Basic Setup. Tell me what do you think?

[D-DAY]

I went to a local pet shop and found a setup I think I like.

30gal 36"x12" shorty tank at $59.99
Hood w/light $39.99

I was thinking about an Emperor 280 for it too. I found a good deal at PETCO online. $37.99 plus $5.00 off with no shipping. Totaling $32.99 for it. Sound like a good deal?

I have everything else already...air pump, heater, thermometer...etc.

What do you guys think?

 

[BrianNY]

Hi D Day. I'd opt for the penguin 330 with a bio wheel. Bought mine from bigalsonline for $24.99. Good Luck

 

[dralarms]

You can get the 400 on line at bigalsonline.com for the same price.

 

[ferret]

I'm an advocate for Emperor systems. Supposively the Penguin 330 cycles 50 gallons more per hour, but the Emperor has a larger biowheel and larger media. If money is an issue though, both are great filters, especially for a 30G.

 

[D-DAY]

Money is not too much of an issue.

I figured the 280gph woud be more than adequate. Do you guys think I need something that with a 400gph turnover for a 30gal tank. For freshwater tropical it just seems like overkill. What are your thoughts?

 

[tkos]

I would forgo that hood. I doubt it will have much more than 30 watts of light at best and if you want to grow plants you will just have to spned more money.

http://www.ahsupply.com/

This company does better lighting systems for tanks and lots of people swear by them.

 

[ferret]

I think 280 would be fine.

For anyone wondering about differences between Penguin and Emperor series... There's 3 Penguin series filters (Mini, 125, 330). The number is the supposive GPH. There's two Emperor's (280 and 400).

The main differences is that each Penguin has its own filter media and biowheel size. Type A for Mini, Type B for 125, Type C for 330. The 330 is the only one with dual spillways. Both Emperor's however have the same sized biowheel and media cartridge (Type E for Emperor! There is no Type D), which are much larger than the Penguin 330's. An Emperor 400 is essentially two 280's side by side, but with a lower gph. An Emperor 400 holds almost twice as much water and media as a Penguin 330. I'm not sure how a 280 compared to a 330, but it probably holds close to the same amount of water.

With a 30 gallon, its your call, but definately over say 50 gallon I'd go only with Emperor's, not Penguin's. I run a 330 on my 29 gallon and on my goldfish's 20G. My 75 runs 1 400 and 1 330, while my 90 runs 2 400s. My other 20 has a 125.

 

[loganj]

Another difference is the Penguin relies on water flowing out of the filter box to turn the biowheels. The Emperor has a separate impeller dedicated to running a spray bar above the bio wheel. I've used them both, and although the Penguin is a good filter, it's not in the same class as the Emperor IMO. I think a 280 would be fine for your 30g tank.

 

[ferret]

Oops. Sorry, I did forget that part.

 

[dralarms]

There is also a penguin 170

 

[D-DAY]

tkos, I took a look at ahsupplies site. If I wanted a moderately planted tank would I need "The Beast" 96 watts? 30gal X 3watts per gal = 90watts for my little 30gal. That's a lot. My fish will glow in the dark.
How does that system install? Does it hang from the celing? can it be put on a hood?

 

[tkos]

They have plans for build it yourself hood, should be easy enough. I haven't done it but my brother has.

3 watts per gallon is considered medium/high lighting. Many people have much more. You really need at least 2 watts per gallon to have good growth. Too low can actually lead to algae growth. Too high as well unless you add a CO2 canister as well. But 2-3 watts is right where you want to be. Especially if you want to grow red plants or swords.

 

[D-DAY]

How about one of those Coralife Deluxe Aqualight fixtures? They are a bit pricey, but you don't need a hood. Anybody have one?

I am not looking for a jungle. Do you think an average hood fixture with a 30watt light will produce low to medium growth? I am not too worried about algae, that's an easy fix, but I don't want my plants to die.

 

[tkos]

1 watt per gallon may keep your plants alive but you will see little to no growth. Unless you have java fern or crypts, which will do fine in low light.