Kosmo
Aquarium Advice Newbie
What would be the best equipment for a 60 gallon freshwater aquarium.
BIO Wheels?
Thanks
BIO Wheels?
Thanks
equipment question
- Thread starter Kosmo
- Start date
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We could write a book on all the equipment you should get for an aquarium, discussing various filtration systems, lighting, heaters, airstones, wavemakers, UV etc. And that's just what might go in the aquarium let alone what ancillary equipment you might need like test kits, nets etc.
When you mention bio-wheels, these are components in some brands of hang on back filters. Are you specifically asking about filters for a 60g aquarium?
What's best is very subjective, and really comes down to what you are looking for.
In almost every circumstance a sump is going to give you the best filtration. They increase the water volume circulating through the aquarium, they give lots of space for filter media and the ability to customise the set up. But, they are technically more difficult to set up than other filtration system, requiring drilling holes in the glass, installing overflow boxes, plumbing the pipework, getting the correct flow rates etc.
At the other end of the simplicity scale, sponge filters will give you great filtration. If you are keeping fish that dont like high flow they are ideal, or if you have any fish or invertebrates that might get sucked into the filtration they are very safe, cost effective. But they take up space in an aquarium, can be obtrusive, and can get quite large especially in larger aquariums.
Hang on back filters, like the Marineland ones that incorporate biowheels you mention, and internal filters are a bit more complex than sponge filters, give you some ability to customise the set up, cost effective. But again can be a little obtrusive.
Canister filters sit somewhere between HOBs/ internal filters and a sump. They sit under the aquarium in the cabinet so are visually unobtrusive, they can hold a lot of filter media and are very customisable, but they are a bit more complex to set up and can be pricey.
So it comes down to what your priority is. Ease of use, cost, visual aspect, capacity. All the different filtration types can give you effective filtration as long as you size it correctly.
If you are asking what I would do for a 60g aquarium, I'd go with a canister. As for which canister, you get what you pay for. Eheim are a more premium product, someone like Sunsun/ All Pond Solutions make great value canisters. Fluval are somewhere in between. I like Fluval, their products are everywhere, so you can easily get hold of them, and get spare parts if you need, lots of people have experience with their products so problems are easy to troubleshoot.
For a 60g aquarium i would go with a Fluval 407 canister, but that's what suits my preference. If you want something ultra simple that gives great filtration get a sponge filter. If you want the "best" look at a sump. A HOB or internal filter will be fine as long as size it properly. Half the filters rated capacity, so for a 60g aquarium get one rated for 100 to 120g.
When you mention bio-wheels, these are components in some brands of hang on back filters. Are you specifically asking about filters for a 60g aquarium?
What's best is very subjective, and really comes down to what you are looking for.
In almost every circumstance a sump is going to give you the best filtration. They increase the water volume circulating through the aquarium, they give lots of space for filter media and the ability to customise the set up. But, they are technically more difficult to set up than other filtration system, requiring drilling holes in the glass, installing overflow boxes, plumbing the pipework, getting the correct flow rates etc.
At the other end of the simplicity scale, sponge filters will give you great filtration. If you are keeping fish that dont like high flow they are ideal, or if you have any fish or invertebrates that might get sucked into the filtration they are very safe, cost effective. But they take up space in an aquarium, can be obtrusive, and can get quite large especially in larger aquariums.
Hang on back filters, like the Marineland ones that incorporate biowheels you mention, and internal filters are a bit more complex than sponge filters, give you some ability to customise the set up, cost effective. But again can be a little obtrusive.
Canister filters sit somewhere between HOBs/ internal filters and a sump. They sit under the aquarium in the cabinet so are visually unobtrusive, they can hold a lot of filter media and are very customisable, but they are a bit more complex to set up and can be pricey.
So it comes down to what your priority is. Ease of use, cost, visual aspect, capacity. All the different filtration types can give you effective filtration as long as you size it correctly.
If you are asking what I would do for a 60g aquarium, I'd go with a canister. As for which canister, you get what you pay for. Eheim are a more premium product, someone like Sunsun/ All Pond Solutions make great value canisters. Fluval are somewhere in between. I like Fluval, their products are everywhere, so you can easily get hold of them, and get spare parts if you need, lots of people have experience with their products so problems are easy to troubleshoot.
For a 60g aquarium i would go with a Fluval 407 canister, but that's what suits my preference. If you want something ultra simple that gives great filtration get a sponge filter. If you want the "best" look at a sump. A HOB or internal filter will be fine as long as size it properly. Half the filters rated capacity, so for a 60g aquarium get one rated for 100 to 120g.
BBradbury
Aquarium Advice Addict
- Joined
- May 24, 2011
- Messages
- 5,087
Hello. Definitely a sponge filter. They're inexpensive and work as well as the more expensive gizmos. Actually, if you change your tank water often enough, you don't really need filtration. If you have a tank full of clean water, then whatever filter you use is simply filtering water that's already clean. Save the money you'd spend on heavy filtration and simply change out more tank water, more often. Save that money and spend it on a couple of those pretty fish you've been wanting.
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