bdp

I own 10 year old 55 gallon tank that has been taken down for 5 years now. I want to put it back into operation and have a couple questions.

1. It had an undergravel filter system. Should I discard this for a new canister type system? If so, do I still need the power head or is this type of system(canister) self contained?
I have been surfing through this site and I am curious about the Penn-Plex Cascade 700 or 1000.

2. Should I purchase a new submersable heater? If so which one?

3. Is there anything else that is new for this hobby I should consider before putting this back together?


Thank you for the assistance..

MagpieTear

Well, I just totally overhauled my 55 after 15 years of faithful service. I did ditch the UGF, but only because I got bit by the live plant bug, and the riser tubes always seemed to be in the way. Otherwise, it was working fine. If you can get a canister filter at a good price, it will be a good choice, but if $$ is an issue, the UGF will do. On a tank that size, I do recommend using powerheads on the risers, reversible ones if possible. Air lift just isn't strong enough IMO for anything over a 20 gallon tank.

Before buying a new heater, does the old one still work? Test it and find out. A new one may be more efficient, and has a warrantee, but don't toss the old one unless you know it doesn't work. A working heater and a small HOB filter are very good things to have sitting in a box as spares in case something dies three days before payday. (Yes, my Patron Saint goes by the name of Murphy...)

The hobby is in a constant state of flux. Poke around through all of the appropriate boards that cover areas you want to learn about, feel free to ask questions when you find unclear or conflicting information. While opinions will range widely here, this is one of the friendliest and welcoming boards I've ever found on the interlink.

Welcome aboard, btw.

susitna-flower

I do not have personal experience with Penn Plax, but came up with a web page that broke down the internal parts of their canister filters. http://www.pennplax.com go to page 19 of the catalog.

The canister filter I have and like is an Eheim 2028....the Eheim site has a chart to help you compare.

http://eheim.com/Images/chart.jpg

There are several factors to research when choosing a filter.
Reliability and life of service should be considered because no matter how in expensive a product is, if it doesn't give years of good service it is money thrown away....

#1 in importance after reliability is FILTER MEDIA CAPASITY.....

both the brands measure the capacity of media baskets....the smallest Eheim is 3 L the Pennplax is 1 L for the 700....This tells me the Eheim will carry 3 X as much bacterial colonization on media surface!

Both brands use floss and sponges, they are good and important.

The penn plax only has one small basket for bio media. This limits the kind of media you use...If you have bio-rings for example, you have to take that out if you need to use carbon to remove medications.
Eheim have several baskets - the 2028 has three. This allows you to customize what you are using for media....I use bio-rings, bio-balls, and peat.....If I need I'll take one basket (peat) out put carbon in, then change it out after 24 hours and refresh my peat.

When I was choosing my filter I researched two brands Fluval and Eheim...because both had good reviews on this site. They both have good reliability, tho Eheim seems to be the tops. They both have quiet operation but again Eheim seems to be the quietest.
Fluval is less expensive than Eheim and some of their filters have higher water turnover.......I did not compare these issues in the PennPlax.

As to whether you use your UGF....you can if you want to...I use them...Even on the 125 gallon tank that has a Eheim 2028 canister filter...The reason is I tend to "overkill" and want all the filtration/bio material I can squeeze in a space....But if you don't like the tubes, or feel you want to follow the current trend away from UGF feel free...Just seems like if you have it and it isn't broken, you can always add more filtration at your convenience..

bdp

I would like to thank both of you for the rapid responses.

I was thinking that the canister method is more efficient and effective. I never had a problem with the tank when it was in operation, I just was thinking maybe I was missing a new innovation.

I just want all of my ducks in row before I set this up. A little planning usually avoids frustrations.

Do either of you have much experience with angel fish. Last time I couldn't keep them alive and thriving.

MagpieTear

Can't help with the Angels, I've always run Tetra communities. I'll defer to others here who have had better luck with them than me...

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.

1) I'd recommend ditching the UGF for 2 HOB filters, spaced about 1/3rd from each end of the tank to try to maximize filtration and minimize 'dead zones'.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=12320
(the 350 model would give you excellent filtration of 700gph for the tank). You'd have 4 bio-wheels for good bacteria along with 4-8 filter pads and filter sponges.

2) I'd recommend 2 submersible heaters, placed similiar to the 2 filters, for more even heat distribution. The Visi-Therm Stealth, Hydor Theo or Jager are all good. Probably 125-150W each.

3) There's a lot of specialized substrata and lighting options now to suit the type of tank that you want yours to be.

bdp

COBettaCouple,

Thank you for the input.

Why do you suggest the biowheel instead of the canaster?
Do you make you own filters to put in or do you just buy the prefabricated?
If you go this route do I need an air pump for air into the system? If so what brand do you consider good?
What type of lighting do you mean? I have been away from this hobby for over 7 years.

susitna-flower

Each person here has vastly different experience levels. That is what I love about fishlore...because the bottom line is if you are able to keep your tank healthy, THAT is what counts.

COBettaCouple has good points also. The + about HOB filters are that they are inexpensive, and easy to maintain....though just like I was talking about with the different canisters, HOB filters have limited space for bio materials, which means your bacteria colony is limited, and more subject to disruption and mini-cycles.

Your angels of years past probably had problems due to an uncycled tank.....This is THE big concept to investigate now with your new tank set up. Read the article with a link at the top of this page, describing the nitrogen cycle. Plan for a fishless cycle if you can, and plan your tank carefully.....If you love angels check out Isabella's 75 gallon tank in the planted section! She has beautiful, professional quality pictures that will just make you salivate!

COBettaCouple

The Biowheels are a great way to build up large colonies of good bacteria in the tank. With 4 of them plus filter sponges and the substrata, your tank will be in great shape for getting and staying cycled. The lower cost is another factor. I don't make my filters but buy them online. The link I posted is the kind of filters that I'm currently buying for tanks.

Fluorescent tubes come in a variety of color temperatures and color spectrums. Some are better for planted tanks, some better for fish, some for both. Right now, we're using 4200k tubes with peaks in red, blue and yellow (yellow being the greatest).. to simulate natural sunlight.

lyndatu

Welcome back to the fish hobby!

Canister filters are great, but there is now the new Bio-Wheel Filter System. I don't really use one, but I heard from lots of people that it's extremely excellent. I think it's worth the money. I've had bad experiences with UGF's. Although it's very good at filtration, It can also be very dangerous, because all the wastes are stored in the undergravel plate and the wastes might leak into the water, causing extreme ammonia spikes, which can kill fish. Be careful......

I think it's best to buy a new heater. I heard others that their fish were "baked" because of an old, faulty heater.

I'm not quite informed by the new things in the fish world, But there is the Glo-fish - specialized zebra danios that seem to "glow" in vibrant colors. They're safe - they're not like dyed fish.

Good luck! Hope you enjoy!

bdp

I went to the Isabela's 75 thread, what a beautiful tank...
That is simply impressive. She really has set the bar high.
Thank all of you for your input. I will be making some purchases and I will cycle the tank as instructed.
I really enjoy this site. Keep up the great work.