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

 

  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:
                         and           Marine Depot


      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)

 

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 ;D.  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? ???

 

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)

 

Very interesting...I see some more long nights of internet research on the horizon...

 

Thank you for the kind greeting.  Yes, it says exactly what I do for a living ;D

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!

 

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)

 

Hello,
Right now I have a Rena filstar XP3 in my 125..We are getting close to stocking time and I'm needing to know if this is a big enough filter or should I get another one..I was going to get another one but I just looked on Dr. Foster and Smith and this filter is rated for up to 175..My tank is going to be a overstocked Mbuna tank so that will make a difference. I have two really good powerheads running too. So what do you guys think??

 

you could get a HOB for the other side of the tank for the added water movement/filtration? you could also keep lots of extra filter media in one that you could use to instantly cycle a tank if you needed to.

 

you could get a HOB for the other side of the tank for the added water movement/filtration? you could also keep lots of extra filter media in one that you could use to instantly cycle a tank if you needed to.

I don't really want a HOB because so far were doing a good job at hiding all the intake tubes and what not...I was going to get another canister..We have the XP3, two big powerheads and a rainbar...So I'm not to concerned with water movement..There will be plenty. I'm more concerned if the XP3 will be enough filtration my this tank...I do love the canister filters though..lol..I have all kinds of DIY filter media in there along with all the floss, and bio balls or whatever they are called that came with it..There are 3 layers of filtration so it's like a big instacycle magic box for me..

 

I don't really want a HOB because so far were doing a good job at hiding all the intake tubes and what not...I was going to get another canister..We have the XP3, two big powerheads and a rainbar...So I'm not to concerned with water movement..There will be plenty. I'm more concerned if the XP3 will be enough filtration my this tank...I do love the canister filters though..lol..I have all kinds of DIY filter media in there along with all the floss, and bio balls or whatever they are called that came with it..There are 3 layers of filtration so it's like a big instacycle magic box for me..

ah okay, well I say if you're going to be overstocked with the mbuna then add another, more filtration never hurt anything !

 

That's kinda what I'm thinking but if I can save 150.00 or so I wouldn't mind it..lol. But I don't want to have a dirty tank either because it will be a breeding tank..The fry won't be in there but I still need CLEAN water..I think I'm just going to have to break down and get another one...I got the tank pretty cheap so I feel like it's not to bad to spend extra money.

 

lol, yeah I understand! you could probably get one rated for a 75 gallon tank or something instead of the 125, might save you a few bucks

 

Yup..I really like this brand so I'll stick with it and the rainbar is pretty cool too. I look into the smaller canisters and see if it's worth the price difference...SOOOO Alex are you gonna make room for some mbuna??..lol..

 

If your on top of your water changes and monitoring water parameters the filter should be fine also you won't be over stocking it over night so you could measure if the filter is doing a good enough job. I was reading about the Fluval FX5 amazing filter that's what I want for my mbuna tank lol for up to 607G.

 

If your on top of your water changes and monitoring water parameters the filter should be fine also you won't be over stocking it over night so you could measure if the filter is doing a good enough job. I was reading about the Fluval FX5 amazing filter that's what I want for my mbuna tank lol for up to 607G.

I saw those filters..That would Def. do it..What size are you setting up Mike??
I'm so excited, were really close to getting it done..I found another breeding group I want too.....Look at these guys...This is the first species I was looking at and I love them but couldn't find wilds and here they are..I'm still debating if I should get them or not....Really HIGH priced but free shipping so that makes up for it. I emailed about them they are just over a year and have been spawning for 6 months. She is getting about 70 fry every 4-6 weeks..

 

Yeah the Fluval and Ehiem Pro 3 both great canisters, although pricey the FX5 will set me back 450-500$ so I'm guessing the Eheim is at least double that price.

I'm thinking of setting up a 6ft tank (150-180gal thereabouts), I also have my eye on a 180gal corner tank but I'm not sure if mbuna would do well in an corner aquarium. I'm just waiting around march to decide when its my birthday lol.


EDIT: I also want to try create/buy artificial rock walls but I don't want to get them glued on which I need to find out how I'm going to do it without gluing

 

Yup..I really like this brand so I'll stick with it and the rainbar is pretty cool too. I look into the smaller canisters and see if it's worth the price difference...SOOOO Alex are you gonna make room for some mbuna??..lol..

lol, i'm going to have to!!!! my new plan (in the very distant future when I have lots and lots of money laying around, of course ) is an olympic sized pool (well, two really), one a reef tank and the other probably a whole lake of cichlids gotta start saving for that really.........

 

if I should get them or not....Really HIGH priced but free shipping so that makes up for it. I emailed about them they are just over a year and have been spawning for 6 months. She is getting about 70 fry every 4-6 weeks..

Lovely cichlid it looks a lot like the demasonI cichlid, its my first priority cichlid to buy list lol

 

I will be purchasing a new 6 foot 125 Gallon tank in the next few weeks
I already have an AC 110 filter and am thinking about purchasing an Eheim Pro 3 Cannister Filter
I believe that should give me good filtration for thsI tank, which may have some low light sturdy plants and will house some cichlids and some catfish

 

Save yourself some money and put either an AC 70 or another 110 down the other end, then alternate changing the media ensuring a good supply of beneficial bacteria.

 

Interesting you say that...is it because the eheim is so expensive, or you feel it is not as effective

 

Personally, I have an Eheim cannister that I do not use. I like to see what's going on and I can look in my HOBs and tell. The cannister was just sitting there quietly doing it's job efficiently, but it is just not for me. I also put large AC sponges on all my intakes; they provide added bennybac, added filtering and most of all keep my mystery snails from committing suicide.

 

get 2 sun sun canister filters you can get both shipped off ebay for less than 90 and they work pretty good

 

so its more a personal choice
I have an eheim cannister on another tank which runs great
I like the HOB filters as well, but wonder how efficient they are in terms of biological filtration

 

Well a sump would be superior for a bigger tank but a lot of people do not want one witch I understand. Second I think would be a Canister. I am a big Eheim fan I had 3 so far and liked them all never really had problems with them. Now they are pretty old so I am replacing them and decided to try the SunSun filters off of ebay. For the price they are very good, the plastic piping is cheaper but remember you not spending the Eheim price IMO it works just as good as the Eheim. SunSun is actually the exact same as the Aquatop but with just a different name and a cheaper price I thought they would be noisy and not compare to my Eheim but they are actually VERY quiet and they hold LOTS of media. This is the guy I have bought tons of stuff from, he ships fast and if you have a problem he resolves it no problem.



Me personally I would get 2, it would put you at 8.4 times per hour your tank circulates threw the canisters. Then with the amount of head pressure you will have it will drop to around 6 or so (just a guess) witch is ideal amount to circulate your tank. With HOB's you want around 10x the circulation because they can't hold near the amount of BB that a canister can hold.

He might ship to where you live you would just have to mail him and ask him maybe for a little added cost he can =/

 

I bought 2 of these weds evening got them this morning

 

Save yourself some money and put either an AC 70 or another 110 down the other end, then alternate changing the media ensuring a good supply of beneficial bacteria.

+1

My 72G runs with 2 AC70 on opposite ends and a sponge. I never change the media - which is a combination of potscrubbers and ceramics (just the occasional rinse in drained tank water), but I do change my mechanical filtration which is a floss layer. The floss gets rid of the gunk.
My 90G I run with an AC110, and a Fluval 406 canister that I bought during boxing day sale for 1/2 price, which had I known then what I know now, I would have just went with 2 AC110. I don't clean the 406 as often as I should. But since the AC110 are easier to access, I can check that weekly. The canister is a bit of a pain. Power off, disconnect hose unit, unplug the power cord, carry to the sink without spilling, then do the cleaning.

The worry I still have with any canister, make sure always to check the seals! I had an older Eheim 2026 that was given to me. It worked for a while, then I took it off because it was a pain to prime each time with cleaning. When I decided to use it again, I did not double check the seals which probably dried during storage. It ran for a while. then one morning I came back to about a 3/4 drained tank (it was the 90G), and major puddle in my basement. Wet vac and stripping out the carpeting later...

 

Wat would you recommend to filter a 125? There one catch I can't put anything under the tank.

 

Can you put anything next to the tank? Like a small table with 2 canister filters, at a slightly lower level than the base of the tank? Otherwise several really powerful HOB filters would be my recommendation.

 

No I cant, I think I'm stuck with hobs. Which ones do u recommend and how many? Bluestreakfl

 

Maybe 2 AquaClear 110, or maybe 3...

 

Maybe 2 AquaClear 110, or maybe 3...

The only issue I see with hobs is that the intake tube will get in the way of my rock stacking.

 

As many ac110s as you can put on it.

 

As many ac110s as you can put on it.

More like as many as I can afford,lol.

 

I have a 125 and I have a Fluval FX-6 and two AC 110s. If it were me I would run three AC 110s.

 

The only issue I see with hobs is that the intake tube will get in the way of my rock stacking.

Sponge filters would work.

 

Any way you can scape around the intake tubes?

 

3-4 of these They are outstanding filters. I use them and will never again waste my time and money on the lesser filters on the market. I have had mainland filters running for years (Magnum, Penguin, Emperor) I have a Magnum canister that has been running for over ten years. Never once have any of them failed.

 

Any way you can scape around the intake tubes?

I could, ill proably go with 3 aquaclears 110. How many heater will need?