Cannister filter and planted tanks...

[crazycat]

hey wizard,

not to hijack the thread, but what is the skimmer attachment for the fluval???? i just had a bad run in with bga which scummed over the surface of my water cuz i didn't have enough water movement up there. i have a fluval 404 and a 304.

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Here

it replaces the intake portion for your fluval and draws water from the surface and in the tank. Works good, I have it on a 304 (wouldn't recommend it for a 404) and it keeps the water surface super clear (on a 75Gal it will clear the surface in less then 5 minutes)

I just slow down the filter (causes skimmer to float to high to skim) when feeding, and push the arm back down when they're done eating.

 

[TankGirl]

That reminds me, Wizzard, the Filstar has an adjustable flow valve so you can cut the current back when feeding, then back on afterwards. That is a great feature.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

lonewolf get a 75 compared to the 55, someone gave me their old 55 and im buying the equipment for it right now, but im having trouble imaging a cool looking plant setup with a tank that is so shallow depth wise, im thinking about fixing up the 55 so i can sell it and get a 75, tons more room for plants, and are you guys happy with your xp3's?? because that is the filter i was thinking about buying

I absolutely love the XP3. Just a little too much power for the 55G with the Emperor 400 running as well. But will do great when I get another tank, probably a 75G, and it will already be cycled. I did maintenance on it on Monday, even though I didn't have to. Just wanted to try it for the first time since I just got it. Took less than 5 minutes. Unplug it, pull the lever up, remove hoses and lever unit, carry to sink, pull baskets out and set aside, don't rinse with tap water, pull sponges out of lower basket and rinse in the cannister (which is tank water), pour dirty water into sink and give cannister quick rinse, put baskets back in, close top, reattach lever unit with hoses, push lever down (automatically fills cannister with tank water), when full, plug back in. So easy.