kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hey all, I am in the process of getting a 5x2x2 up and going for some more Tropheus. The tank I am getting has a 3 foot mini reef with a dead pump. Just after some input on what sort of filtration is recommended. Firstly, for the mini reef pump, what size pump do you recommend? Any recommendations on brands/models would be appreciated as well. Secondly, I am thinking of running at least one canister for mechanical filtration, probably an Eheim, Fluval or Aqua One ~1500-2000lph. Is one enough or do I need another canister as well? I know Dave you will probably tell me to have 3 just to be safe I presently have a 1600lph powerhead with wet/dry biofilter, a 1500lph canister, and ~500lph Eheim pickup filter on my 4ft 300L tank and that turns over the tank about 12 times an hour. Should I add another one to that as well? I was thinking a Eheim 2215 or 2217 maybe. Sorry for all the questions, but I just want to make sure these babies are well looked after Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bijengum Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I run three cannisters (biological only) on all my Tropheus tanks with a high flow rate internal for mechanical filtration. With the mini reef I would use at least a 4000 litre rated pump. The mini reef will handle the biological load OK. If you don't want to muck around cleaning mats from on top of the reef media I would use an internal filter in the sump for mechanical filtration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 remember Shane....the weekly water changes is the key....do yourself a little experiment....at the end of a week before your water change with your tank fully stocked check your nitrate levels....if it is below 5ppm then you have adequate filtration...if not then u need more... as u know, you will get a lot of varied and extreme advice from different people who have had success so u just need to decide what u are most comfortable with doing for your precious little Ts. since your 5 by 2 has a excellent sized minireef...u can have enough biological filtration from that alone...just get a pump able to move 8-10 times the water volume per hour provided the bulk head can cope with it..whatever pump u use depends on your budget....i personally think the pondmasters are reliable and quiet pumps, just hear what others recommend. u could add one or 2 canisters for added mechanical filtration and water polishing....i would go for either a 2260 or fluval FX5 (provided u don't have a lot of fine sand substrate). the other optional extras would be UV clarifier and Nitrate filters! for your 4 footer...since the Eheim 2217 is so reliable and going for a steal at $220 each at our sponsor The Reef Shop then why not get another one!!! btw for my Aquaone 150cm tank i have decided to upgrade my filtration from the 4 Eheim Prof II and one 2217 to the 4 Prof II and one 2250!!! This plus the overhang wet/dry trickle filter at 1600lph, UVC and the Aquamedic sulfur/hydrocarbon nitrate filters!!!! Sorry if i made your decisions even harder...just ignore what i said...... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 Thanks guys, I have an Aquamedic Dentrification Filter, it has been up and running for a few weeks, don't know if it has kicked in yet. If it works as well as they are supposed to, I will get another one for the 5x2. I think I will add an Eheim to the 4 footer and for the 5x2 go with 2 canisters, plus the mini reef and maybe an internal hi flow rate filter as suggested by Bijengum. Thanks for your help and advice. Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hey Shane... i apologise for being such a bad influence on u mate....again, please don't hold me responsible for your actions! see, u already had your filtration planned all along, u just needed someone to nudge u over the edge and justify your decision! on a more serious note....when u meant nitrate filter did u mean this one? nitrate filter i have used the deniballs one where u have to feed the bacteria with these sugar tablets for 10 days before it works and found although they do work they easily became very slimy and yucky after a few months and would spit out gunk into the tank which i don't know if it is good for the fish... however, i found the other one as linked above is better...actually for your 5by2 i would go for the 2 canister version: AquaMedic Sulphur and hydrocarbonate reactors Good Luck! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 Dave, The one I have is the SN400, not the deniballs. It doesn't look exactly like the one pictured though. The sulphur is on top, with some small sized matrix like media in the bottom basket. I have already noticed a bit of 'gunk' building up in the hoses, hope it doesn't block the flow. The instructions said to run it full speed flow for 2 weeks then slow the flow down to a drop per minute or thereabouts. I am just into the 3rd week now. Will see how it goes. The other ones look quite good. Do you have them? If so, did you get them locally and how much did you pay? Oh I think you are right, I was always going to go big on the filtration!! Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 that's good the SN400 is an improvement over the deniball ones....it crucial that the water runs through the sulphur beads (yellow) before it goes thru the hydrocarbon (matrix looking) because the reaction with the sulphur makes the water acidic and the hydrocarbon we alkalinises the water before it exits the reactor.... don't worry about the gunk, it should be ok... what i understand is this model has a little inbuilt motor to circulate the water, however u need to connect it in series with the outflow of a canister filter or a dosing pump.... i have the sulphur/hydrocarbon 2 canister model and find it great to use...i actually get it from Fish Rock and they have given me a special discount for it which i can't reveal here. All i can suggest is ask them for a discount and they may be obliging! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 that's good the SN400 is an improvement over the deniball ones....it crucial that the water runs through the sulphur beads (yellow) before it goes thru the hydrocarbon (matrix looking) because the reaction with the sulphur makes the water acidic and the hydrocarbon we alkalinises the water before it exits the reactor.... don't worry about the gunk, it should be ok... what i understand is this model has a little inbuilt motor to circulate the water, however u need to connect it in series with the outflow of a canister filter or a dosing pump.... i have the sulphur/hydrocarbon 2 canister model and find it great to use...i actually get it from Fish Rock and they have given me a special discount for it which i can't reveal here. All i can suggest is ask them for a discount and they may be obliging! No worries The biggest problem I had with the aqua medic was getting sufficient flow into the actual filter. they supply a barb type connector, and with it there wasn't sufficient pressure out of the canister outlet hose to fill the canister. The hoses in and out are basically silicone air hoses. I had to do some creative plumbing to get it set up properly. There is a small pump as you say, but it only circulates. Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 what size canister are u using? i have 3, 2 of them i run thru the outlet of Eheim 2217 and Pro II 2028 and they seem to fill up well and have good flow thru them. One of them i run with the SP3000 dosing pump which fails to fill the sulphur canister fully with water but i don't think it is necessary for it to do so....as long as there is flow thru the unit then it is doing its job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 what size canister are u using? i have 3, 2 of them i run thru the outlet of Eheim 2217 and Pro II 2028 and they seem to fill up well and have good flow thru them. One of them i run with the SP3000 dosing pump which fails to fill the sulphur canister fully with water but i don't think it is necessary for it to do so....as long as there is flow thru the unit then it is doing its job! It is a 1500lph. I know what I did wrong.. The barb T piece I got did not fit my filter hose, so I set it up between the spray bar and the outlet. Not enough pressure being so close to the spray bar It was all sorted in the end anyway! Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nornicle Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 what sort of media are you guys running in your canisters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 3, 2006 Author Share Posted October 3, 2006 what sort of media are you guys running in your canisters? I run 3 baskets with sponge and a basket of noodles/matrix. Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bijengum Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 what sort of media are you guys running in your canisters? I run noodles and coarse shel grit - no sponges or mechanical filtration in the cannisters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dempsey Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Hi . I run a Fluval FX5 in my 5x1.7x2 tropheus tank. I got 23 T's in it. Ive been happy with the performance of it I use crushed coral, bio balls, ceramic rings, and charcoal. and of cause sponge around the outside. Im even happy with the output nozzles. Id say its the better of the canisters i have. the tank filters better now that I put the eheim on the other side as well. and a powerhead. I always have some sort of frustration with cannisters. Cause they just dont work as well as sump filters. And I sorta expect em to. Ill always regret not building a weir in that 5 ftr..lol.. Cheers Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 Hi . I run a Fluval FX5 in my 5x1.7x2 tropheus tank. I got 23 T's in it. Ive been happy with the performance of it I use crushed coral, bio balls, ceramic rings, and charcoal. and of cause sponge around the outside. Im even happy with the output nozzles. Id say its the better of the canisters i have. the tank filters better now that I put the eheim on the other side as well. and a powerhead. I always have some sort of frustration with cannisters. Cause they just dont work as well as sump filters. And I sorta expect em to. Ill always regret not building a weir in that 5 ftr..lol.. Cheers Karl. I have a Coral Sand substrate in my tank, might be best to avoid the FX5 from what I've heard about the sand getting into the motor. Unless the coral sand is not too fine? Opinion anyone? Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrdog Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Depends on whether the coral sand is light and gets kicked up into dust like clouds. If it doesn't and pretty much stays put you should be sweet. If it gets kicked up easily then you won't be sweet in my experience. Jamie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 Depends on whether the coral sand is light and gets kicked up into dust like clouds. If it doesn't and pretty much stays put you should be sweet. If it gets kicked up easily then you won't be sweet in my experience. Jamie. Yeah it does get kicked up. If they swim vigourously it does disturb the sand. It would be good if it was all the same thickness, but there is some fine stuff in there. Might steer clear and go with Eheim 2217 or similar. Cheers Shane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 i also use the finest grade of coral sand in my tank with the FX5 and there has been no problems with it at all..... it does a good job and i am happy with it. ofcourse u can't go wrong with a Eheim 2217...they are a rock solid filter and will run for years. Maybe u should get a 2260 or two 2217 instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 4, 2006 Author Share Posted October 4, 2006 i also use the finest grade of coral sand in my tank with the FX5 and there has been no problems with it at all..... it does a good job and i am happy with it. ofcourse u can't go wrong with a Eheim 2217...they are a rock solid filter and will run for years. Maybe u should get a 2260 or two 2217 instead? Well, I haven't had an Eheim canister before. Are they worth every penny, or should I get a couple of a lesser name brand for the same price?? Will look at some prices. I also do like the look of the FX5, just worried about the whole motor siezing thing.... hard to make a decision!!! Also what about a UV sterilizer or the all in one canister advertised tonight from one of the sponsors? Too many options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoliroMan Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 i can't really comment on the new Jialu canisters but if u want full proof tested quality go for Eheim.... two 2217 seems to be the cheapest option. the FX5 is still a relatively new filter so with time its problems will be weeded out and maybe it would be less riskier for u to wait and see. Although it is a damn powerful filter and so effective, it is also relatively easy for the sponges to get totally saturated with waste and uneaten food, so u will need to give them a rinse every 4-6 weeks.. hth Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilroy Posted October 5, 2006 Author Share Posted October 5, 2006 I am leaning towards the FX5 only because it has such a massive sponge and takes up less room. Am going to check them out at LFS this weekend. Don't worry, I will save money by buying from one of the sponsors. Reef shop is well priced, wasn't that happy with week and a half delivery last time (item supposedly broken so they had to order more). Oops am I allowed to say that here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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