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fisheyes

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Messages
45
Location
Knoxville, TN
I have a 55 gal tank with cichlids in it. I'm moving in a few months and i want to redo everthing while i have the chance. I have right now a hob bio wheel that i absolutly hate (it's so loud!) so that has to go but i'm not sure what to get it it's place. I was thinking of maybe putting a 10gal under the stand and putting the filter, heater, etc. under there and then just pumping the water through that. I also want to start co2 when i move and have the plants i've always wanted. Other information i have 2 65 wat lights and eco complete as substrate. This is going to be a huge project for me so thanks in advance for your help!

Would this filter work ok?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-EHEIM-Power...6QQihZ002QQcategoryZ46310QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or should i go with some thing else?
 
what kind of cichlids do you keep? not from personal experience but from a buddy who kept ?tanganykin? cichlids, they shredded his plants, and they probably wouldnt have lasted long anyway due to the hardness of the water, but thats just my opinion. as far as filters go though, i highly recomend canister filters, they are amazingly quiet compared to hob filters and do a much better job of circulating water. right now i run a Penn Plaxx Cascade, that I got as a package deal with a tank, but if I had the choice I'd buy Fluval.
 
i second the canister filter vote. i just put an xp2 on my 55 and it is sooooo much quiter than the hob! not to mention how much more "polished" my water looks.
 
Cannister filters are the way to go, IMO. I just got a Rena XP3 for my 55g and it is super quiet. Sometimes I forget its there. They are expensive (~$100), but worth the money.

Some cichlids will dig up, destroy, or even eat plants, so it will be good to know what type you have, so we can warn you before you spend alot of money on plants.

Good lighting and substrate choices!
 
I actuallt already have a few plants. Crypts i think. The cichlids do dig some but the plants are doing really good so i'm not really worried about that. Mainly i'm just trying to figure out what to buy.
What i really want to do is to use my tank as a room divider so i want all the equipment to be as invisable as possible. As far as the xp's go do you recomend the xp2 or xp3 for me. I don't have that much money to spend but i'd rather buy the good stuff than have to go back in a few months and buy it anyways because the cheep stuff broke!
 
My fellow members didn't mention the Fluval line. These are a little cheaper on the pocket but are very good canisters in their own right. I'd try the 404 for maximum filtration or the 304 at minimum.

Not all cichlids eat plants although some will definitely dig in the substrate and probably loosen them. Africans are not usually found in a planted tank however, SA dwarf cichlids are just fine with them.
 
You can also purchase an inline heater for your tank to further reduce tank clutter. I have a fluval and find it to be a fine piece of equipment.
 
Does anyone have pictures of any of this? I saw the xp2 at the fish store and it doesn't look like it would show a lot. Thanks
 
Check it out man, go online to Petsmart.com and print out the page with the Rena Filstar canisters on it. Take it to Petsmart and they will price match for you. I saved 80 bucks like that on the xP3 I just bought, and I'm about to do it on an xP2 I'm about to buy.
 
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