Particles HELP Please.

[cooper.s]

I have posted a thread already but no1s replied.

Basically Ive not long got my 120gallon tank since ive not long upgraded it from a 30 gallon. I always had floating particles in my 30 gallon but never bothered me too much as they wasnt very noticable but since ive upgrade to the bigger tank theres more water to notice all the particles and its really bugging me, i just want them gone. Im running a eheim 2217 classic canister filter which has the media setup as follows:

(From Bottom to Top) Blue Course Filter Pad, Pack of Eheim Substratpro, Blue Course Filter Pad, Pack of Eheim Substratpro, Blue Course Filter Pad, White Fine Filter Pad.

I Change 20% of the water every week and not long replaced the Fine filterpads and rinsed the Course 1s along with the Substratpro (2weeks ago to be exact)

Stock is as follows

5x Silver Sharks
2x Columbian Sharks
2x Pim Pictus Cats
2x Moonlight Gouramis
1x Pangasius
1x Common Plec
1x Royal Whiptail Plec
1x Black Lancer Catfish
1x Synodontis
1x Black Ghost Knife
and 1x Fire Eel

All of which are VERY young, Biggest being the Columbian Sharks at about 5"

Feed the Catfish and BGK sinking Catfish pellets which the Silver Sharks Seem to love too.
The Gouramis have flakes which the Silver Sharks also gobble up.
I put a few Plecowafers in for the Common Pleco and the Royal Whiptail
and I feed my Eel a Frozen Cube of bloodworm everyday.

(If im feeding my fish wrong also please let me know and shed some light on what I should be feeding them)

Thanks
Sean

 

[bob965]

Moar filtration. A 2217 isn't nearly enough for a 120gal, especially with that many fish.

 

[BODYDUB]

Do at least 25% every week and add some polishing pads to your filter..............

 

[epond83]

A polishing pad works great, so great they need changed/cleaned often casue they will plug up your filter. It's a fine balance.

I love the clearity but hate opening my canister all the time, it's fluval and prone to leak more each time i open it.

 

[foldem]

Moar filtration. A 2217 isn't nearly enough for a 120gal, especially with that many fish.

x2

When loaded with media i think the 2217 will only do 900lph (around 240gallons) which isnt enough turnover. Have you thought about upgrading the filter or installing another one just for mech filtration to handle all the free flying debs in the tank?

 

[cooper.s]

Ive thought about upgrading, even thought about making a wet dry but my cabinets usless for storage.

What sort of filter will I be looking at? ive seen alot of people on here are running fluval FX5's
What are they like?
What other filters will give me a decent turnover?

Ive also seen people running an FX5 and another filter with just pure bio? what do they run in the FX5s and is it worth me getting my hands on an FX5 and running that alongside my 2217 and fill my 2217 with pure bio?

Ive searched for polishing pads but I just seem to get the eheim fine white filter pad which ive got 2 of in there already?

Thanks for the replies people.
Sean

 

[jschall]

Use lots of filter floss. You can ditch half of your substratpro, assuming you're using 2l at the moment. Don't worry about removing half of it. The BB will grow back in less than 24 hours.
Remove half of your substratpro, remove two of the course pads, fill the rest of the thing with floss (the white stuffing stuff.)

FX5 will easily filter a 120 by itself, if you're planning on getting one. 2217 is 264 gph, fx5 is 900.

 

[cooper.s]

Use lots of filter floss. You can ditch half of your substratpro, assuming you're using 2l at the moment. Don't worry about removing half of it. The BB will grow back in less than 24 hours.
Remove half of your substratpro, remove two of the course pads, fill the rest of the thing with floss (the white stuffing stuff.)

Does it matter what floss I use or do I need to get the eheim pads? coz there bloody expensive and u have to change them loads?

 

[jschall]

Does it matter what floss I use or do I need to get the eheim pads? coz there bloody expensive and u have to change them loads?

It's just poly-fil. Cheapest thing in the world, never needs to be replaced if you have a good strong garden hose to clean it with. I'm paranoid and buy the stuff packaged for aquariums. Petco sells it, something $3 for a big bag. Haven't bought it in a long time, it cleans fairly easily.