Dictates from my Dearly Beloved on tank placement have determined that my tank will be 36x12xsomething-or-other. (I wanted a 48x12xsomething, but she didn't want it to be the centerpiece of the dining room wall.) I think a 38 seems like a good compromise between surface area and water depth. I know that I could go as low as a 30 in this size, and as large as a 45. My LFS has a 38 All-Glass bundled with a solid Pine stand (and maybe a canopy, I can't remember) for $295. Does this sound like a good price?
With that out of the way, my next questions are about filtering:
I have been eyeing the xp2 from Rena as a quiet, easy, filter. However, the whole Hydrogen Sulfide thing scares me. Online sources peg the time it takes Hydrogen Sulfide to form at anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours. How can I find out the "real" story here? Some site mention that after one measly hour, there is signifiant bacteria die-back, requiring immediate re-cycling. One hour? How could ANYBODY use a canister if that were the case? Even in places not real prone to outages, short ones are still fairly common.
Certainly a HOB, like a Penguin 350 is an option, but the idea of swapping out all those carbon cartridges isn't real appealing, especially if they aren't that necessary. I also am not a huge fan of the fact that they all seem to have the intake immediately under the waterfall.
What are the relative noise levels of a decent HOB filter and a canister? I know the canister itself doesn't make that much noise, but I would think the spray pipe for the return water can't be silent.
Many questions, and many thanks for the answers so far...
SirWired
With that out of the way, my next questions are about filtering:
I have been eyeing the xp2 from Rena as a quiet, easy, filter. However, the whole Hydrogen Sulfide thing scares me. Online sources peg the time it takes Hydrogen Sulfide to form at anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours. How can I find out the "real" story here? Some site mention that after one measly hour, there is signifiant bacteria die-back, requiring immediate re-cycling. One hour? How could ANYBODY use a canister if that were the case? Even in places not real prone to outages, short ones are still fairly common.
Certainly a HOB, like a Penguin 350 is an option, but the idea of swapping out all those carbon cartridges isn't real appealing, especially if they aren't that necessary. I also am not a huge fan of the fact that they all seem to have the intake immediately under the waterfall.
What are the relative noise levels of a decent HOB filter and a canister? I know the canister itself doesn't make that much noise, but I would think the spray pipe for the return water can't be silent.
Many questions, and many thanks for the answers so far...
SirWired