New Tank Question
- Thread starter Drumm22
- Start date
I heard a lot about sun sun, they are producing good and cost effective solutions.
Btw, Is this sunsun brand ? looks for following on amazon:
"Polar Aurora Free Media 265GPH / 370GPH / 525GPH External Aquarium Filter with Builtin Pump Kit Canister" on amazon.
I was planning on "mini" version of this canister because I run just 37 gallons as of now.
This is biggest they got, and they claim to have some bulbs to control algae.
Btw, Is this sunsun brand ? looks for following on amazon:
"Polar Aurora Free Media 265GPH / 370GPH / 525GPH External Aquarium Filter with Builtin Pump Kit Canister" on amazon.
I was planning on "mini" version of this canister because I run just 37 gallons as of now.
This is biggest they got, and they claim to have some bulbs to control algae.
A 6' 125g with 2 or 3 ac110s would be a simple and effective setup for your stock. I wouldnt go buying any more fish in the meantime though.
Im just not a fan of canisters, but theyre pretty user friendly if thats the way you want to go.
Im just not a fan of canisters, but theyre pretty user friendly if thats the way you want to go.
It looks like it is the same and the UV light dose work i used it. And I have never had a sunsun stop working on me. I used it for about 3 years and I think the big one holds more media than the fx6. I
He is correct, however if you don’t maintain them they can become a nuisance as they become nitrate factories.
At the end of the day it’s easy to set one up and then forget about it until it’s time to do maintenance on it but pulling it out, cracking it open, washing the stuff inside, and then setting back up is more time consuming than a hang on back filter. You choose between easy fast maintenance more often or more time consuming maintenance but left often.
I never had a problem with nitrate buildup when i used an fx6. I think the misconception is that one can skip water changes once they upgrade to the magical pressurized bucket. This leads to gunk building up in the can, constricting the flow through and creating the aforementioned "nitrate factory".
Of course if you never crack the thing open to clean it then thats a problem too. Cans need just as much maintenance as HOBs...maybe even more.
The problems i had with canisters were related to the fittings failing, impeller and motor wearing out, and the increasing noise and uneasiness related to those problems.
It is not only maintenance but the canisters does not need to be cleaned as often but the big reason i think to using a canisters filter is the bio media imo anything over 30gallon tank should not use hob. Will it work yes but will it be the best for the fish no. And you will have to keep buying the Cartridge for the hob too. Also with the FX6 it will be good if you want to upgrade in the future. I had one running my 600 gallon tank for a few weeks when I was waiting on my new sump. And it had 80 plus 2-4 inch cichlids in it at the time. I know I will hear something about this but I only clean mine every 2 to 3 months and just do water changes and I dont have a problem with nitrates. I turn it off when I feed them so the food does not get sucked in because I have found that will help keep maintenance down
All filters do the same thing (unless specialized)
A HOB, is no better or worse than canister, or better or worse than a sump.
Sure....one may hold more bio-media than another, or hold more or less mechaincal media, or provide more linear flow, but in the end they all do the same thing, so its really about what you are comfortable with, and which one prompts the you the aquarist and your time constraints, to do the most and best maintenance practices for your particular tank.
Sufficient bio media is related to your specific fish load (the food that beneficial bacteria use), not volume of that media (unless of course you provide too little).
You do not ever have more biofiltration than the ammonia the population of fish put out, just because you have more square ft of media.
If you have 2 or 3 HOBs on a tank and you find you will rinse the mechanical media of 1 filter, every other day or so, then this type filter may be better for you, better than a more highly rated can, that gets only monthly maintenance.
If you find taking a filter off line, and apart to clean, a complicated or tedious task, that type might not be right for you.
If you find fluid dynamics and plumbing a pain, a sump may not be for you.
Because my focus was on breeding, my tanks were often heavily stocked, so I would often line the entire back of the tanks with 4 or 5 HOBs, and give one a daily rinse.
In the past I always had 20 or so tanks running at the same tome, and I found I could filter 5 of those tanks with a single sump, and single pump, so using a sump was a no brainer for me.
These days I prefer my nitrate load to be 5ppm or less, so I prefer to use sumps, and I can do a daily rinse of grunge of the mechanical media without turning off my pumps, or disturbing the functions of the main tank at all. I like my tanks to have a minimum of 1000 GPH flow, and lots of turbulence, so a sump easily provides this and more for my situation.
A HOB, is no better or worse than canister, or better or worse than a sump.
Sure....one may hold more bio-media than another, or hold more or less mechaincal media, or provide more linear flow, but in the end they all do the same thing, so its really about what you are comfortable with, and which one prompts the you the aquarist and your time constraints, to do the most and best maintenance practices for your particular tank.
Sufficient bio media is related to your specific fish load (the food that beneficial bacteria use), not volume of that media (unless of course you provide too little).
You do not ever have more biofiltration than the ammonia the population of fish put out, just because you have more square ft of media.
If you have 2 or 3 HOBs on a tank and you find you will rinse the mechanical media of 1 filter, every other day or so, then this type filter may be better for you, better than a more highly rated can, that gets only monthly maintenance.
If you find taking a filter off line, and apart to clean, a complicated or tedious task, that type might not be right for you.
If you find fluid dynamics and plumbing a pain, a sump may not be for you.
Because my focus was on breeding, my tanks were often heavily stocked, so I would often line the entire back of the tanks with 4 or 5 HOBs, and give one a daily rinse.
In the past I always had 20 or so tanks running at the same tome, and I found I could filter 5 of those tanks with a single sump, and single pump, so using a sump was a no brainer for me.
These days I prefer my nitrate load to be 5ppm or less, so I prefer to use sumps, and I can do a daily rinse of grunge of the mechanical media without turning off my pumps, or disturbing the functions of the main tank at all. I like my tanks to have a minimum of 1000 GPH flow, and lots of turbulence, so a sump easily provides this and more for my situation.
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Just got an aurora poralis (sun sun) on Amazon for 60 bucks haven't even set it up yet but am looking forward to running it on a 55. Looks daunting but so did the marinelands first time I saw them. Also, I think it'll more than pay for itself with cheaper, better media choices.
