Okay, I've figured out tank size. Next question is filters..

[sirwired]

Dictates from my Dearly Beloved on tank placement have determined that my tank will be 36x12xsomething-or-other. (I wanted a 48x12xsomething, but she didn't want it to be the centerpiece of the dining room wall.) I think a 38 seems like a good compromise between surface area and water depth. I know that I could go as low as a 30 in this size, and as large as a 45. My LFS has a 38 All-Glass bundled with a solid Pine stand (and maybe a canopy, I can't remember) for $295. Does this sound like a good price?

With that out of the way, my next questions are about filtering:

I have been eyeing the xp2 from Rena as a quiet, easy, filter. However, the whole Hydrogen Sulfide thing scares me. Online sources peg the time it takes Hydrogen Sulfide to form at anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours. How can I find out the "real" story here? Some site mention that after one measly hour, there is signifiant bacteria die-back, requiring immediate re-cycling. One hour? How could ANYBODY use a canister if that were the case? Even in places not real prone to outages, short ones are still fairly common.

Certainly a HOB, like a Penguin 350 is an option, but the idea of swapping out all those carbon cartridges isn't real appealing, especially if they aren't that necessary. I also am not a huge fan of the fact that they all seem to have the intake immediately under the waterfall.

What are the relative noise levels of a decent HOB filter and a canister? I know the canister itself doesn't make that much noise, but I would think the spray pipe for the return water can't be silent.

Many questions, and many thanks for the answers so far...

SirWired

 

[Zagz]

Cannisters are generally quieter. Aqua clear HOB's are fairly quiet too although there is more of a splashing sound from the water output. With a cannister most of them you can cut the hoses to fit so if you cut them below the water line you hear absolutely nothing. A note to a popular misconception. HOB's don't require carbon cartridges. AC has a large basket for media and most people use sponges, bio balls or ceramic rings and filter floss. Filter floss can also be purchased at Walmart for example, it is pure polyester filling. Buy a roll of it and cut to fit, costs less than $10 and you will be able to cut several dozen filter uses from it.

I have several cannisters and several HOB's. My personal use of cannisters is Fluval and I am quite happy with them all. I have fluvals 304, 404's and a FX5. Others on this site are extremely happy with Rena.

I've not had nor heard of anyone having concerns with hydrogen sulfide building up in cannister filters. If you use sand as substrate you either need to stir the sand when doing water changes or get some MTS to do it for you.

 

[justrelax]

i recently switched the filtration on my 55gal from an emperor 400 to the xp2. it's like the difference between living in the city or the country. the emperor is a quiet hob, don't get me wrong, but the xp2 is exceptionally quiet.
i don't know anything about hydrogen sulfide and how it effects the cycle. for me it was as simple as set up the cannister, run it with the hob for a couple weeks, then done! no mini-cycle at all. since you're setting up a new tank with a new filter i can't imagine you have anything to worry about, someone correct me if i'm wrong... fishless cycling i hope? that will only make things easier on you.
by outages i assume you mean power? if so, let me offer this: i have had over 7 one-hour plus outages this summer at my place, all with no negative effects on the tank. my bio-filter remained in tact. the key is to make sure you can aerate your tank during an outage and keep your bio filter in tact. for instance, you probably shouldn't let the bio-wheels on an hob sit in the air for a whole day without water running on them...

 

[TomK2]

My Fluvals have served me well for the last two years. Buy online and save a bunch.

 

[DeFeKt]

My LFS has a 38 All-Glass bundled with a solid Pine stand (and maybe a canopy, I can't remember) for $295. Does this sound like a good price?

Is this USD ? I'm not trying to be rude, but it sounds a bit steep even if it was $295AUD.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm an XP geek here, lol. I love my XP2 and XP3. They've been working flawlessly for me, and so easy and quick to do maintenance on them. Also, whether you go Rena, Fluval, or Eheim, you can also get inline heaters, which go inline with your cannister filter output back to the tank. That will be one less thing you have visible in the tank. I have the Hydor ETH 201 on my 29G (200W with 5/8" fittings) with my XP2, and the Hydor ETH 300 (300W with 5/8" fittings) on my 75G with my XP3. Depending on the filter, if the cannister uses 1/2" fittings, then you need to use the Hydor ETH 200 (200W with 1/2" fittings). And these heaters are so stable and reliable, it's incredible. I have no temp fluctuations, and if I do, it's maybe 1 degree at the very most.

 

[Tostada]

Most people go with HOBs for 30 gal. tanks, and most people go with cannisters for 55 gal. tanks. You could easily go either way.

Personally, I really like the faint splashing from the Penguin 200 on my 30 gal, but HOB filters really start getting to be eyesores when you get into the ones that are big enough for a 55 gal like your dual-biowheel Emperors or your massive Borg cube AquaClear. Although there is something cool about the AC 500 ... kinda like a little aquarium attached to a big aquarium. Anyway, it seems like everybody really wants a cannister, but they just can't quite justify it until they get up around a 55 gal. It sounds like your wife is concerned with keeping things unobtrusive, so that's a pretty good excuse to go with the cannister.

The XP1 is certainly a good deal at $61.99 from a petsmart.com price match. Do you really need to go with the XP2?

XP1 = 250 GPH = 9 inch = "up to 45 gal" = $61.99
XP2 = 300 GPH = 11 inch = "up to 75 gal" = $79.99
XP3 = 350 GPH = 14 inch = "up to 175 gal" = $104.99

I don't see how they justify the jump from 45 to 75 gallons (a 67% increase) when the XP2 is only 50 GPH more (a 20% increase).

I suppose the XP3 is even more confusing -- from 75 to 175 gallons (a 133% increase) with still just 50 GPH more (a 17% increase).

I really don't know anything about cannisters, though. I would hope the motor would be significantly improved (even though it's not much faster), since it's pumping through those extra inches of media.

My LFS has a 38 All-Glass bundled with a solid Pine stand (and maybe a canopy, I can't remember) for $295. Does this sound like a good price?

Is this USD ? I'm not trying to be rude, but it sounds a bit steep even if it was $295AUD.

That's probably not a bad price. It totally depends on the stand, and you can't get quality stuff much cheaper. For that size tank, most places charge a little over $100 for a cheap laminate (fiber board, whatever you wand to call it) stand.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

The XP1 is certainly a good deal at $61.99 from a petsmart.com price match. Do you really need to go with the XP2?

XP1 = 250 GPH = 9 inch = "up to 45 gal" = $61.99
XP2 = 300 GPH = 11 inch = "up to 75 gal" = $79.99
XP3 = 350 GPH = 14 inch = "up to 175 gal" = $104.99

I don't see how they justify the jump from 45 to 75 gallons (a 67% increase) when the XP2 is only 50 GPH more (a 20% increase).

I suppose the XP3 is even more confusing -- from 75 to 175 gallons (a 133% increase) with still just 50 GPH more (a 17% increase).

Actually, it's not based all on the GPH. That's only part of the equation. You also have media. The XP2 holds twice the media that the XP1 does, and the XP3 holds 3 times the media than the XP1. A lot of tank size ratings is based partly on GPH, but mostly on media capacity, IMO.

 

[DeFeKt]

That's probably not a bad price. It totally depends on the stand, and you can't get quality stuff much cheaper. For that size tank, most places charge a little over $100 for a cheap laminate (fiber board, whatever you wand to call it) stand.

crikey.

 

[sirwired]

My LFS has a 38 All-Glass bundled with a solid Pine stand (and maybe a canopy, I can't remember) for $295. Does this sound like a good price?

Is this USD ? I'm not trying to be rude, but it sounds a bit steep even if it was $295AUD.

That's probably not a bad price. It totally depends on the stand, and you can't get quality stuff much cheaper. For that size tank, most places charge a little over $100 for a cheap laminate (fiber board, whatever you wand to call it) stand.

Actually the combo that I have ordered (it should be here by the end of the week: see my other thread on equipment and stocking) includes a solid pine stand and canopy. Yeah, I wouldn't touch some cheap-o laminate thing for that much money. You can see the stand in the All-Glass catalog. IIRC, the tank was $100, the stand $130, and the canopy was $70.

SirWired

 

[newfound77951]

I'm a big fan of AquaClear HOBs, I have a 70/300 on my 55 gallon and as long as the water level stays up it is very quiet. Super easy to clean and lots of media options (I do not run carbon either, only foam and Biomax (ceramic pieces). I am heavily planted so my setup doesn't need a ton of filtration. If a HOB gets loud it's usually just the impeller which is a quick and inexpensive thing to change out.

Whatever you decide to get, though, definitely buy online!

 

[JustOneMore20]

Whatever you decide to get, though, definitely buy online!

I agree! You can save a ton of money online. Some sites include Big Al's Online, Drs Foster and Smith and That Pet Place. Those 3 usually have the best prices. I usually price match between the 3 to find the best deals on what I need (hey I gotta save some money ).

The filter choice is up to you. It depends on your budget, asthethics, and what you want. I have recently fallen in love with cannister filters. I have an XP3 on my current 55g and have ordered one for my 55g African cichlid tank. I will be setting up a 38g in the future, when I have some money saved and will be using an Aquaclear 70, mainly because I already have it and its free. I will eventually upgrade to an XP2 though.

The Rena filters are great deals for the money. They are really quiet and keep the water clean. I can always tell when my water level is low because the AC70 is on my 55g now and it gets really loud when the level is low. That bothers me because its in my room...so I'm excited about setting up the 38g and getting the HOB out of my room (its gonna stay til the 38g is set up...to build up bacteria).

The choice is yours. Whatever you get...I'd make sure you overfilter (which I think you are already taking into account)!

 

[Tostada]

I don't see any need to actually buy it online when you can just print out the page and PetSmart will pricematch it.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I'm not just talking about the filter...I'm talking about other supplies too. My Petsmart doesn't have a good variety of anything...heaters, food, etc... And maybe they could order what I wanted, but why not just have it shipped to my house?

I've also never seen Rena cannisters at my Petsmart...could be different for other people though.

And some people may not have a Petsmart close by.

 

[ksfishguy]

I use a Millennium 2000 HOB and a Magnum 350 on my 42 gallon, they work great! Good luck!