55 gallon low light tank...cannister filter needed?

[Jason the Lost]

Cannister filters...How are they mounted in on the tank? Is there special accomodations needed on a standard 55 gallon tank? Sorry for all the questions, as the name says...I'm lost. Are they really even needed for a low light planted?

 

[Xzap]

Canister filter are connected to the tank by 2 hoses, an intake and output. They don't mount on the tank itself.

Here's a good and easy read on canister filters
http://honors.montana.edu/~weif/firsttank/canister.phtml

Thx,

Dave

 

[Jason the Lost]

So these would need the holes drilled in the tanks?

 

[rich311k]

You wont have to drill any holes. Tubes go in through the top.

 

[Jason the Lost]

just found a diagram, thanks. I think I'll just go with a canister filter right off the bat in case I decide to upgrade to higher light later.

 

[Zezmo]

Does this mean you have no filter at all? Or do you already have a HOB power filter or even an UGF? Because, if you already have a filter, and it is adequate for your fish already, then there is no need to change filters just because of plants.

 

[Jason the Lost]

In a nutshell, I'm looking to start a 55 gallon fw planted community in about a month, I'm going on vacation near the end of Sept so right now I'm just researching it as I've never had a planted tank. I'm looking to keep probably cories, some barbs and some livebearers (this is in no way set in stone other than the cories). I'll also be using eco complete as substrate and buying a starter pack or two of low light plants as I'm interested in starting off with low light.

Odds are I'm going to buy the tank stand from a local petsmart as they have the height/size I'm looking for. I'm not sure on the tank, I was going to buy one of those top fin type 55 gallon kits because the filters come without bio wheels and the light hoods that come with those kits would be acceptable for low lighting needs with a bulb change. However I'm trying to figure out if I'm better off just buying a tank and everything seperate, such as hoods, canister filter etc. compared to buying the kit, money really isn't a problem...I would rather do it right from the get go, but I don't want to go overboard either.

 

[malkore]

Planted tank or not, I'd always recommend a canister filter on a tank that size.

 

[greenmaji]

a 55 gallon is borderline for me.. and AC500 does a 55 great IME.. but if your going low light for the long run, you need more surfase aggitation not less.. the canister is recommended for reducing surfase aggitation in a CO2 injected tank.. If you plan on going medium or high light + CO2 injection down the road then I would say go ahead and get a canister.. but the aquaclear would do fine as long as the water level was kept high enough to prevent splash.. JMO though..

 

[Jason the Lost]

Ok, with that said on the canister filter...would I be better off just getting one of those Top Fin starter kits? The filter included isnt an AC500, but as long as I kept the water level high enough to minimize surface disturbance...would it do the trick while I stablished a low light tank? I would think that if I wanted to switch to high/medium light down the road, investing in the canister filter down the road wouldn’t be as large of an expenditure as buying a separate tank and hood and cannister filter etc right off the bat when I may never go to a higher light range.

You guys have the experience...is the equipment that accompanies those kits that shoddy that I'd be better off just getting separate/better equipment right off the bat?

 

[penpitt]

IME the equipment included in those kits have needed to be replaced within a year. In the long run I think you would be better off buying everything seperately. The up-front cost may be a little higher but you get better quality equipment which will save you the cost of replacing it later.
You can check out some LPS/LFS and see what type of deals they have on a tank/hood/light/stand setup. I can get that here(55 gallon) for around $225 with a real wood stand, not a metal or pressed wood stand.Right now they even have a 75 with the above equip for 300.I'm sure they are some members here who could tell you where some good shops are in the Chicago area.If you are a DIY'er you could make your own stand and save even more money.
If you can I would recommend getting filters,heaters,etc online at bigals or drsfostersmith. You would save roughly 50% over the prices of buying locally.

Here are some links to check out prices.

 

[penpitt]

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22125;category_id=1721;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22373;category_id=1733;pcid1=3231;pcid2=

Sorry about the 2 post. I clicked the wrong page

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3610&inm=1&N=2004+22769+113565

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3878&N=2004+113767

Others may have a better knowledge of heaters then me. I use Rena but since I live in AZ i rarely need to use them so they have lasted over 5 years so far with no problem. I really only need them in the tank maybe 2-3 months out of the year

 

[Xzap]

Saving some money

Here's something I do quite a bit to save some $$ and I don't have to wait for shipping, plus if there's a problem, I don't have to worry about returns/shipping again, etc..

I'll use the Fluval 404 as an example since I just bought one a few weeks ago.

Drs. F&S have it for $124.99 + shipping.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3601&N=2004+22777

Big Al's has it for $99.99 + shipping.
Big Al's

PetsMart list in ON LINE for $114.99, in the store it's $179.00 !
PetsMart

Print out the PetsMart on line page, make sure their logo is on the page somewhere, and take it with you to the store and tell the manager you want a "price match". They will sell it to you for the online price

They don't advertise this, and they really don't like doing it, but I do it a lot

Thx,

dave

 

[gfink]

Re: Saving some money

Print out the PetsMart on line page, make sure their logo is on the page somewhere, and take it with you to the store and tell the manager you want a "price match". They will sell it to you for the online price

They don't advertise this, and they really don't like doing it, but I do it a lot

NICE!! 8)

 

[greenmaji]

what I was trying to say.. if your not going to be injecting CO2
then you need more surfase aggitation to get the CO2
being consumed by the plants back in the tank from the CO2
in the air.. minimizing surfase aggitation is not a good idea in a low light low tech tank
so keeping a splash would be a good thing, airstones ect. ect. ect....

 

[Jason the Lost]

OK, I understand.

So it seems like my best bet to successfully operate a low light tank and minimize future cost for upgrades would probably be to just start with the canister and have an outside source of surface agitation such as an airstone or two ( I kind of like the bubbles/sound anyway). Depending on what kind of deal I can find I may get a 55 to 75 gallon tank. Would one filter with the correct turnover and the airstones be enough for circulation in the tank for low light or would a powerhead be recommended?

 

[greenmaji]

If you get a filter you should have enough flow.. If you get a 75 go for a canister..
If you are getting a 55 I would say you could do HOB or canister...
and suplementing with a airstone will minimize future upgrades with a filter thats
approprite for CO2 injection.. HOB's and canisters are compatible with CO2 injection
minius the bio-wheel HOB's, and those could be used without the bio-wheel..