO. My 90 is drilled with a sump and it is a lot louder than my 120 or 220.
Click to expand...

I was saying you'd need them for 4. And a properly setup sump using a Herbie or Bean method for drains will be virtually silent. Completely depends on your setup....
 
I am setting up a 300 gallon as well. I was also going to run 3 fx5's, but after spending the last four months going over everything from cost to flow, to added system volume, to flexibility, maintenance and finally aesthetics, I decided to go with a sump. Alot of folks on this site as well as lots of reefers on reefcentral helped me make my decision.

It's costing me about $600 to build my 75 gallon sump with 2 q6000's and 16 liters of bio and socks. Couldve done it cheaper but I bought everything new. Maintenance and aesthetics were my main deciding factors. I hate doing canister maintenance and fx5's are big. It will take less than 30 seconds to change socks on my sump. I also did not want to see any plumbing, heaters or equipment in the display either. I wanted a very clean look.

The downside to running my sump is power. It'll cost about $5 more a month to run this sump as opposed to the fx5's, but I'll gladly pay that to not have to to canister maintenance. If my socks are clean, the display will remain clean since there's no where else in the system for detritus to accumulate ( assuming I'll do periodic water changes with a quick gravel vac)

Can you run several canisters on a tank like this and have it function well? Absolutely. It'll work just fine. It's just a matter of how you want it to look and perform and that is a very personal choice. I did not come to my decision quickly or easily. I took my time and got it just the way I wanted it before I set up the tank. Opinions will vary. This is simply mine.

Best of luck with whatever you decide!!
 
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