filter suggestions?

[robin r]

Ok so i finally finished up refurbishing my 430l. And leak tested... yayNow i need your advice again...Im thinking play sand as subtrate?Im also considering a canister filter? But on threads i have read people recommended you should aim for 5-10 your tank volume...I spoke to a guy at one of my LFS he showed me on the box of a 1100l/h that it would be suffient for a 400l tank. (if he wanted to he could have sold me a bigger filter)Now im confused...I will be stocking guppies mollies neons ect... i understand the size and amount of fish has to be considered

[Lloydster]

i have only heard of 10x turn over in HIGH tech planted tanks....
but 5x turn over per hour is enough more is always better but some fish dont like high current so consider that..
do you have a price range??

[robin r]

I guess i can go up to R2000 fos the canister if needs be. And yes i dont want to have my little guys blown into smitherines by the filter

[Lloydster]

you should look at tetra tec...
nice thing about this is that the inlet is adjustable and the outlet comes with a nice spray bar that evenly distributes the output making you filter effective but not blowing your fish to smithereens....
the ex 2400 will be ideal but this filter is a beast!!! and slightly over your price range but compared to fluval or eheim its your best bet...not ultra quite but will do just fine

HTH

[robin r]

How much over budget are we talking here?Anybody tried cascade and dauphin?

[Lloydster]

like R200-R400 bucks...

the reason i never mentioned dophin or cascade is because i have never used them and im speaking from my personal experience..with these products

between me and a buddy i have seen and worked with the whole tetra tec range and they are are really GOOD budget filters..i have three myself with no complaints..it quiter that my fluval 305 lol.

i have used dophin internal filters and i really dont like them at all..

[robin r]

Interesting thanks for your input . More christmas shopping ha ha. I think im going to do alot of lfs visiting before i buy though

[Willem]

I've got two EX1200 Tetra canisters on my 233L (184x.31x.41) Garra Rufa tank and had no problem with it for the last two months and and they cost me R1200/ canister

[tracyp]

Im thinking play sand as subtrate? Hi Robin,
You might look into riversand as an alternative... it's cheap, looks great IMHO- v.natural - and you should be able to buy it from a local plant nursery quite easily. Downfall: PITA to clean.

I'll leave the filter to the more experienced, but would like to add that it doesn't have to cost a fortune... if you're any good with DIY, there are lots of home builds that work as well... then you can rather buy REALLY good filter medium with the "change". (I have built a filter from scratch with on-hand tools and readily available components... and I'm blonde!! LOL!)
HTH:bigsmile:

[robin r]

Thanks guys. Good morning. I tried by hand in the diy department again last night making an addition to my cabinet. But i dont have patience for that lol. Hence i want to just buy a filter

[Zoom]

Dont follow the 5 - 10 times water change over too strictly. If you think about it, 5 - 10 times is a very big difference. It comes down to the type of filter. One filter will be sufficient if its turning your water over 3 times, yet something else may only be sufficient if its doing 8 times.

Look at the packaging. If it says suitable for your tank size, its fine.

[robin r]

5-10 times does seem a bit much. Im really liking the dauphin canister so far its silent. couple more visits before i decide which one to take.

[robin r]

Hi Robin,You might look into riversand as an alternative... it's cheap, looks great IMHO- v.natural - and you should be able to buy it from a local plant nursery quite easily. Downfall: PITA to clean.I'll leave the filter to the more experienced, but would like to add that it doesn't have to cost a fortune... if you're any good with DIY, there are lots of home builds that work as well... then you can rather buy REALLY good filter medium with the "change". (I have built a filter from scratch with on-hand tools and readily available components... and I'm blonde!! LOL!)HTH:bigsmile:you right river sand does look good...Can some of the experienced guys tell me how much to get. My tank is 1.2m length x 60cm wide

[Lloydster]

how big are the river sand bags???

the easiest way to judge is to take a tape measure with to the place you will be purchasing the river sand and lay it out as if it is in the bottom of you tank then you guestamate how many you need..

[robin r]

Ok so the bags are 40kg bags. So my guesstimate is 2 bags should do it, and man its cheap. Haha R40 for 80kg

[Double-D]

I have had both the TetraTec and Dophin filters. When it comes to filter eficiency Tetra is the better of the 2. Dophin has a lot of bypass flow around the filter baskets

Sent from my BlackBerry 9530 using Tapatalk