Is a Canister Filter Enough for Consistent Conditions & Filtration?

[Jer]

I've had a 55gal w/undergravel filters (twin Powerhead 402's on risers) as well as a second filter hanging on the back (poly sheets for good bacteria & changeable charcoal/poly cartridges) and it's worked quite well. Recently my Powerheads are starting to give up the ghost or the undergravel trays are becoming clogged but other than that it's been smooth sailing. Recently I lucked into a 50% larger bowfront for a real good deal that I'm going to be upgrading to in the next week or so. It happens to come with a Fluval 305 but I'm not sure of the specific media inside since they're customizable. I will get more details on that from the current own when I go to pick it up. I've always wanted a canister filter but never had one so while I've read a little on them and seen some videos I still am not an expert on them... far from. My question is if I can use this and only this to clean my water of harmful chemicals as well as circulate/aerate the water. Currently the powerheads have air tubes so it also pumps air in and agitates the surface quite well and even the filter hanging on the back rustles things up pretty well. What I don't know is if this 305 filter by itself will be enough. I should also mention that I tend to have a LOT of fish in my tanks and exceed most 'recommendation charts' by a laughable amount. In my experience my cichlids tend to be less aggressive and therefore are easier to keep. The only downside is more frequent cleanings which isn't really an issue and I would much rather do this than deal with aggressive fish killing each other off weekly. So, that being said I think my filtration and circulation needs are probably higher than average and I'm worried that even tough the 305 is supposedly adequate for an average stocked tank of this size I'm not sure if it will meet my needs. Should I go ahead and add an undergravel to it as well with the power heads again or ?? I think I have all the parts I need if I scavenge from my current tank but I would rather keep the moving parts to a minimum and not to mention I don't want to have to deal with clogged trays in a few years like I have currently. Not a deal breaker but it would certainly clean up the look of the tank as well.

I'm looking for some input and any help or suggestions you can add would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aclockworkorange]

I really don't foresee anyone around here recommending you add an UDF filter.

What size tank and what stock are we talking here?

 

[Laticauda]

All very good questions that need to be answered in order to tell if it will be enough or not. I would chuck the UGF's myself. Canisters are great, and I would love to have canisters on all of my tanks. If anything, you may need to add your HOB filter, and possibly another HOB (Aquaclear is my favorite, for its biomedia capacity capability) depending on just how big the tank is, and what your stocking level is.

 

[GolemGolem]

Well, I like sponge filters myself for extra bio-filtration. I can't break them when I'm getting aggro with the gravel vac. You probally need to vacuum a lot, with the big fish and big poo and the undestandable overstocking. I think the canister, your HOB, and mebbe a nice hydroclear sponge filter hooked up to one of your power heads would be worth a shot.

 

[aclockworkorange]

I am a sponge filter fan as well, obviously.

 

[Jer]

I really don't foresee anyone around here recommending you add an UDF filter.

What size tank and what stock are we talking here and what stock?

UDF? Under (Dirt?) Filter?

The current tank is a 55gal and the stock is pretty extensive but mostly juveniles now due to an issue I had happen a while back. To give you an idea though I currently have:

1 firemouth - medium size
4 Red Empress - juvi
3 Ahli - juvi
3 Taiwan Reef - juvi
7 Bristle Nose Plecos (2 full grown and 5 juvis)
1 Abino Chocloate pleco (5")
2 Hilstream loaches, stingray plecos or whatever you want to call them
3 Clown Loaches - juvi
2 Red Tail loaches - Full grown
2 Angelics/Yo-Yo Botias
4 Peacocks - juvi
2 Red peacock - juvi
3 Jewel cichlids - adult

It reads like a real long list but as they get larger I plan to weed them out to mostly males and may even set up a second tank (perhaps keep this 55gal) for breeding colonies of some of the groups. Most are actually quite small because I'm in the process of restocking after I lost power overnight and end up losing half of my fish. Prior to that I hadn't lost a fish in many months so whatever I was doing... even though I had a large # of fish... was working. I'm just trying to get back to where I was and I don't plan to keep all of the fish I have currently as they get larger and I plan to even add some more to get the adult fish that I want. I'm planning to add some Obliquedens, EBJD's, a few Royal plecos and possibly a couple others as well. For now I'm adding like 3 or 4 of each species to end up with at least one male or possibly a small breeding colony. As they get bigger and I know what I have healthy and sexed I will either give to my mom or sell the ones I don't need/want to get to where I want to be.

The new tank will be an 80gal bowfront. Well, the current owner claims it's an 80gal but I suspect it's a 72gal. It will be nice to increase my volume almost 50% and if I can negate some of the various pumps, tubes and filters visible it would be nice.

 

[Jer]

All very good questions that need to be answered in order to tell if it will be enough or not. I would chuck the UGF's myself. Canisters are great, and I would love to have canisters on all of my tanks. If anything, you may need to add your HOB filter, and possibly another HOB (Aquaclear is my favorite, for its biomedia capacity capability) depending on just how big the tank is, and what your stocking level is.

Really? Two HOB's? I know there's no such thing as 'too much' filtration but I was hoping to eliminate the HOB's and UGF all together if possible. The HOB's require me to keep the tank further from my wall than I would like especially now that the bowfront will come out further than my current 55gal. I have a dining room table not too far from it and ideally it would be futher away for aesthetics. I know we're only talking about 4" here but every little bit helps. If I don't need them then I would like to subtract them from the mix. You're saying not only should I not eliminate it but even add a second one?

Well, I like sponge filters myself for extra bio-filtration. I can't break them when I'm getting aggro with the gravel vac. You probally need to vacuum a lot, with the big fish and big poo and the undestandable overstocking. I think the canister, your HOB, and mebbe a nice hydroclear sponge filter hooked up to one of your power heads would be worth a shot.

I may need to look more into these as they seem to be liked but I personally don't like the look of a big sponge in the tank. I do have to vacuum my gravel regularly (maybe not as often as I do but I like to do regular water changes and keep all the poo swept away) since I have so many fish but I would much rather do this than deal with tortured fish all the time from high level of aggression. I listened to 'experts' at LFS and big box names for over a decade before doing my own thing and I have had SUCH better luck since I started 'overstocking' my tank. I know the trade-off is water quality and solution is more frequent water changes and filtration. I'm at a happy balance now and have been for years but since I'm going to an unknown filtration I want to make sure that I set myself up for continued smooth sailing and possibly eliminate some power consumption and eye sores. I was hoping this canister filter might be that magic bullet but, as I figured, it likely won't suffice as a standalone filtration device as it's touted.

 

[GolemGolem]

wall of fake plants, some big pieces of rock you can hide almost anything in a tank...If I had a camera we could play spot the sponge, bubble wand, heater, HOB intake, syndo cat...well you can see the air lines, and you can see the glow of the heater's indicator light, but it looks pretty good.

 

[GolemGolem]

Well, you could always do two canister filters...that could work, or trade teh cannister for a HUGE canister (like fx5 and equivalent). I always like to have back up, which is why I run two types of filtration.

 

[GolemGolem]

*quick research* 305 is rated up to 70 gallons, and that normally means 70 gallons not filled with messy eaters....