Your cichlid tank filtration?

[DeFeKt]

Just wondering what everyone uses in their cichlid tank for filtration, and how much?

Reason I ask is I pulled my custom side drop air driven filters out recently, as I was having trouble with one peeling away from the side, and replaced it with a 2000 LPH internal.
As I work away, I came home for my fortnightly water change to find the tank filthy and the filter almost totally blocked up.
Went down bought another 2000 LPH internal, put it in and withing 3 hours that one was blocked to, but the water was clearer.
Interestingly enough, 0 ammonia 0 nitrites and nitrates at 40ppm 8O
A water changed, the filters cleaned and it's back to normal, but I think i'll leave both filters in running 4000 LPH, turnover.
in a 100gallon tank thats over 10x turnover per hour.

What tank and filter capacity are you all running and, more importantly, how heavy is your bio-load?

 

[canucksfan1]

I'm running one 55 gallon with a pretty hefty bioload, it's got 1 convict, 2 BP's, 1 Angel, 2 Dwarf gourami's, 2 Clown loaches, 1 Weather loach, 1 Ropefish, and 20 or so feeder whiteclouds. Now i know that is alot but most of them are just in there to grow and and will be moved to other tanks soon. Anyway i am running a Whisper 60, and an AQ 30 on that.

And on my 23 thats got 2 more convicts i'm running and AQ 30 (the con in the 55 had to be taken out of this tank cuz he was way 2 aggresive, but now he is super calm which is good) but both my tanks are doing awsome as far as params are concerned.

 

[crazyred]

My 55 has 2 breeding angels, 4 breeding GBR's, 2 different Apisto species, rummynose, Von Rio, Cochu's Blue tetras, 1 lone platy, and a Queen Arabesque pleco, and I have a Penguin 350 w/2 bio-wheels and a Eheim ECCO 2233 (now know as 2234). My fish breed like mad. I'm way over filtered, but I highly recommend this.

 

[JustOneMore20]

My 55g Malawi tank has a Rena XP3 and an Aquaclear 70. Water stays clear and nitrates rarely make it to 40ppm between weekly water changes of 50%. And I'm pretty heavily stocked, although my fish are still on the small side.

 

[Zagz]

My 125 gal has a Fluval FX5 and a Fluval 404. Rated about 1300 gph approximately.

 

[kay-bee19]

55gal Mbuna grow out: two Aquaclear 70

75gal Mbuna tank: two Aquaclear 70 & one Rena XP2

125gal Mbuna tank: two Aquaclear 110, one Penguin Bio-wheel 350 & 1 Rena XP3

180gal Hap & Frontosa tank: three Aquaclear 110 & 2 Rena XP3

 

[DeFeKt]

I have absolutly no idea what capacity any of those filters are but thanks.

 

[Big Ben]

48.6 gallon tank. Pretty heavy bio load but im good with my water changes, usually 1/3 of the tank volume. anyway heres the contributors to the load:

Green terror 4.5 inch
Severum 5
Jack dempsey 4.5
Jurupari 4.5
4 convicts 1 to 2.5 inch
Clown Loach 2
4 bronze cories=about 5 inch together
gold gourami 3?
bristle nose pleco 1.5

emperor 400 = rated 400 gallons per hour. I heard somewhere that about 10 times the gallons of the tank is a good filter rate. I wanted to go with something better but it was pretty much waht i could afford and the bio wheel filters have a good reputation.

I also use a bubble wand to help circulate the water since the tank has a big surface area, its an odd tank (36 x 24 x 13) i bought used off a guy who said he got it made custom, it was his growout tank for breeding.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

150 Gal Malawi with approximately 22 adult fish, 4 juvi, and 6 small fry (at the moment). Fully stocked. Running a Cascade 1000 and Cascade 1200. Will be upgrading the 1000 to a 1500 when we set up our new 55 gal tank and transfering the 1000 to the new tank. The new 55 is going to house the Juvi's and fry for grow out.

55 Gal Community tank with 4 Angels, 7 High Fin Serpae Tetras, 6 True Rummynose Tetras, 1 lone Cory, and a shrimp. Running a Cascade 1000.

 

[maxwell1295]

I use Eheim Classic canisters and Aquaclear powerheads on both of the cichlid tanks.

55G (19 fish at the moment)
2x Ehiem 2217
2x AC50 powerhead


58G (24 Saulosi juvies)
1x Eheim 2217
1x Eheim 2213
1x AC50 powerhead

 

[Finatic]

75 gal Malawi Peacock (gonnabe) with a Rena XP3 and Emperor 400.

 

[toddnbecka]

I have a 55 mixed African tank that uses 2 Aquaclear 110's (500 GPH each) to run the UG filter plates. I have another 55 that is set up differently, it has a fluval 304 canister filter, and the UG filter is powered by 2 powerheads custom-rigged for reverse flow. The powerheads pump 400 GPH each, the fluval pumps 260 GPH.
I have a decent bioload in both tanks, though not as heavy as some I've seen. I do have Synodontis petricola's in both to clean up leftovers, and feed a good bit twice daily.

 

[darrin34]

i run just one cascade 300 and my tank water is fine with 12 cichlids in it.. my tank is a 55

 

[coldmachineUK]

I have a very heavily stocked 36G: 7x Msobo Magunga adults and about 8x Msobo Magunga juveniles + 1x Syno Multi + 2x Syno Petricola + 1x LDA08.

As you know my fish were mis-identified

Anyway, the tank is filtered by a Tetratec EX700 external canister filter. So, it was already getting 'over' filtrated before, and now I can just about cope with things if I do a regular pwc once a week of 50%. The nitrates are higher than I'd like leading up to the pwc (at about 60), but tolerable. The fish are thriving, I just wish they'd stop breeding!!!

 

[kay-bee19]

55gal Mbuna grow out: two Aquaclear 70

75gal Mbuna tank: two Aquaclear 70 & one Rena XP2

125gal Mbuna tank: two Aquaclear 110, one & 1 Rena XP3

180gal Hap & Frontosa tank: three Aquaclear 110 & 2 Rena XP3

I have absolutly no idea what capacity any of those filters are but thanks.

(Max output provided, though media invariably diminishes rate):

Aquaclear 70 & XP2: 300gph
XP3 & Penguin Bio-wheel 350: 350gph
Aquaclear 110: 500gph

Max turnover rates for my tanks:
55gal=10.9x
75gal=12x
125gal=10.8x
180gal=12.2x

 

[Idealconcepts]

40gal Malawi fry/growout tank - AC70 and Peg125 - about 18x .5in fry.

80gal Peacockbass and orange pike grow out tank - AC110 and Emp400 - 5 P-bass 2-3inchs, 1x Pike 3 inch.

135gal Malawi - 2Rena XP3, and Quiet1 4000 UG/SJ system with prefilter - about 35 adults and 40-50 fry/juvies

300gal Aro and S/C American Cichlid tank - Sump with older rainbow Quietone 2x 1140gph at zero head and Quiet1 4000 UG/SJ system with prefilter - Blk Arowana 23 in, 6 SDs, Sevs, 5 Birchers, Midas 13 in, Pike, Pictus cates, Flowerhorn, Green Terror, Firemouth, Convicts.

 

[Marconis]

I just replaced my crappy Penguin 250 for an XP2 canister. I have an AquaClear 50 laying around. Should I use the AC50 along with the canister or is the canister sufficient enough. I only have 8 young cichlids, and as they age I may decrease it to 6 in fear of crazy amounts of agression and overstocking. (I only have a 46g).

 

[jamesrm]

75 Gal medium stocked African tank - 2 XP3's. 700 gph, so just under 10x turnover.