Filter suggestion for 55 gallon

[BKyler]

Any suggestions on an aquarium filter that will fit on an aquarium inside a wall. I think our Tidal 75 may have just crapped the bed. I turned it off to feed the fish and now it won't turn back on. Here is a picture of how small the space is for a filter. We barely have enough room for the filter we have in there now.

 

[Andy Sager]

Any suggestions on an aquarium filter that will fit on an aquarium inside a wall. I think our Tidal 75 may have just crapped the bed. I turned it off to feed the fish and now it won't turn back on. Here is a picture of how small the space is for a filter. We barely have enough room for the filter we have in there now.

Before ditching it, take out the impeller assembly and give it a good cleaning. That may solve the problem. If not, I'd consider using a canister filter so that the body is on the floor and accessible and all you have in the tank are the intake and output tubes. Then it won't matter how large the filter is.

 

[BKyler]

Before ditching it, take out the impeller assembly and give it a good cleaning. That may solve the problem. If not, I'd consider using a canister filter so that the body is on the floor and accessible and all you have in the tank are the intake and output tubes. Then it won't matter how large the filter is.

Thanks I'll clean the assembly. If that doesn't work any suggestions on a good canister filter?

 

[Andy Sager]

Thanks I'll clean the assembly. If that doesn't work any suggestions on a good canister filter?

Truthfully, the brands I always relied on are no longer available and I am not familiar with the current brands. Hopefully Aiken or some of the other members have better info for you.

 

[Aiken Drum]

I've moved this to its own dedicated thread.

I like Fluval equipment. It's widely available, reliable, fairly cost effective, lots of people use their products so it's easy to troubleshoot, and you can easily get spare parts if you need them.

I have a 406 on a 200 litre/ 50g aquarium. So a 407 would be the newer version of that. It's a little bit oversized, a 307 would do just as good a job. But you are wanting to run a lot of chemical filtration, so I'd go 407. Bottom basket sponge and polishing pad, middle 2 baskets biomedia, top basket your phosphate removing pads. You will find a canister can hold a lot more media than your HOB so you can get in a lot more of the phosphate pad and it will last longer before needing replacing.

If you want a little more premium product, then look at Eheim. I'd probably look at the Eheim Pro4+ 600 as an equivalent to the Fluval 407.

If you are wanting something on a budget, there is a Chinese manufacturer called Sensen that brands variously depending on your country of origin. AllPondSolutions here in the UK. Sunsun in the US. They are called Polar Aurora somewhere as well, and they have other branding I've seen too. Widely used, widely recommended. Probably the APS 1000EF is the equivalent to a 407. Im not sure what the Sunsun model number is. They also do versions with built in heaters and UV if that's your thing.

The thing is you have to maintain things, not wait for them to fail. Periodically clean the impeller and casing, rinse out the sponges. I do that every 6 to 8 weeks. Replace the impeller, impeller shaft, impeller cap and O ring every year or 2. This will mean your equipment functions better, lasts longer, and doesn't need replacing. If you get 407 get the maintenance kit too that has all the parts needed to be periodically replaced and replace them after 18 months. Same for your HOB. There is no reason a filter can't be trouble free indefinitely, or at least as long as parts are available, if you keep ahead on maintenance.

 

[Jacky12]

I use Tidal 110s & 2 large sponge filters on each of my 55 gallons. They are on top of built in drawers & there’s no space for canister.

 

[Airborne 82nd]

The last time I cleaned my 75 I put to much lube on the impeller tail shaft and it would not start so after you clean it plug it in and look to see if it spins before you put it back together. Don't forget that little cover at the tail shaft swings open so you can run a brush or Qtip all the way through the opening. I didn't like the blue valve in the water so removed it. I also have a 407 and love it as my main filter with no polishing pad. I use the T75 with just the blue sponge floss and Poly-Bio-Marine on top of that. Now I leave the filter on the tank reach in every 3 or 4 days change out the floss put the pad back on top and let the 407 keep on chugging. Aiken is spot on maintenance is key and spare parts a must. Every ones setup is different. Mine is a 75 gallon with two dirty pigs Pleco Pete and Oscar Myers

 

[BKyler]

I've moved this to its own dedicated thread.

I like Fluval equipment. It's widely available, reliable, fairly cost effective, lots of people use their products so it's easy to troubleshoot, and you can easily get spare parts if you need them.

I have a 406 on a 200 litre/ 50g aquarium. So a 407 would be the newer version of that. It's a little bit oversized, a 307 would do just as good a job. But you are wanting to run a lot of chemical filtration, so I'd go 407. Bottom basket sponge and polishing pad, middle 2 baskets biomedia, top basket your phosphate removing pads. You will find a canister can hold a lot more media than your HOB so you can get in a lot more of the phosphate pad and it will last longer before needing replacing.

If you want a little more premium product, then look at Eheim. I'd probably look at the Eheim Pro4+ 600 as an equivalent to the Fluval 407.

If you are wanting something on a budget, there is a Chinese manufacturer called Sensen that brands variously depending on your country of origin. AllPondSolutions here in the UK. Sunsun in the US. They are called Polar Aurora somewhere as well, and they have other branding I've seen too. Widely used, widely recommended. Probably the APS 1000EF is the equivalent to a 407. Im not sure what the Sunsun model number is. They also do versions with built in heaters and UV if that's your thing.

The thing is you have to maintain things, not wait for them to fail. Periodically clean the impeller and casing, rinse out the sponges. I do that every 6 to 8 weeks. Replace the impeller, impeller shaft, impeller cap and O ring every year or 2. This will mean your equipment functions better, lasts longer, and doesn't need replacing. If you get 407 get the maintenance kit too that has all the parts needed to be periodically replaced and replace them after 18 months. Same for your HOB. There is no reason a filter can't be trouble free indefinitely, or at least as long as parts are available, if you keep ahead on maintenance.

I just set up my Fluval 407 filter today. I seem to be having a problem with brown algae on the glass and some decorations and rocks. This is something that just started the last couple of days. Cleaned the glass and took out the decorations to soak. Hopefully this is just an isolated incident. Plan on removing the castle in the aquarium and replacing it with a ship.

 

[Airborne 82nd]

What is your nitrAte reading? Are you keeping up your water changes? ICBW but I think these are the main things that cause diatoms or brown algae. Maybe you are over feeding.

 

[Aiken Drum]

What is your nitrAte reading? Are you keeping up your water changes? ICBW but I think these are the main things that cause diatoms or brown algae. Maybe you are over feeding.

Brown algae/ diatoms is common in newly set up aquariums where they feed on silicates. Silicates will be found on new substrate and on the glass of new tanks, and as these get consumed diatoms tend to naturally just go away over time.

If the aquarium isn't a new set up, then they are probably feeding on high nitrate. Diatoms also thrive in low light situations, so turning up the light can help. Higher light promotes green algae which will out compete the diatoms, so it's kind of a trade off though, but green algae I'd easier to control.

 

[BKyler]

It's not a new set up. I have a Hygger LED light. It has a sunrise-daylight-moonlight mode (Gradient Orange light (sunrise) from 6 am to 8 am; Gradient White light from 8 am to 6 pm; Gradient Blue light (moonlight) from 6 pm to 10:50 pm; The lights are off in other time periods) or you can choose different colors (White, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Cyan) along with adjusting the brightness. I don't know what would be a good color to choose or a good brightness. The timer selections are 6, 10 or 12 hours. I have it on 10 hours.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Did you use any new filter media in your new filter? It's not unheard of for new filter media to bring in silicate dust which diatoms feed on.

 

[BKyler]

I just replaced the Seachem Tidal 75 filter that was in the aquarium when I noticed the brown algae with a Fluval 407 filter two days ago. So far I haven't noticed any brown algae. Any suggestions on the light colors or settings of the Hygger LED light we have?

 

[Aiken Drum]

You havent mentioned if you are keeping plants or not. If not, then the light is just something to enable you to see your fish and give them a circadian rhythm of daytime and nighttime. With no plants you can just turn the brightness down, reduce the timing the lights are turned on, to something you are comfortable. My light is currently on at about 40% intensity and I can see everything clearly, they will brighten up later in the day and be at 100% for about 5 hours for the plants, before lowering again towards nighttime when they turn off until the following morning

If you do have plants then you need to think a bit about their needs though. The only relevant colour for plants is white. Plants will do just fine under plain white light as its a mix of all the other colours of the spectrum that look white to our eyes when combined. This is a colour spectrum chart off Hyggers website, although I've no idea if it's the correct chart for your specific light fitting, its a fairly typical light spectrum for light fittings intended for growing plants and will look natural to our eyes mimicking sunlight.


Red and blue is particularly important for plant growth so a light fitting that has good strong spikes at the red and blue parts of the spectrum will be useful for plant growth.

All the other coloured LEDs are of such low intensity, and such narrow wavelength to be of practically no benefit to growing plants though, and wont effect algae growth either. They are only there to give you control of how the light appears to your eyes. Turn up the blue if you want a more actinic appearance, turn up the red if you want a warmer appearance. Muck about with these as you please to find the appearance you prefer.

As for lighting period, as mentioned, if you don't have plants it can be shortened down to reduce algae growth. If you are keeping plants then 6 to 8 hours is usually a good compromise between enough light for healthy plant growth, but not too much which promotes excess algae growth. It's something you would have to adjust for yourself and see what effects it has over extended periods of time. 10 hours on seems a long time to me, but if you arent seeing excess algae growth then it works in your particular set up.

 

[BKyler]

No plants. I didn't think 6 hours seemed like a long time to leave the lights on that's why I chose the 10 hours. I was going to do the sunlight-daylight-moonlight mode but wasn't sure if that was a good idea.