Filters

Hey guys can anyone recommend me some good internal filters or even a HOBS for my oscar tank? Currently I am running a Resun which cycles the tank about 5 times an hour and so far it is doing its job but I am looking for better alternatives that does not involve a sump which I haven't space for or planned for. Maybe even run a HOBS with the internal at the same time.

Thanks.

 

larch – you will have to look at either an external canister filter or a sump if you want to improve on your filtration by a huge amount. These filters work better due to the capacity of the filter to hold more media.

 

Whats the size of the tank? i think a canister would be best, a friend saw a hob filter somewhere that had 4 compartments, think he said it was a penplax. hope you find something suitable.

 

It is a 250 liter with a single Oscar, and how does a canister filter work? I am unsure of the mechanics behind it and what I would need to setup one?

 

It come with everything you need, well most of them, you even get filter media with some. Just depends on what you buy. Should have drilled that tank you got from Carel.

 

Can you still use a canister filter without drilling the tank?

 

yes you can larch just join the two pipes to the canisteer and then put them on opposite ends of the tank >done

khuli who is carel <is he by any chance (the same) fish tank builder i know from daspoort ?

cheers

 

A canister filter works on the same principal as a pool filter, in other words, as a closed system. When you assemble the filter it has an outlet and an inlet. Water is basically sucked out of your tank, goes through the filter, and is pumped back into the tank. A sump is an open system that relies on gravity to get the water from the tank into the sump via the outlet in the tank (that is where the hole comes into the equation), and is them pump back to the tank.

So to get to you question, you can still use an external canister filter on that tank, but a sump would have been better.

 

Yes the very same person, he really knows his stuff and I am extremely happy with his product and service.

Thanks unfortunately I have zero space for a sump, if I had I would have kept more than 1 tank, I already had issues getting a tank up my flight of stairs and through the door...

 

So my best bet route would be to go the canister route then? How expensive are they and what models should I look for?

 

FOr that size tank, look at MINIMUM 1000l/p/h. Aim for more. They usually come with a spray bar, so if the current it too high, you can use the spray bar instead.

If you pay less than R1000,00 you getting chinese cheap import. Rather try go for Eheim. If you can't afford one now... save up for a few months. You won't be sorry.

 

Do you need to drill holes in your tank or anything? And would it be able to pump the water all the way from the floor to the tank? Sorry I have no clue how these things work.

 

No you don't need to drill.... and generally they can be placed on the floor next to, or below the tank. Depending on how high the top of the tank is from the floor, it will obvioulsy decrease the output. For your Oscar tank, I would aim for 1500l/h @ x height. (X being the height from floor to top of tank.) The box will show this in a graph form.



This is a small example. Obviously the big canisters will sit on the floor. Basically the water flows in the one pipe (in picture on left), into the canister. This is by gravity... and then pumped back up the other pipe. You will see on the top right of the picture there is a spray bar.

No worries if the power trips, gravity won't drain the tank, because the canister is sealed, and won't syphon out the water

 

Thanks any locally pricing on the canisters or places that sell them? And I see they have crap load of ranges.

 

Where you based Larch? I'm assuming PTA?

Contact Dolphin, a sponsor of TASA. He can get you pretty much any Canister (of high quality) to suit your budget. But again, I would highly recommend you spend a bit more on this than your other filters. They are expensive, but next to sumps, they are in my opinion, the next best thing.

 

Thanks I am working on a tight budget hopefully I can get my old tank sold this weekend. I cant really spend more than R1000 on something like this maybe R1500 max. Will send Dolphin a PM thanks.

 

The are many ways you can mount the input and output pipes, but the most effective way is to mount them both on the same side of the tank, with the spray bar's holes facing the opposite side of the tank. You then end up creating a circular water movement, all along the surface to the other side, and then in the opposite direction all along the substrate towards the input.

And I can recommend TetraTec if you cannot afford Eheim.

 

Thanks I will go through all the options and models and gather as much info about them as possible and compare the pricing to the features and the liters per hour.

 

how about a diy trickle filter... i recently made one and it sits on the back shelf of the tank (no lid)... works with aerobic bacteria which are apparently much more effective (is this true?) and is more reliable when you have power outages..

 

Thanks, but it is a Oscar and they can pretty messy so next to a sump a canister filter seems to be my next best option.