75 Gallon Tank Emperor 400 HOB filter or canister?

I currently have had my 75 gallon tank set up a little over a year and the tank is becoming dirty with green algae on the glass and the ornaments. I have 2 Marineland Emperor 400 HOB filters on the tank with the carbon filter in the closest slot in each filter (2 in each filter). The back slots have nothing in them and wondering on what is the best media to put in that area since there is definitely room. Is that something that will help with keeping the tank cleaner or would going to canister filter be a better option?

 

I currently have had my tank set up a little over a year and the tank is becoming dirty with green algae on the glass and the ornaments. I have 2 Marineland Emperor 400 HOB filters on the tank with the carbon filter in the closest slot in each filter (2 in each filter). The back slots have nothing in them and wondering on what is the best media to put in that area since there is definitely room. Is that something that will help with keeping the tank cleaner or would going to canister filter be a better option?

How large is this tank? I don't think that the green algae is coming from not enough filtration. The likely source is something like too much ferts or too much light rather than lack of filtration. Maybe invest in an algae eater of some sort instead, but most algae can be solved by you rather than an animal.

 

How large is this tank? I don't think that the green algae is coming from not enough filtration. The likely source is something like too much ferts or too much light rather than lack of filtration. Maybe invest in an algae eater of some sort instead, but most algae can be solved by you rather than an animal.

75 GALLON TANK. Light is only on for about 6 hours a day so I do not thing that is an issue but I could be wrong. I have had tanks in the past that I have never has issues with the glass getting as dirty as it does now.

 

75 GALLON TANK. Light is only on for about 6 hours a day so I do not thing that is an issue but I could be wrong. I have had tanks in the past that I have never has issues with the glass getting as dirty as it does now.

Can I see a picture?

 

Can I see a picture?

unfortunately I do not have one currently since I just cleaned the tank and replaced all the ornaments. Green algae was on the ornaments and the glass keeps getting dirty and have to scrub the glass about once a week to keep it clean. I have a friend that has a canister filter and he said he has had hardly any issues with the tank getting dirty and the water is always crystal clear.

 

unfortunately I do not have one currently since I just cleaned the tank and replaced all the ornaments. Green algae was on the ornaments and the glass keeps getting dirty and have to scrub the glass about once a week to keep it clean. I have a friend that has a canister filter and he said he has had hardly any issues with the tank getting dirty and the water is always crystal clear.

I highly doubt the algae is from not having a canister. This is a 75g with 800 gph of filtration.

 

Any suggestions for other media to put in the filter with the carbon that is currently in it?

 

Any suggestions for other media to put in the filter with the carbon that is currently in it?

Polyfil

 

Polyfil

ANY OTHER MEDIA OR JUST THE POLYFIL? SHOULD I FILL THE BACK FULL OF THE POLYFIL?

 

Seachem purigen, Polyfil, Seachem Matrix, and coarse sponges. Purigen is better then AC. Polyfil sucks out small debris. Seachem Matriz has lots of surface for bacteria. The same can be said about sponges.

 

ANY OTHER MEDIA OR JUST THE POLYFIL? SHOULD I FILL THE BACK FULL OF THE POLYFIL?

Other media and polyfil

 

I would suggest to first ensure there are no excess sources of nitrates in the tank, such as a build up of uneaten food or fish waste under the substrate that is decaying. Try to give the entire substrate a thorough and complete cleaning with a siphon gravel vac. Also, ensure there is no indirect or direct sunlight from a window hitting the tank.

If you use polyfil, my experience is the batting version works a lot better than the loose fill. The batting doesn't come apart as easily as the loose fill.

Amazon sells sheets of 20ppi foam from the brand Aquaneat that are 2" thick.

I have bought their 20ppi and 30ppi sheets and use them in my filters. Very economical. I also use the replacement foam sponge blocks for Aquaclears. They are easily trimmed as well to fit filters.

I wouldn't waste money on buying extra Purigen or Matrix. There is really no need for chemical filtration in a properly set up aquarium and layers of foam/sponge media will give you better mechanical and biological filtration compared to traditional bio-media in my experience.