55g equipment choices

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jrizza

jrizza

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
107
Location
Maine
Hello,
My wife bought me a 55 gallon tank recently. I will need the following and I am open to suggestions:

heater
lights ( I like the idea of LED with moonlight setting)
filtration
substrate and plants

The tank will be some kind of freshwater tropical community, shrimp, and live plants.

I like the following two items, but please offer alternate suggestions based on your own experience:

Amazon.com: Marineland ML90619-00 Advanced LED Strip Light, 48-Inch: Pet Supplies

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DJ9NY...olid=CX1R31RDE1NK&coliid=I3QX8CS6EOU6M8&psc=1

Thank in advance!
 
LEDS are new to me so I cant give much of a recommendation from them.. I do have a Fluval economy LED light over over my 30g I got from petco.. I like it but it seems to cause more algae then standard T5 lighting does i noticed.


As for Heaters... I use one 300w heater for my 55g.. though some people might suggest two 150w heaters in case one goes bad. As for the cascade I hear its a good filter I haven't used one myself.. I bought a Eheim 2217 on Bigals.com and I love mine I have had it for like 5 months now not 1 issue


Personally I don't like Canister filters that use those container trays you pull out.. water easily goes around the sides of those thing, and those brands aside from eheim always give you flow without the media inside.. Also the media that Eheim gives you is far far superior to any other canister on the market. Those cascade filters literally come with nothing for media.. And I have heard many times their customer support is none existant..


Eheim is a huge company I would pay more for something with good customer service and stuff then cheap with no customer service but that's just me.. You get what you pay for
 
Hey! I just switched from a 2217 to a 2228. I got it for 25$ because of a leak so i couldn't say no. Anyways, the 2228 is so much stronger even though on paper, it only does 50gph more than a 2217. I have no idea why, but I find filtration is much better on my 2228 than the 2217. Left the 2217 running for a week and it never cleared my water properly. So my vote is on the eheim Professional series just because the baskets. Otherwise, go with a fluval 406.

We have a LED for 10g tank and it works very well for a planted tank. We got it off ebay for 40$ shipped. For a 48" tank, you'd need a larger one obviously and they run around 100$ shipped. Prob much less of shipped to US.
 
I have a 55g with smaller African cichlids that has been running for a few years...
I'm all about budget (cheap) so can't help you with the LED's, I use a strip I got off Craigslist and just about every filter I own for my tanks has been bought off Craigslist. I have two Fluval 203 canisters running in the 55g that I got for a fraction of the price of a new one, same for the strip light.
I rely more on water changes than the filtering so to make water changes easy, I customized a garden hose that makes WC fast and easy. For heating, I like running two 150 watt heaters in the winter even though the temp in my house does not drop much.
The substrate is pool filter sand.

Hope this helps a little.
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far! I think I will take a look at Eheim canisters. I am buying new, and I can't seem to find the 2228, but i think I will plan on spending a little more money to find a better quality unit.

I like the idea of pool filter sand. I will definitely be going for a natural look.

Candy, You mentioned an increase of algae with LEDs. This is my concern too with a big LED strip- I am not sure yet if I will be using CO2. I've never done it before and perhaps I just need someone to convince me it's easy. I do plan on having a lot of low tech plants, but I'm wondering what if this is too much light without co2.. If the light brightness is adjustable, that would be great, but i'm not sure it is.
:thanks:
 
The 2228 was replaced by a newer model. You'd have to find it. All I know it is the professional series 3.
 
Well remember canister filters aren't like HOB filters you don't need 5x the water volume to filter the tank..


The Eheim 2217 I honestly think is perfectly fine for a 55g... But to be honest after owning one and using it in a 44g pentagon.. I will say I wish the inlet was a little stronger where it sucks up debris.. Its perfectly fine for my tank but in a long 55g tank or 75g or 120g tank.. I personally would get 2 canister filters..


One for each end of the tank.. I have learned my 55g tank only stays clean (gravel wise) on the side of the tank that I have my Pneguin 350 Biowheel on.. The otherside always gets filthy.. and that's because you only have 1 inlet for a 4 foot tank..


So if it were me for a 55g tank I would get a 2 smaller canister filters for each side of the tank vs 1 huge one.


I would get 2 2215 or 2217's. Granted the 2217 is overkill for bio media for a 55 and 75g tank but again im going off how well you want them to remove debris in the water colum. Also the Eheim 2217 is pretty strong when the water exists the spray bar, so you can either point the bar up so it doesn't blow your fish away, or do what I did and take a knife and twist it in the holes to make them slightly bigger and it cuts down on that crazy spray out of thin holes you normally get.. But anyway for a 55g Id get 2 2215's (or even 2 2217's VS one 2217 or one 2228..


If you haven't seen a canister filter before, then you will be surprised how big a 2217/2228 really is.. they hold about 2 gallons of water, so imagine 2 milk jugs merged into one as your filter...


The only real advantage the pro series has is the baskets which I suppose make it slightly easier to clean the media and you can push a button to prime it.. vs having to suck on one end of the hose (but to avoid that just fill your canister before you put the top on priming is for ppl who don't know what they are doing).. vs the classic 2217 where you have to scoop up the glass balls by hand (or just put them in panty hose). But in the end both filters are pretty much the same when it comes to filtering and bio media.

Its up to you.. If you buy the pro 3 Equiv to a 2215 or 2217 you will be paying $200-300 for the filter... If you buy a 2217 its only $150.. and if you buy two 2215's youll only be paying $240.. So its a bit cheaper then those pro 3 eheims. But the PRO3 equiv to the 2228 mentioned is the 2073 and 2075



Oh and yea im using a Fluval ECCO led strip on my 30g tank.. its just a basic LED light, has 6 blue lights, and the rest are all white.. It was the ECCO version meaning basic.. nothing fancy and still it causes a ton of algae growth on the glass where the light touches and all the rocks and ornaments.. But then a 30g is only like 16 inches tall.. a 55g is 21 inches.. So added height decreases light. If you get a LED strip with stands it will help even more
 
I actually run an Eheim Pro Series on my 55 gallon. It's a G160 / 2075, I believe, and it has its pros and cons. Very easy to clean, very easy to setup, but on a 55 it has a significant downside. Because of the narrowness of the tank you can't set the spray bar to flow across using all three links in the assembly that comes with the filter. With two, it will blow around top dwelling fish, or, in my case, if you point it against the glass it will quickly dune up lighter substrates (sand in my case) away from the glass.

However, now that I'm into routine maintenance I have to admit that the filter is not nearly as strong as it was during it's initial heady days. It's no slouch, but I suspect that unless you render the thing sterile -- which is bad news -- it won't push as much as it does initially. I'm due for a cleaning this week and I'm considering trying only two links on the side again. I may need to clean the hoses, but I can actually still see through them.

But, because of my initial problems I added a Fluval U3 and a Koralia 240 on the other side. I was getting zero flow on that side of the tank with the eheim pushing water into the front glass. I'm adding another Koralia in the center just to push mulm out from in between the plants. Keeping a gentle flow across most of the tank is my basic goal.

As for heaters, I ran a single Eheim Jager 150w until this winter, but it was exceptionally cold this year and my aquarium sits in a basement. I added a 125w to one side of the tank and moved the 150w to the other and put both on a controller. Been a rock solid 78 degrees in the aquarium ever since, and during the cold weather I was losing a few degrees during lights out before adding the second heater.

That's my experience anyway. Hope it helps.
 
Fairybolt said:
I actually run an Eheim Pro Series on my 55 gallon. It's a G160 / 2075, I believe, and it has its pros and cons. Very easy to clean, very easy to setup, but on a 55 it has a significant downside. Because of the narrowness of the tank you can't set the spray bar to flow across using all three links in the assembly that comes with the filter. With two, it will blow around top dwelling fish, or, in my case, if you point it against the glass it will quickly dune up lighter substrates (sand in my case) away from the glass.

However, now that I'm into routine maintenance I have to admit that the filter is not nearly as strong as it was during it's initial heady days. It's no slouch, but I suspect that unless you render the thing sterile -- which is bad news -- it won't push as much as it does initially. I'm due for a cleaning this week and I'm considering trying only two links on the side again. I may need to clean the hoses, but I can actually still see through them.

But, because of my initial problems I added a Fluval U3 and a Koralia 240 on the other side. I was getting zero flow on that side of the tank with the eheim pushing water into the front glass. I'm adding another Koralia in the center just to push mulm out from in between the plants. Keeping a gentle flow across most of the tank is my basic goal.

As for heaters, I ran a single Eheim Jager 150w until this winter, but it was exceptionally cold this year and my aquarium sits in a basement. I added a 125w to one side of the tank and moved the 150w to the other and put both on a controller. Been a rock solid 78 degrees in the aquarium ever since, and during the cold weather I was losing a few degrees during lights out before adding the second heater.

That's my experience anyway. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...


Well technically you are suppose to clean internals every month or so.. And if you use the fine particle pads you need to replace those pads every week or two.. If you don't the filter will lose power.. and plz don't wash the fine filter pads.. it can make them fall apart and get in the motor.. Your issue could possibly be that you don't clean your filter enough, or replace the fine filter pad as often as you should
 
Fairybolt said:
I actually run an Eheim Pro Series on my 55 gallon. It's a G160 / 2075, I believe, and it has its pros and cons. Very easy to clean, very easy to setup, but on a 55 it has a significant downside. Because of the narrowness of the tank you can't set the spray bar to flow across using all three links in the assembly that comes with the filter. With two, it will blow around top dwelling fish, or, in my case, if you point it against the glass it will quickly dune up lighter substrates (sand in my case) away from the glass.

However, now that I'm into routine maintenance I have to admit that the filter is not nearly as strong as it was during it's initial heady days. It's no slouch, but I suspect that unless you render the thing sterile -- which is bad news -- it won't push as much as it does initially. I'm due for a cleaning this week and I'm considering trying only two links on the side again. I may need to clean the hoses, but I can actually still see through them.

But, because of my initial problems I added a Fluval U3 and a Koralia 240 on the other side. I was getting zero flow on that side of the tank with the eheim pushing water into the front glass. I'm adding another Koralia in the center just to push mulm out from in between the plants. Keeping a gentle flow across most of the tank is my basic goal.

As for heaters, I ran a single Eheim Jager 150w until this winter, but it was exceptionally cold this year and my aquarium sits in a basement. I added a 125w to one side of the tank and moved the 150w to the other and put both on a controller. Been a rock solid 78 degrees in the aquarium ever since, and during the cold weather I was losing a few degrees during lights out before adding the second heater.

That's my experience anyway. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

This is concerning, but I suppose you use two sections of the spray bar and make the holes bigger?
 
For live plants and led I'd suggest going with either the current USA satellite+ Pro, it has a million color settings and a remote to control it with. I'd also recommend Finnex Planted+.

For a canister, I'd go Fluval.

A heater, Aqueon ProHeaters are good, I run two on my 150 gallon with a heater controller and one on my 45 gallon.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
 
NigelK8485 said:
For live plants and led I'd suggest going with either the current USA satellite+ Pro, it has a million color settings and a remote to control it with. I'd also recommend Finnex Planted+.

For a canister, I'd go Fluval.

A heater, Aqueon ProHeaters are good, I run two on my 150 gallon with a heater controller and one on my 45 gallon.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
Click to expand...


Can you provide a link for the heater controller?
 
I have a rena xp cannister...it's easy to clean and set up. On the other end of the tank I have a penguin 350...

It keeps the tank clean and it's always best to have 2 filters in case one goes out....

75 gallon tank though

Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
IllusionX said:
Can you provide a link for the heater controller?
Click to expand...


http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Temperature-Controller-Digital-Heater/dp/B002TMTA7G

There's a cheaper model with a dial rather than the digital display as well. It's worked great for me. The only issue I've had with mine is that when I had an ich outbreak and needed to set the temperature up pretty high, mine would not go past the 82-83 mark. It says its range is 90 but mine would always shut off and show a green light around 82-83. I had to undo my heaters from it and manually set them, aside from that though it's been perfect. I keep a thermometer on the opposite side of the 6' tank and both the thermometer and heater controller always read the same temperature.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
 
^ so do you just crank up the temps on the heater and let the controller do its job?
 
IllusionX said:
^ so do you just crank up the temps on the heater and let the controller do its job?
Click to expand...


I put the heaters at 2 degrees over what I set the controller at just in case. So the controller is set at 79 and my heaters are roughly at 81 degrees, but yep.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice
 
jrizza said:
This is concerning, but I suppose you use two sections of the spray bar and make the holes bigger?
Click to expand...

If its too much flow hook up another spray bar to it, or do what I did like you said.. Make the hole slightly bigger.. I have a 44g Pentagon with an Eheim 2217 as I said earlier.. This filter is ment for tanks up to like 120 gallons and the 44g pentagon is only 30 inches long, and 25 inches deep (front to back) and 24 or 25 inches tall (very girthy tank).. The eheim initially was too strong and blew my discus around when they got up top.. All I did was take a knife and swirl it around in the hole to make them bigger and point the spray bar up and its about 2 inches under water.. doing this the flow is soft but still airrates the tank.. My discus don't fight the currect at all anymore they just glide across casually or sit in one spot slowely moving like slugs lol.

It isn't much of a big deal to make spray bar holes bigger to lower the force coming out of tiny holes
 
candymancan said:
If its too much flow hook up another spray bar to it, or do what I did like you said.. Make the hole slightly bigger.. I have a 44g Pentagon with an Eheim 2217 as I said earlier.. This filter is ment for tanks up to like 120 gallons and the 44g pentagon is only 30 inches long, and 25 inches deep (front to back) and 24 or 25 inches tall (very girthy tank).. The eheim initially was too strong and blew my discus around when they got up top.. All I did was take a knife and swirl it around in the hole to make them bigger and point the spray bar up and its about 2 inches under water.. doing this the flow is soft but still airrates the tank.. My discus don't fight the currect at all anymore they just glide across casually or sit in one spot slowely moving like slugs lol.

It isn't much of a big deal to make spray bar holes bigger to lower the force coming out of tiny holes
Click to expand...


Sweet, I'll try that with my 2228. Make the holes bigger. My 65g is 48" wide, but it's still strong enough to hit the other side of the tank and come back, blowing all our plants away. My spray bar is setup on the side of the tank, blowing across width wise
 
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