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April 17th, 2007
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Fish Newbie
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Filter for 125 gallon Tank
Hello All,
What a great website. I've been doing a ton a reading. Thanks for the wealth of info.
It is possible that I could be moving in the next 8 months so I think I'm going to start with fresh water. I bought the big tank with a plan for salt down the road. With that in mind I don't mind spending a little more on a filter system now that will also work well with salt tanks. What would you guys recommend?
I’ve done a lot of reading but still seem to be lost in the sea (pun intended) of options when it comes to filtration. Please help.
Thanks,
Barry
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April 17th, 2007
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Fish Mentor
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
 * Hi, Barry,
* * * *Outflying?* Does that say anything about what you love to do?
* * * * Welcome to fishlore.* Your question can best be answered by folks in the saltwater section.* *But I just want to say Hi, and let you know it is nice to meet everyone who enjoys fish.* So you are starting off with a 125 gal?* * I applaud you for that giant leap.*  * Big tanks are easier to keep the water paramiters even, resulting in healthier fish.
* * *I just got that size tank myself, and am in the same stage you are, trying to decide just what filter to get.* My plan is to buy an Eheim* filter possably a 2250.* I believe in over kill.* ** * I would think that a 2028 Pro II might be better due to it's new priming feature, but it holds 6L less filter media.
The thing I can't tell you is if these work with salt water.* *I do read things though on salt water that lead me to believe they use sumps, and protein skimmers and such.* The MOST important part of a salt water tank's biological filtration is live rock, and I believe the recommendation is at least 1 lb per gallon, don't quote me on that, it might be more.* *But this is considered part of the filtration system, as it is the place in saltwater tanks where the bacteria live that change the ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate.* Read the links at the bottom on saltwater set up, fresh water set up and fish tank beginners guides, they should help answer your questions.* *Check out online sources like:
* * www.aquariumguys.com * * * * * * * * * * *and* * * * * *www.marinedepot.com
* * **I'm sure there are lots more, but reading on the filter description you will be able to get a feel for whether it will fill your needs.* Good Luck*
Land of the Midnight Sun* 8) |
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April 17th, 2007
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Fish Bum
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
Glad I saw this post...I was getting ready to ask almost the same question.* I may be getting a 130 gal. custom tank in the near future, and was trying to find information on large tank filters (as well as lights, and live plants, and all the other goodies).* I am in the planning stages, and am trying to see if I can swing this big tank without have to mortgage the house  .* I do have a question though...My understanding is that you want to filter 10x the volume of water in your tank per hour.* So for a 130 gal. tank, I need to filter 1300 gallons per hour. The Eheim filter (2250) says it has a 264 gph capacity.* So do I need like 5 of these to get to 1300 gph?  |
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April 17th, 2007
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Fish Mentor
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
No. Canaster filters have a different carrying capacity than HOB filters. The filter you will need depends on your bio-load as well as the size of the tank. So if you have a 130 gallon tank and a school of 20 neon tetras, you won't need a very large filter. But if you have an oscars for example you may want to have two 2250's, or a 2280. The addition of a sponge filter on the intake would help keep your filters from clogging up, and if you can't find one, that is something you could improvise, I just did this on a HOB filter on a 10 gallon tank for fry.
I made a list of all the different Eheim filters and their media capacity to help determine which to buy, keeping in mind that new technology also figures into the price of a certain filter. Some of the newer Pro II or Pro III filters have less filter media capacity but are more expensive. If the new features are important to you, like ease in priming, it may be worth it to get one of these models. That would be by number ProII 2026 and 2028 for as low as $240 with media online, or Pro III 2080 for $400 +$107 online. This is why you compair the media capacity. 2026 is only 9 L, where the 2080 is 25 L. That is over twice the media (expensive), but will maintain a large tank well with a huge capacity for bacteria to grow! You probably wouldn't need 2 2080's in any event. One benefit of having more than one filter, is if one goes down for any reason, the other would be working and cycled to keep your tank healthy.
Let us know how it goes! Remember to cycle faster you can use bio-spira or some bacteria culture from an established tank filter or gravel. Good Luck!
Land of the Midnight Sun 8)
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April 17th, 2007
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Fish Bum
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
Very interesting...I see some more long nights of internet research on the horizon...  |
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April 18th, 2007
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Fish Newbie
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
Thank you for the kind greeting.* Yes, it says exactly what I do for a living
I don't think my load is going to be that heavy.* Especially in the beginning.* Even so, I'm going for overkill.* I ordered to xp3's and 2 external heaters as I prefer to see as little hanging in the tank as possible.*
I bought a beautiful oak stand and canopy.* The guy included the 125g tank but told me it had a leak.* Thank goodness he was honest and I didn't learn the hard way.* I cleaned off the old silicon and resealed.* Right now I'm 6 hours into the leak test and so far so good!!!!* With any luck I should be able to start cycling the tank this weekend.
Now off for more reading about cycling! |
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April 18th, 2007
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Fish Mentor
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Re: Filter for 125 gallon Tank
It's a small world. My son-in-law flies for US Fish & Wildlife out in Bethel AK, and my son has just been offered an apprenticeship to become an airplane mechanic, then the same guy offered to take him through commercial pilot training. He wants to open a flight service out of our little town, and wants home grown help.
Land of the Midnight Sun 8)
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