What's the best filter for a 75 gallon fish tank?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

j0el1212

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Messages
214
What's the best filter for a 75 gallon freshwater filled with mostly angel fishes??? Also I recently got a trickle filter from a friend is it any good?? Oceanic trickle model 75 to be exact.
 
I hate sumps for FW, a complete waste IME. Go with a Fluval FX5. By far the best filter out there right now for the money for anything 75 and up.
 
Fishguy2727 said:
I hate sumps for FW, a complete waste IME. Go with a Fluval FX5. By far the best filter out there right now for the money for anything 75 and up.

What's the price range on it???
 
In FW mechanical filtration is critical and canisters are the most effective form of mechanical because they allow so little bypass. With an open filter like a sump as soon as ANY debris is in the pads the water goes around, unfiltered.

On Amazon they are about $209 shipped. That is cheaper than retailers buy them for when buying direct from Hagen. They usually retail for $300-330.
 
Moved to General Hardware/Equipment Discussion.

Nothing wrong with a sump in a FW tank IMO. However, it is not necessary. I would say you could EASILY get by with a Fluval 405 or a Rena XP4 on a 75 vs. spending the extra money on an FX5.
 
I have two 405s on my 75 and wish I had gotten the FX5. I would have if I didn't already have the 405s sitting around. For the price difference it is more than worth it.
 
And in my opinion the 405 does the job just fine on its own. I'm currently running one on a 75. Nothing wrong with the FX5, but it certainly isn't needed on a 75.
 
Sumps for FW is good if you have fish that produce a lot of waste because it helps dilute (probably better to have gotten a bigger tank though). I've been thinking about getting a trickle system too, but its just way too expensive. If you get one of these, then it will be impossible to grow plants (other than simple java moss and ferns) because the water is just way too oxygenated from the trickle. There are other ways to use a sump very effectively with plants though, but you can't have the trickle system.

The filter socks/pads won't get clogged if you rinse it as needed. They will act as a really good mechanical filter if you take a 5sec inspection for waste everyday.

I like to keep things simple and canisters are good viable options for big tanks. Since you have a free Oceanic filter, then just use it if you don't already have a good filtration system.
 
I bought an FX5 on amazon for about $209 shipped. They offer various packages with included media for a bit more.
It seems to work great so far on my Oceanson 155g planted FW setup. Been running six weeks to date.
Big.
Quiet.
 
Togliat said:
I bought an FX5 on amazon for about $209 shipped. They offer various packages with included media for a bit more.
It seems to work great so far on my Oceanson 155g planted FW setup. Been running six weeks to date.
Big.
Quiet.

Kool I think my mind is made up after watching it on you tube fx5 has no competition also if I ever wanted to upgrade I'll be fine with it.
 
Just be advised that it does have a pretty significant flow. (as indicated earlier in this thread)
You can see videos on YouTube.
My Angels seem ok, and stay away from the output nozzles. Angels are not terribly efficient swimmers.
The red tail rasboras play in the current for a while, then swim away to other areas.
My tank is on the large side, at 155 gallons, 60 long and rather tall.
The FX5 is supposed to be good for tanks up to 400 gallons.
I don't think that kind of strong flow makes sense for small tanks, although I agree that you can't really over-filter an aquarium.
OTOH, most posters here seem to adhere to the "buy the next size up" theory of canister filters.

If I had a 75 or 90, I would consider stepping down the FX5 canister filter to another model with a lower flow rate.

And I would consider it unsuitable for smaller tanks, personally.

You mention "mostly angels," hence my cautionary note.
 
If you turn the output nozzle around and point both outputs along the back of the tank it creates a good overall flow without blasting the fish all over the place, definitely not overkill.

I have two Fluval 405s (one step down from FX5) on my 75 and wish I had the FX5.
 
Thinking about leaving my angels in the 45 and get African cichlid for the 75 the fx 5 might just work out. Also I have Marineland Penguin Power Filter, 50 to 70-Gallon, 350 GPH
MarineLand
(46)
Would that be efficient enough?
 
Sounds like a good plan to me. I also agree that turning the FX5 nozzles is a great idea.
 
I got 2 70 gallon filters going I gotta get the. And of the. But I always had crystal clear water !!!
 
Back
Top Bottom