Fish?

[Finntastic]

What's do you like more. The canister or hob? What's easier to use and or maintain?


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The HOB is really easy to use and less expensive and it doesn't look to bad when your tanks against a wall

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[getpitted4]

Hard question to answer. Its been 4-5 years since we last had a tank. That was when we used the hob. I remember thinking it was simple to understand how it worked. I felt like we did a lot of maintenance, but we made a lot of rookie mistakes like over stocking and over feeding.

I like having a canister. It took a little bit more to understand it, but its really pretty simple.

Hob is usually cheaper and its easily accessible.

Canister is out of sight and very customizable.

I really did pick a canister this time based on esthetic. I didn't want to see the filter.

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Well what's the point of the canister other than it not being visible compared to the hob. The price difference is huge. I totally want to have a set up I understand and I want a very efficient and well established tank. If I should spend $100 more on a canister and I will make that big of a difference I'll totally purchase it.


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[getpitted4]

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Distribution of water flow and redundancy I suppose. Current is spread out instead of a single source.
In case one filter goes belly up, there is a second one to keep things moving. It also makes it easier in case you are running something different in the second filter such as floss only or a specialized media such as Purigen.


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What do you think bout canisters ?



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[getpitted4]

Canisters really aren't necessary for any tank tbh. If you like canisters and have a few extra $$ then by all means get a canister... But a good HOB will also do a great job filtering your water.

What kind of lighting do you use? I looked into the finnex 24/7. It's an awesome light with all of its setting and how it transfers lighting throughout the day. It's pretty pricey compare to the other LEDs finnex has. Other than it being "cool", is it beneficial.


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[getpitted4]

Wait what? Actually nvm

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What kind of light do you use and why? Is the finnex 24/worth the extra money?


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[Fresh2o]

h


What do you think bout canisters ?



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Probably more of a matter or preference, though I would be more favorable to use them in larger tanks (mine are 20g). Last canister I owned was a Magnum 330 in the 80-90s. Lasted several years. I tried a Fluval 206 about a year ago. Must have been a lemon because it would leak and there was an audible hum. Exchanged it for another and it did not leak but I could not get over the hum. Of course that just my personal experience with them. There are many fine canisters out there.
For now I'm sticking with the AC HOBs because they offer the flexibility and performance I need for my tanks.


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[Finntastic]

What kind of light do you use and why? Is the finnex 24/worth the extra money?


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I use a Finnex 24/7 LED light because it is energy efficent, long lasting lights, you can create your own color for the light, the colors change by themselves to simulate a day and and night going by, it is a good light for planted tanks although a few ferts will be needed for some plants, very slim, brings out the fishes colors, causes photosynthesis in the plants and they will pearl (release oxygen)

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[Mebbid]

Filters:

Benefits of Canisters - They hold more media. They are also more customizable with that media. You have extra space to layer your media in a canister than a HOB. For example in a canister you can do: Coarse filter pads -> Medium filter pads -> Filter Floss -> chemical media (purigen, carbon, etc) -> biological filter media. When you have a HOB filter it limits what you can do in this regard.

Lastly, the flow is more direct able with canisters and you can even disperse the flow greatly with those canisters that can run a spray bar.

Benefits of HOBs - Easier maintenance and lower cost. It takes me all of a minute to clean out my HOB Aqua clear filters. However, my canisters take a solid 15 minutes of cleaning not to mention dismantling. For some, that's not a big deal. Personally I'm lazy and don't like dealing with canisters.

I have 2 different brands of canister filters and I prefer my HOBs. It's all personal preference.

 

[Mebbid]

What kind of lighting do you use? I looked into the finnex 24/7. It's an awesome light with all of its setting and how it transfers lighting throughout the day. It's pretty pricey compare to the other LEDs finnex has. Other than it being "cool", is it beneficial.


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The 24/7 is comparable in power to the planted +. It also has the benefit of being dimmable. With a finnex 24/7 there would be absolutely no issue with a person starting out with a low light tank and moving up to higher light levels when people feel comfortable.

I personally use a 24/7 and I am on the fence about how practical the automatic mode is. Not sure if i'm going to be using it in 2 months or not. Otherwise, it's still a fantastic light fixture. Unless money is a huge issue for you, I'd say it's worth it.

 

[getpitted4]

Well here's the word. I'm going to Canada on the 18th to the 21st. Spending a lot to do it. The plan is, when I come back after a week or so I'm going to start purchasing what I need. First will be a tank; 55g approximately. Next will be all of the necessities , which I will come back to for your input. There is a lot I need so I am gonna take it step by step.
I want high quality accessories; maybe not necessarily the best product but at least highly recommended ones.
Once I have all of that I will determine lighting and plants after I have my well water tested. Then cycle my tank and decide on fish obviously based on everything else.


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[getpitted4]

A 40gl breeder is a great size for a starting tank.

The first thing we need you to do is do a little bit of research on what you want to do for plants. In general, there are 3 lighting intensities for plants with generally different needs in each category.

Low light: Heavily restricts the types of plants you can grow and how fast they will grow. However, it requires far less maintenance than medium or high light as well as costing less. Starting cost should be around $20 - $50 for a basic light.

Medium light: Opens up a ton of options. Algae can be an issue. Will likely need daily fertilizers and at least liquid carbon pressurized co2 would be beneficial. More expensive due to needing a more powerful light. Youre looking at a $200 range for lights and ferts if youre not getting pressurized co2.

High light: You can grow pretty much everything at this point. Will absolutely require daily fertilizers and will most likely need pressurized co2. It can be done without pressurized co2 but instead you will use large amounts of liquid carbon. Algae issues are problematic. Price can range around $500 if youre getting pressurized co2.

Prices are all highly variable depending on just about everything. They also dont count filters or heaters.

Filters: They arent as big a deal as people make them out to be. Generally, the more expensive they are the quieter they will be. Personally, i use aqua clears which for that size tank should run around $50. Some people swear by canisters, which while neat are absolutely not necessary.

Fish: head over to www.liveaquaria.com and pick out a fish or 2 you like. We can work a stocking list around that. Just no african cichlids as they demolish plants.

Also, I will be starting at medium lighting. I feel kinda like you did. I don't really want to start from the bottom. Medium lighting has a lot to offer and I would like to start there. Now I don't want to get all intense. I'll probably keep the plants minimal and somewhat basic. They will b compatible with the lighting. I really want to make sure the tank looks great. I'm not into all of these tanks that have huge plants that look great , but in my opinion overthrow the aquascape. I want to keep it simple follow the basic rules and keep it beautiful. I understand the substrate and root tabs and even how beneficial water flow can be. But before I really start this baby up I am going to refer to this forum about what might be the next best step and more so reach out to the handful that replied to me on this topic. You guys have actually been awesome and made me want to pursue this more so than I already have.
_Zack


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[Finntastic]

Medium lighting is a good choice and it definitely does have a lot to offer. I can tell you several great plant species and send you a few clipping once my plants take off. And simple is a good choice as well. Referring to to the forum will help you out because we agree on what would be best instead of you going on and finding conflicting info. And I'm glad pursing a tank like this will be fun.

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