Swany

i am picking up a 33gallon long tank this weekend but the only problem is that it comes with an UGF and i am not a fan of them, nor do i want to hassel with all the crud at the bottom, i have been using a HOB filter for the last couple months and am a big fan of them, so my question is because i have such a long tank will 1 filter b ok or should i get 2? i have been looking at the AquaClear 50 gallon filter and really like that but im wondering if anyone else has a better idea.
thanks
-swany

o also i will be haveing smaller fish in the tank like mollies, guppys, fry, tetras and also gourami (i guess there not small lol) so i think that takes into effect on which filter i am going to get. thanks and anything advice helps greatly!

COBettaCouple

1 filter would be ok, but I would probably get 2 for a tank that long.. Either way, you want a total of at least 330gph for filter flow.

When fry are in the tank, the intake tubes will probably need to be covered with fishnet netting secured in place tightly with a rubber band or they'll get sucked in.

Swany

ok cool thanks, umm what kind of fishnet netting should i use? like netting from an actual "fish net"?

COBettaCouple

Yea, that's all we do.. just cut the netting off the frame of a fish net, then wrap it once around the intake so that it's tight and use the rubberband to keep it snug.. check the netting above the rubber band and be sure the band is real tight and there's no bunching in the netting that would let fry swim down inside the netting. (We lost a bunch of fry to that once.)

Swany

o ok sounds pretty simple to me, thanks, ill remember to do that once my fishies have fry that way i wont lose any. thanks for the advice, one more quick question, so if i was to get the AquaClear 50 and put it in the middle of my tank that should work fine, or shall i just put it on one side or the other. (does the position even really matter?)

COBettaCouple

I think in a corner can create a 'quiet' corner more than in the center will, but it depends on the tank.

Swany

well i bought the AquaClear 50 filter today and its working lovely! its quiet and i like all the little extras that come with it besides just a regular filter this has a sponge and carbon and all that good stuff so hopefully the fish will like it, o and it cleared up my water quite quickly so i was very impressed, thanks for all the feed back and o i put it in the corner, just seemed easier than n the middle.
thanks everyone
-swany

COBettaCouple

Sounds good. We'll look forward to pics of the fry.