NEED HELP CHOOSING A FILTER

[Monolicious]

A lot depends on what kind and how many fish you are going to have.

2229 is for bio media only. Rated at 277 GPH without media, 277 GPH with media.

2028 has both bio & mech. media. Rated at 277 GPH w/o media, 198 GPH w/media.

2217 has both bio & mech media. Rated at 264 GPH w/o media, 112 GPH w/media.

2250 can be either. Choose (and buy separately) your own media. Rated at 317 GPH w/o media. It is about the same height as the 2028 but larger in diameter. I have the 2260 and it is an awesome filter.

Deeda How tall is your 2260 I think it is 355mm is this right or is in the 500mm range web sites can be so wrong at times

 

[tattooedbstrd]

Still no love for cascades?

 

[SteveR]

This is my stock at the moment.

1 x 20" RB Pacu
1 x 12" RTG
1 x 16" Clown Knife
1 x 15" Dat
1 x 10" Pleco
4 x clown Loaches
1 x Tinfoil Barb
1 x 8" Green Aro

I am looking to keep water levels a little lower I always have a little Amonia and Nitrite, I want to be able to have crystal clear water with no Amonia or Nitrite.I do a 25% water change weekly

That is some stock list dude, even without the pacu. When you are moving that 20inch beast into something more suitable? Even with a new filter, your going to arrive at big ammonia problems soon.

 

[deeda]

The 2260 is 570mm high x 355mm round. What I did was rotate the pump mounting on top the filter so the fitting comes out the side rather than the top. So my filter height is now 21.75 inches. I also have a 2217 on this tank but am looking to add a DIY sump one of these days.

I have this under my stand but have to tip it forward in order to get it out to clean it. It is on my 220G Perfecto tank and pine stand. Tank is 72"L x 24"W x 30"H. The stand door opening is 21.25"W x 20.75"H so this gives me enough room to tip it to get the filter out the door.

I'm not personally familiar with the fish you keep but it sounds like a high bioload for this size tank. I don't know if you are comfortable with doing a DIY sump or prefer canisters. I find the canisters pretty straightforward to use and very quiet to operate. I know I need additional filtration because of my high bioload so I'm considering doing a DIY sump. BTW, I have African cichlids (Mbuna) and they have increased in number since I first started.

Check out the DIY section for making your own filtration if you're interested in going this route. Keep us posted on what you decide to do or if you have any more questions.

Oh yeah, I do 50% water changes every week. You definitely need to increase yours some. I don't know why you have nitrItes if your tank has been cycled. The larger water changes will help to lower your nitrAtes a lot. How long has this tank been setup and what do you have for your substrate/decor/rocks? Any chance of a picture to help us visualize what we need to suggest to you?