Wet/dry vs. canister vs. HOB? Help!

[dax29]

I went by my lfs for a chat yesterday. I told them I'd be in the market for a 90 gallon tank soon, and possibly a 55 or 60 gallon tank. Once I get these 2 and add them to my 2, 29 gallons and my 10 gallon tank I hope my MTS will go into remission. Anyway, the 110 has the same footprint as the 90 so I decided that would probably be better. The lfs guy told me to go with a wet/dry filtration system and that he would come to my house and set it up. I've read and have been told that these are the most effective and low maintenance filtration systems to get. Their 110 gallon set up comes with 2 Aquaclear 110s (500 gph apiece), which is 400 gph more than the 600 gph wet/dry I'm looking at. I may put the 2 110s on the 60 and go with a wet/dry on the 110. Many have stated they like canister filters and I've been looking at those too. My lfs carries mostly Renas. I could trade the 2 AC 110s for a Rena canister if someone tells me that a canister filter that does 350 gph is better than 2 HOBs that do 1000 gph combined.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

I would go for the 2 HOB filters.

Why??
because - you can put 1 HOB on each side (left/right) of the tank
that way you get proper circulation

not to mention that fact that 2 HOB provide greater filtration than the single canister filter

in actual fact - 1 HOB provides better filtration than the canister filter
(wow, didn't realise the aquaclear was sooooo powerful)

 

[dax29]

Not only that, they are cheaper than one canister filter too! Someone chime in if this reasoning is wrong b/c I agree with Bubble_BOy. A Fluval 404 does 340 gph and costs about $125. I can get 2 AC 110s at the same place for $90 and they filter almost 3X more water than the canister. So, does the canister filter 3X better per gph?

 

[Bubble_B0y]

here is what you do...

get the aquaclear
get 2 sponges
get bioballs/biomax


that's 3 layers of super filtration !!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If it were me, I'd go with the wet/dry or the canister. And if you do use canisters, two would be better.

 

[Jchillin]

Dax29, consider this: That tank(s) will be the show pieces of your home. Why have HOB's hanging off of it, making it look awkward? Two canisters or the wet/dry will not be visible and you will appreciate the look (not to mention being the envy of everyone who sees it). No reason to think in terms of cost effectiveness when you get to this size. Now you must also take the overall look into consideration.

 

[Bubble_B0y]

Dax29, consider this: That tank(s) will be the show pieces of your home. Why have HOB's hanging off of it, making it look awkward? Two canisters or the wet/dry will not be visible and you will appreciate the look (not to mention being the envy of everyone who sees it). No reason to think in terms of cost effectiveness when you get to this size. Now you must also take the overall look into consideration.

yeah, presentation is also another factor

although, a canister filter can look just as unsightly as a HOB.

i've seen aquariums where the canister is just sitting underneath the aquarium (open stand). UGLY !!

If you are going to have a canister, it should be hidden in the cupboard (therefore, get a closed stand)

 

[Codefox]

Y'know, a canister may be able to give a more impressive presentation, but I don't think the average person notices the lack of a HOB since we all tend to keep tanks that are so well maintained, your attention is always on the tank. Not saying lack of a HOB isn't nice...just that I don't think most people notice.

 

[webmoose]

Noise is another considerations HOB is far louder than most canisters...

I have 1 HOB and 1 canister on my 58.

Some canisters can have the heater built in so your heating the water as it circulates.

moose

 

[dax29]

Thank you all! This has been great! The 110 gallon tank will be a major showpiece cause I'm gonna go with a Lake Malawi set up (if I still get to get the tank). I'm leaning towards the wet/dry filter that will be contained in the cabinet underneath and the guy at the lfs said he set it up for me. I'm looking at a wet dry that will do about 600 gph. Does the wet/dry provide for good aeration though (hmmmm)? Should I back it up with a canister, say a 340-350 gph Fluval, Rena, or Cascade? That would probably fit in the cabinet too.

On the 60 gallon (basically a tall 55) I think I'm gonna use my HOBs. I'm probably gonna use my Penguin 350 BioWheel and an Aquaclear 110. That'll give me 850 gph with those and that tank will be in my office at home and few people will see it. I already have the 350 Penguin and I'm gonna have to break down that 29 and trade in some fish and use the decor I have in it an add to it in the 60. I don't think my wife will allow for 2 bigger tanks in addition to what I have so I'm prepared to let one 29 go. I want to keep a couple of severums and maybe a couple more new world cichlids in the 60 gallon. The 850 gph should keep the water clean and aerated.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I would double up on the filtration, especially for Africans. A canister will be a good option. I am biased towards the Cascades. So you know which one I would recommend.

 

[dax29]

Yep. I've been looking at Cascades. I's gonna be a while before I make a move so I'll have plenty of time to look more into each.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you have any questions regarding that line, let me know. I currently have 3 and love them.

 

[TomK2]

Well, just make sure your filter has a compartment for bilogic substrate that is independent from the mechanical and /or chemical filtration. You want to avoid a filter that has only one cartridge, so that throwing out the dirty sponge takes all your biosubstrate with it.

A wet dry filter is every bit as good or better at ammonia and nitrite removal as a canister, and can support a huge bioload. It has the advantage of extreme aeration! All that water trickling over the biologic media will aerate the water many fold greater than surface agitation could provide. Of course, if you like live plants, all your water's co2 will be aerated out too, so its not used in planted tanks. It will also likely be noisier than a canister (the sound of water trickling and gurgling). You can also DIY with wet dry filters, since they are basically all just a sump (bucket or smaller tank), overflow box in the tank (best to get a tank drilled with built in ones, IMO), and a pump to send water back into the tank. The water going into the sump is poured over the biologic media to provide the wet dry aeration.

 

[dax29]

My wife's cousin builds his own wet/dry filters for his aquarium business so I may either get him to build me one or he may show me how to build my own. I'm up to 150 gallon now so I'm gonna need some major filtration.

 

[greenmaji]

If you looking into getting a wet/dry for bio-filtration, if sized properly they dont need a backup, the surface area is very large and efficiency is great because they dont raleigh on dissolved O2 to work like canisters do..

 

[dax29]

So if I plan on a big wet/dry I shouldn't/needn't worry about another filter. That would be much less expensive than buying a canister to go in there now wouldn't it? Everyone keeps telling me those wet/dry filters are less maintenance too, which would be a big selling point for the wife.

 

[Zezmo]

Until recently I was using a TetraTec 500 (500gph) HOB filter, it has a built in Wet/Dry system. Over al I was very happy with it. It has the eas of HOB, it has the Wet/Dry, and it is set up to use four of the large filter bags, but you can easily pull out two of them and replace with some other media bags. All in all a nice system.
The down side, it they are noisy...all that water gurgling and splashing. Since I have a CO2 injected planted tank, I decided to replace this unit with a Canister filter (Fluval 303), which I am very happy with so far.

 

[dax29]

You know. After all I've heard I'm still not sold on any filter. I've got the info I need to semi DIY a wet/dry with 6 gallons of bio-balls and 800+ gph for $200.00. I already have a Penguin 350 Biowheel filter and an AC 200 that I could slap on the back too. That would give me 1350 gph through a wet/dry and 2 HOBs. However, I realize it would/might be a little noisy. I'm worried about nitrate buildup with the wet/dry too. Is this a real problem?

 

[dax29]

I guess I want a flat out answer on the filtration to use. I have read several times that wet/dry filters are the best. If that is so then that is what I want on this new "potential" aquarium>