My pants are on fire!

[bmthomps84]

So I've got my holiday cash and it is burning a hole in my pocket. On my 55g Cichlid tank, I have very basic equipment all around and am looking to do a major upgrade. I want to purchase better lighting to grow plants, better filtration to make my fish happier, and a heater.

My limit is between $250-$300. So far in my internet search I have found...

Nova Extreme SLR T-5 Fixtures 48" (2 bulbs) Freshwater 108 watt @ $101.19

Magnum Canister Filter 350 PRO @ $106.19 &

ETH In-Line Heater 300 watt @ $54.99

The Nova SLR and the Magnum 350 all seem to review well with both pros and cons for both but the Heater has very few reviews.

Does this sound like a good value? Are there better filters and lighting out there in that price range? I've done a lot of research on everything but I'm still hesitant to buy for fear of a better value. Any opinions will be much appreciated!!

 

[[enjoyable_attempt]]

Well first off, Why would you want to try to grow plants in a cichlid tank, most times they uproot and tear up any plants you have in there. Secondly I personly hate Magnum 350's. They really don't have any bio room and theres alot better stuff out there. So if I were you I would drop the better lights and get a good filter. The fluval or ehiem line are always great. Also Ive heard in line heaters are more likely to malfunction.

Just my .02

 

[bmthomps84]

Well first off, Why would you want to try to grow plants in a cichlid tank, most times they uproot and tear up any plants you have in there. Secondly I personly hate Magnum 350's. They really don't have any bio room and theres alot better stuff out there. So if I were you I would drop the better lights and get a good filter. The fluval or ehiem line are always great. Also Ive heard in line heaters are more likely to malfunction.

Just my .02

The Magnum pro comes with a bio wheel attachment to add some bio filtration. From what I've read they seem to hold up for quite a while which is what I'm looking for. As for the plants, I've tried to grow a few swords in the tank before and the cichlids left the plants alone but they eventually browned and died because of the standard florescents that I have on there now. I also have a large piece of driftwood in the tank and want to add some java moss or congo ferns to it. I just like the look and the benefits to the system. I'm not trying to create a biotope or anything but in the future I might want to try and tackle a fully planted tank. Where did you hear about the in-line heaters malfunctioning? Could you send me a link if it was on the internet because I scoured the place and turned up hardly anything.

 

[joedodge]

i would go with fluval for filter you can get a 404 on ebay for 84 dollars free shipping new in the box i have two of them on my 75 and they are terrific heaters goth a ac 150 or a stealth 150 and use your standard flouresent fixture just use an aqua glow bulb i had the 350 filter your looking at i personaly dislike it good luck

 

[Fry]

For $250-300 why not upgrade the whole setup?

New 75 Gallon $130
Glass Canopy $30
Nova Extreme SLR T-5 Fixtures 48" (2 bulbs) Freshwater 108 watt @ $101.19
Build a wooden stand.
And add an AquaClear 110 to your existing filtration.

If you sell your current setup you should be within budget and may to able to add a 250w Jager heater.

 

[Poptarts356]

hit up ebay i found a 500w titanium heater for $18.60 shipped and it works great. can save alot of money

 

[bmthomps84]

i would go with fluval for filter you can get a 404 on ebay for 84 dollars free shipping new in the box i have two of them on my 75 and they are terrific heaters goth a ac 150 or a stealth 150 and use your standard flouresent fixture just use an aqua glow bulb i had the 350 filter your looking at i personaly dislike it good luck

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to look around on ebay today. I really liked the idea of the in-line heater because it gets it out of the tank but still pretty wary about buying it because of the lack of reviews. Seems like the cons for the Magnum are outweighing the pros so fluval or eheim it is.

 

[bmthomps84]

For $250-300 why not upgrade the whole setup?

New 75 Gallon $130
Glass Canopy $30
Nova Extreme SLR T-5 Fixtures 48" (2 bulbs) Freshwater 108 watt @ $101.19
Build a wooden stand.
And add an AquaClear 110 to your existing filtration.

If you sell your current setup you should be within budget and may to able to add a 250w Jager heater.

Pretty sweet idea I do want a bigger tank. I had my stand built to fit and 18" deep tank because I want to upgrade to a 90g when I get the extra cash. I haven't found anything less than $200 out there though. Do you know of a good vendor? Craigslist hasn't turned up much lately.

 

[bmthomps84]

hit up ebay i found a 500w titanium heater for $18.60 shipped and it works great. can save alot of money

Word, I'm going to check it out today.

 

[CHOMPERS]

My pants are on fire!

You can get a shot for that.