bio wheel, fluval or aqua clear

[Turtle71]

I'm planning my new freshwater tank which will be at least 55 gal big.
shopping around gets me confused because there are so many options and so many different opinions.
There are good complete kit deals out there that come with bio wheel and LED lights. But I've heard so many bad things about the bio wheel.
I am wondering if it would be a better idea to put everything together myself and not taking a kit. What do you think?
Thanks for many opinions.

 

[Brookster123]

Aqua clear 70 would be great for your 55! Or two 50's. Depending on your stocking. I'm picking up a 50 later today! They have great media options for a good price, I do have a penguin 200 running now which is fine but I want to try the ac on my other tank.

 

[Turtle71]

Aqua clear 70 would be great for your 55! Or two 50's. Depending on your stocking. I'm picking up a 50 later today! They have great media options for a good price, I do have a penguin 200 running now which is fine but I want to try the ac on my other tank.

hi Brookster
I hear a lot of good things about aqua clear and it's so much cheaper than the fluval filters. I thinks that's a good choice.
Where do I get the sand for freshwater tank? I've seen only bags with sand from Caribbean beach in my fish store. That kind of sand one can't use for tropical fish. hm maybe it was hiding somewhere in the back of store.

 

[Brookster123]

hi Brookster I hear a lot of good things about aqua clear and it's so much cheaper than the fluval filters. I thinks that's a good choice. Where do I get the sand for freshwater tank? I've seen only bags with sand from Caribbean beach in my fish store. That kind of sand one can't use for tropical fish. hm maybe it was hiding somewhere in the back of store.

hi! Yah definitely a great product, only negative is they can get noises but there are tricks for that for sand there are a few options, playground sand from Home Depot is 5$ for 50 lbs! Pool filter sand seems to be the most popular, black blasting sand too. If you use sand make sure to get a pre filter sponge to protect the impeller of your sweet new filter!

 

[Turtle71]

hi! Yah definitely a great product, only negative is they can get noises but there are tricks for that for sand there are a few options, playground sand from Home Depot is 5$ for 50 lbs! Pool filter sand seems to be the most popular, black blasting sand too. If you use sand make sure to get a pre filter sponge to protect the impeller of your sweet new filter!

pre filter sponge? oh maaan hope that's at the fish store too? lol
Ya need sand. My corys holding up a sign: WE WANT SAND!

 

[Brookster123]

pre filter sponge? oh maaan hope that's at the fish store too? lol Ya need sand. My corys holding up a sign: WE WANT SAND!

Haha mine too! They'll love it, curious little guys! It's just a lil foam do-dad that slips over the intake to keep stuff out, they have them on amazon for cheap, you can use a mesh or nylon to achieve the sane purpose.

 

[Turtle71]

Brookster how did you choose your plants for the tank? I think it's pretty difficult due to the amount of light they need. How do you choose some the platy are happy with but don't need a lot of light because of the cory? Corys prefer dimmed light right?

 

[Brookster123]

Brookster how did you choose your plants for the tank? I think it's pretty difficult due to the amount of light they need. How do you choose some the platy are happy with but don't need a lot of light because of the cory? Corys prefer dimmed light right?

choose plants based on the light you have, research any plant you'd like in your tank and find out if it's possible based on your setup. I'm not sure about Cory's and light? There are some very nice low light plants out there. Anubias, java fern, anarchis to name a few.
Here is my low light setup

 

[xsryman]

I had a thread going on the various filters pros and cons. It got a little ugly but a lot of people seem to have good things to say about the Fluval C series. I am saving up my pennies for a C4 to add on my 55gal. the bio wheels arent bad and neither are the AquaClears. They have been around and proven for long time. But that said they have been around a long time and newer technology is taking the spot light. check out some videos on the C series. I think you might be impressed. It filters like a canister but hangs on the back. cheers

 

[xsryman]

BTW here is the link to that thread if you care to red through it. It kinda got off track at the end but still some goo info.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/hob-filter-recommendation-294543.html

 

[Turtle71]

BTW here is the link to that thread if you care to red through it. It kinda got off track at the end but still some goo info.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/hob-filter-recommendation-294543.html

thank you for the link. How is your experience with a 55gal tank? How many fish do you have in there and plants?

 

[Turtle71]

choose plants based on the light you have, research any plant you'd like in your tank and find out if it's possible based on your setup. I'm not sure about Cory's and light? There are some very nice low light plants out there. Anubias, java fern, anarchis to name a few.
Here is my low light setup


View attachment 219858

Your tank looks so beautiful. How do you manage the CO2 task in a planted tank? The next obstacle I have to think about if I want to add real plants, right?

 

[Brookster123]

Your tank looks so beautiful. How do you manage the CO2 task in a planted tank? The next obstacle I have to think about if I want to add real plants, right?

i do not use co2, I dose flourish comprehensive and excel, you can have plants without doing much of anything except turning the lights on, you just need to research which plants suit your setup, for low light you could look into anubias, java fern, anarchis, java moss.

 

[Turtle71]

i do not use co2, I dose flourish comprehensive and excel, you can have plants without doing much of anything except turning the lights on, you just need to research which plants suit your setup, for low light you could look into anubias, java fern, anarchis, java moss.

I like all the plants you mentioned. I checked them out last time in store. What about dwarfs hairgrass? They had some nice tank display there, looked almost like a little hill with a bigger plant like a tree on top. super nice.
I would love to invest into a LED system. This light is very bright I think (love the night light). I am also wondering about the manufacturer info about light systems. Some have cooling fans and others not. Would I have to purchase some kind of fan too so the water doesn't get to warm...or what does that mean?

 

[Brookster123]

I like all the plants you mentioned. I checked them out last time in store. What about dwarfs hairgrass? They had some nice tank display there, looked almost like a little hill with a bigger plant like a tree on top. super nice. I would love to invest into a LED system. This light is very bright I think (love the night light). I am also wondering about the manufacturer info about light systems. Some have cooling fans and others not. Would I have to purchase some kind of fan too so the water doesn't get to warm...or what does that mean?

dwarf hair grass or any carpet plant for that matter are more difficult to grow, they require at least medium light, so what you should do is go to the planted section and start a thread about lighting or any other questions about plants and you will get better info, I'm still a major noob when it comes to plants, Old scales has a great led setup so hopefully you catch his attention, or you could pm him and tell him I sent you he loves getting people planted!

 

[xsryman]

thank you for the link. How is your experience with a 55gal tank? How many fish do you have in there and plants?

I have a few fish in that tank. I lost count but there is a school of corys, zebra danios, neons, rainbows, endlers, and a bunch of assassins. It is planted but not super heavy like i want. I personally haven't bought the C series filter yet. I cant afford it right now but if i definitely plan to add the C4 in conjunction with my Top Fin 60.

 

[Turtle71]

I have a few fish in that tank. I lost count but there is a school of corys, zebra danios, neons, rainbows, endlers, and a bunch of assassins. It is planted but not super heavy like i want. I personally haven't bought the C series filter yet. I cant afford it right now but if i definitely plan to add the C4 in conjunction with my Top Fin 60.

wow your tanks look pretty.

 

[xsryman]

wow your tanks look pretty.

tank you...lol. I don't care for the purpleish lighting but I recently upgraded the T8 lamps from the ones that came in the kit...(5000k daylight I think) to the Aqueon Floramax. The Floramax put out a lot higher blue and red spectrum and make my tank look darker and more purple. But I paid like $15 each for those lamps so they will stay until i get tired of looking at them.