buying new 46gal tank soon(which filter to use)

[sith j]

can i get away with one emperor 400 hob or do i need two smaller filters or do i need a canister filter

[Lonewolfblue]

Emperor 400 will do just fine. Or you can go with a cannister. Your choice. In my extra media containers, I use lava granules in one side and Hydor ceramic cyinders in the other. Works great. And if you don't want to pay so much for replacement filter cartriges, you can get them on ebay, non-Marineland cartriges which IMO are better than the Marineland cartriges and far cheaper.

[Fishyfanatic]

A hob will be fine, but I'd go with a canister.

[sith j]

lonewolfblue, you said you put lava and ceramic in your extra media containers, is that in your hob or are you talking about your canister filter. i have been looking at the emperor and i dont think it has extra compartments for other medias.

what is a good brand for canister filters and how many gallons per hour do i need for a 46gal tank

diatom, fluval, rena, not sure which one is the right one for me, it seems like canisters move less water per hour than some hob types for the same amount of money. is it because they have more media and better filtration.

what would you recommend

sith j

[severum mama]

The Emperor does come with 2 extra media baskets that fit in there with the regular cartridges. I just use filter floss in mine.

Canister filters do move less water than a lot of HOBs, but they provide better and more efficient filtration than HOBs. That's why you don't really need the same turnover as you would if you choose the HOB. If you can afford it, go for a canister. Renas, Fluvals, Cascades, and Eheims are all highly recommended around this site.

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by sith j

lonewolfblue, you said you put lava and ceramic in your extra media containers, is that in your hob or are you talking about your canister filter. i have been looking at the emperor and i dont think it has extra compartments for other medias.

what is a good brand for canister filters and how many gallons per hour do i need for a 46gal tank

diatom, fluval, rena, not sure which one is the right one for me, it seems like canisters move less water per hour than some hob types for the same amount of money. is it because they have more media and better filtration.

what would you recommend

sith j

The Emperor 400 comes with 2 media baskets.

[sith j]

do canister filters give the water the same airation even though they move less water or will i need to use a air pump if i go with a canister type

sith j

[severum mama]

It depends on where you want to position the spray bar. If you are planning a planted tank, you will want less surface agitation than you would with a HOB anyway.

[sith j]

its not going to be planted

[Lonewolfblue]

You will have plenty of O2 in the water. I wouldn't worry much about it unless the water quality becomes less than desirable. But I would have an air pump on hand for one of those emergency situations.

[sudz]

I very much have a bias for aquaclear. I've had nothing but good experiences from them. They are VERY quiet, Have large biomedia capacity. One HOB i would NEVER get again is elite. Its loud, WEAK, and has 2 TINY sponges for mechanical filtration. I have a 44 gallon Pent Tank, and have an AC 70, with a 201 powerhead to make some current. If you have to worry about bubbles/oxygen, the powerhead has as hose you can bring to the surface that has an adjustable air inlet. Overall, BOTH of these are cheaper than a canister. I got my AC 70 for about 45 US, and the powerhead for 14.97 (sale at Pj's pet center)

HTH

[Musket]

I'm running an aquaclear 70 hob on my 46g. The filter compartment is HUGE. I have a 70 sized sponge, 70 size carbon, 70 ceramic rings-they call them biomax, a 30 sized sponge and a 30 sized carbon from an existing filter to help with the seeding.
I have it running on low and it kicks. On the other side of the tank I have a dirt magnet sr for extra bio filtration - it runs with an air pump. I recently added a flexible weighted bubble bar, but that is just because I like the bubbles and the fish seem to as well.
My tank cycled in less than a week (I seeded my new filter on an existing tank and used some seeded materials in the tank as well, I also after that week just to be safe added some bio-spira) and has had happy inhabitants for 3 weeks now. I'm just getting ready to finish stocking it.
Good luck on your choice. I know the agony you are going through.

[severum mama]

Yep, Aquaclears are great for HOBs. The ones I use have 2 sponges stacked in the media compartment with the Biomax on top, and no carbon insert. Since they use the sponges instead of cartridges, they are much cheaper to use in the long run because you can rinse the sponges out in tank water (and ONLY tank water) to clean them.