Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fishtank Filtration and Cycling => Topic started by: Zo75 on October 20, 2013, 04:37:05 PM

Title: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: Zo75 on October 20, 2013, 04:37:05 PM
Hi

Today I upgraded my 60 litre tank to a 165 litre Aqua One AR-850.  The filter I am using (out of old tank) is a Superfish Aqua Flow 200 so capable of coping with my new tank but it is old (approx 3 years old) so I'm planning on upgrading that too (running something alongside it for a while before replacing).  The new tank has an interesting 'lid filtration system' - something I've never experienced before, it has 3 boxes in the lid for ceramics, sponge media etc, a pump (not working) and and trickle bar and flow pipe/outlet into the tank.   Questions I have are:

1. Is it worth trying to get this system up and running?  I would need to buy all the media required, plus new pump and tubing as it looks pretty old.

2. Does anyone have one of these systems, are they any good, are they noisy?  Do you get a constant trickle noise?

3. My other option was to upgrade my current Superfish Aqua Flow 200 to an Aqua Flow 400 but I've read reviews that it's not so great. 

4. Have heard recommendations for a Fluval U4 but also read bad things about these too, any advice or recommendations for filters if we choose not to get the lid system running?

Many thanks!

Zoe  :)
Title: Re: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: Skull on October 20, 2013, 06:20:37 PM
Hi Zo75
Run a 850 for about 18months, nice tank. Personally I would run a external filter on this tank as the trickle filter can be a little annoying.
As for external filters can highly recommend the jbl cristalprofi  e 900 run one on mine and it was fantastic, very quite and comes with all the filter media
Title: Re: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: Sue on October 20, 2013, 07:05:27 PM
Trickle filters do have a problem - if there's a power cut, the water stops flowing through them and the media can dry out killing the bacteria.

As Skull says, the best option is an external filter. But rather than run a new filter alongside the old one, a better way is to put all the media from the old filter into the new one and fill up the gaps with the media that comes with the new one. If you don't want to keep the old media long term, wait a couple of months thn replace the old media a bit at a time with a month between bits till all the old has been replaced with the new filter's proper media.
This way is better because if yuo run both filters together, the bacteria will spread out into both filters, the proportion in each filter depending on the amount of media in each one. Then when you remove the old one, you'll lose all the bacteria in that one. You also need to run both for at least six weeks. Putting some old media into the new filter would speed up the colonisation of the new one.

If you don't want to get an external, have a look at Ehiem Biopowers. The 240 would be the size for your tank. I have that one in my 125 litre (it is actually rated for up to 240 litres) and have had no problems with it. It is also very easy to use with media designed for a different filter making it easy to swap filters as described above.
Title: Re: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: Zo75 on October 20, 2013, 10:04:08 PM
Thank you Sue and Skull  :)

We are pretty sure we want an internal filter (can't understand what all the excitement is about externals to be honest!).  Just had a look at the Eheim biopower ones but they seem very noisy on the youtube videos  :(

Are Eheim Pickups any good?  They seem a lot quieter in the youtube video reviews.  Any other internal filter recommendations?  We currently have a Superfish Aqua Flow 200 and were thinking about getting an Aqua Flow 400 as we've been happy with the 200 till now, but have read some bad reviews and also that they have changed manufacturers and now they are noisy?

Any thoughts or recommendations gratefully received!

Thanks again  ;D
Zoe
Title: Re: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: SteveS on October 21, 2013, 01:33:31 AM
... (can't understand what all the excitement is about externals to be honest!).

Externals have some advantages over internals.
Title: Re: New (2nd hand) tank upgrade, advice with filtration please
Post by: Sue on October 21, 2013, 08:21:21 AM
I would go for an external if my tank was any bigger.

My biopower is noisy on occassions. It was very noisy when I used the venturi (bubbles are always noisy) so I don't use it. It is sometimes noisy after a water change if air gets caught in the impeller well - I just turn it off, take the pump off the top, turn it upside down under water and shake to get the air out, then slide it back on top of the filter without taking it out of the water. It gets noisy when the impeller needs cleaning, so I clean it (making sure I get rid of any air before putting it back on the filter). And if the water level drops, the mini spray bar makes a trickling noise so I just top the water up, or push the filter a bit lower.
This all applies to most other makes of filter too.

This tank is in the lounge and my husband likes his music. There's nothing he hates more than a noisy filter in the background. This is the reason I had to replace the built in Juwel filter as that was very noisy.