Filter confusion and few other minor things

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Turbo V6 Camaro

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Apr 26, 2009
Messages
140
Well I posted about 6 months ago I posted here about SW. well I now finally have the tank and am doing FW for now.

I have had tanks the past, but a lot has changed since.

INFO
I have a 75Gallon w/stand I got used with the below for $275

  • Cleaned all use parts and tried to start as fresh as possible
  • came with emperor 400 filter
  • included heater
  • only rinsed the bio wheels
  • include 2 new filters for the filter.
I have the tank up and running and have been doing my research, I'm using sand as the base ( i don't like gravel so ill give this a try) (pool filter sand)

Questions:

What filter? I don't like the one i have it's noisy and i have cloudy water (witch can be that bacteria starting to take off) i also want a clean look on top and it is NOT lol

so canister or wet/dry or wet/dry canister?


  • ehemi seem expensive be seems review are going down latly on them

  • Would like Heater(s) out of tank if possible.

  • scared to death of an over flow with a wet/dry (over flow as in power goes out and i have wet floor)
  • read good thing about the FX5 but seems over kill for a 75g ???
  • I HATE unclear water!!!!!! can't stand it.

I/we admit i did a few things out of order from whats recommend here, I am cycling with some bottom feeders and zebra danois (not sure if you can kill these things LOL), and a Betta.

I have live plants, they are planted already, and fertilized, seem okay so far. (i should have waited a few weeks on these I know! found out after my girl friend brought them home and put them in LOL)


finally do i need carbon in the tank at all times? I guess the chemical part of the filtration has me confused.
 
If you're wanting a canister, look at the fluval 405 or a rena xp. Theyre both great filters, though i only have experience with the fluvals. If youre wanting to get the heater out of the tank, a sump is the only way unless you go with an inline heater. An fx5 would sufficiently filter a 75g, its not necessarily overkill, just not necessary to get the job done as a smaller filter will do just as good. I dont run carbon in my tanks. Its only needed to remove meds from the tank, something that wont ever be in mine ;)

As for the overflow, if you set everything up properly, it wont flood the floor. Basically you have to position it so that only the amount of water the sump can handle will overflow to the sump. So if the power goes out and the pump cant pump the water from the sump to the tank, if set up correctly, it will stop overflowing before it overflows the sump... make sense?
 
If you're wanting a canister, look at the fluval 405 or a rena xp. Theyre both great filters, though i only have experience with the fluvals. If youre wanting to get the heater out of the tank, a sump is the only way unless you go with an inline heater. An fx5 would sufficiently filter a 75g, its not necessarily overkill, just not necessary to get the job done as a smaller filter will do just as good. I dont run carbon in my tanks. Its only needed to remove meds from the tank, something that wont ever be in mine ;)

As for the overflow, if you set everything up properly, it wont flood the floor. Basically you have to position it so that only the amount of water the sump can handle will overflow to the sump. So if the power goes out and the pump cant pump the water from the sump to the tank, if set up correctly, it will stop overflowing before it overflows the sump... make sense?

yes makes sense what about when power restores?

how are those filters for maintenance and cleaning, and replacing the material if needed?

what about re priming?

i seen the FX5 supports 400 gallon that's why I asked LOL :uhoh:


my goal is a great clean tank that I can enjoy and not spend a lot of time with maintenance, I know there is some but whatever I can do to reduce it!!! last time I had crappy UG filters and it felt like all i did was clean the tank :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I if could clean the filter once a month that would be very ideal

i realize will have to check water with test kit once a week/ and a once over no the tank but that's fine.

XP 3 or the XP4 ?

I seen a few modles with built in heaters any experience with those?
 
I would suggest a fluval 405, but thats just what i've got experience with and find very simple, easy to use, and easy to clean. I clean mine every other week. I have a 305 and a 405 and alternate between the two on my water change each week. All i do is use the hoses from the filter to fill up a 5g bucket about halfway up, put my media in there, squeeze the sponges a few times, swish the bio-rings in their trays under water, fill the filter back up with the hoses, put my media back in, fill it all the way to the top, put it back together, done.

As for the heater, i would suggest a marineland stealth pro. it would be in your tank, but is imo, the best heater i've had yet. Theyre black, hardly noticeable, and very very consistant.

As for the power restoring question, once the electricity comes back on, the pump pumps the water back in to the tank, and will only overflow back in to the sump as fast as the pump pumps it. Cant really do anything wrong because if it doesnt overflow back down, there wont be more in the sump than the tank has room for...
 
I would suggest a fluval 405, but thats just what i've got experience with and find very simple, easy to use, and easy to clean. I clean mine every other week. I have a 305 and a 405 and alternate between the two on my water change each week. All i do is use the hoses from the filter to fill up a 5g bucket about halfway up, put my media in there, squeeze the sponges a few times, swish the bio-rings in their trays under water, fill the filter back up with the hoses, put my media back in, fill it all the way to the top, put it back together, done.

As for the heater, i would suggest a marineland stealth pro. it would be in your tank, but is imo, the best heater i've had yet. Theyre black, hardly noticeable, and very very consistant.

As for the power restoring question, once the electricity comes back on, the pump pumps the water back in to the tank, and will only overflow back in to the sump as fast as the pump pumps it. Cant really do anything wrong because if it doesn;t overflow back down, there wont be more in the sump than the tank has room for...
thanks

my tank is not drilled, I have drills and thing but no experience with glass, only wood and steal and metal, is this an issue?

i guess i'm just really confused on what way to go it seems people have great tanks both ways . and both argue there maintance is easy lol

maybe i'm over thinking this ?
 
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