Filter for 125 gallon Tank

So my boys and I are making the leap from a bunch of 20 -40 g tanks with HOB filters to a 125 g with a canister filter. We are just in the infant stage of setting up the tank and have only decided on substrate (pool filter sand) and heat. Still researching fish, lighting and decorations in the tank. I am getting confused on how powerful a filter I need. I recently purchased a Penn Plax Cascade 1500 elite that is rated for a 200 g tank. I am concerned however about the flow rate after reading some of the threads on this site. It is 350 gph. Do I need to double up or will this be sufficient? Considering African Cichlids ...but haven't decided.

 

So my boys and I are making the leap from a bunch of 20 -40 g tanks with HOB filters to a 125 g with a canister filter. We are just in the infant stage of setting up the tank and have only decided on substrate (pool filter sand) and heat. Still researching fish, lighting and decorations in the tank. I am getting confused on how powerful a filter I need. I recently purchased a Penn Plax Cascade 1500 elite that is rated for a 200 g tank. I am concerned however about the flow rate after reading some of the threads on this site. It is 350 gph. Do I need to double up or will this be sufficient? Considering African Cichlids ...but haven't decided.

Greetings and welcome to Fishlore

You want around 10x the water column in GPH filtration. On our 150 gallon we use two canisters and two bio wheels for a GPH of over 1,460.
I use only Marineland filters. Penguine, Emperor bio wheels and Magnum 350 and Magniflow 360 canisters.

 

350 isn't near enough. 1,000 an hour is about right in a 125; you won't get near enough movement near the bottom and in the corners otherwise; those dead areas are, well, dead; low oxygen, high dissolved toxins and solids...

If you're going to go to the time and expense of setting up a big aquarium, do it right.

Pool sand will give you diatom problems and feed other algae. I highly recommend an intert substrate if you're not going to plant.

Here's my 125 gallon species tank (Fahaka puffer); he gets a daily 10% and 2x weekly 50% changes - large, messy fish.

 

Roger_Ramjet makes a good point. BDBS (Black Diamond Blasting Sand) is a great choice. We use it in the 150, 44 and the 37 gallons. Use the med-coarse. You can get it at TSC (Tractor Supply CO) for $8.00 for a 50 lb bag.

By using a combination of waterfall bio wheels and canisters you get a great combination of water movement and a large increase of surface area (for the gas exchange).

 

Greetings and welcome to Fishlore

You want around 10x the water column in GPH filtration. On our 150 gallon we use two canisters and two bio wheels for a GPH of over 1,460.
I use only Marineland filters. Penguine, Emperor bio wheels and Magnum 350 and Magniflow 360 canisters.
View attachment 422145

Thunder_o_b...thanks so much for the info. So I am now considering adding two Marineland panguin 350's to get me over 1000 gph. I wish I was part of this site earlier before I made some of my previous decisions Now based off the others responces I need to figure out what to do with the 150 lbs of pool filter sand we already washed and put into the tank. Can I mix with other material?

350 isn't near enough. 1,000 an hour is about right in a 125; you won't get near enough movement near the bottom and in the corners otherwise; those dead areas are, well, dead; low oxygen, high dissolved toxins and solids...

If you're going to go to the time and expense of setting up a big aquarium, do it right.

Pool sand will give you diatom problems and feed other algae. I highly recommend an intert substrate if you're not going to plant.

Here's my 125 gallon species tank (Fahaka puffer); he gets a daily 10% and 2x weekly 50% changes - large, messy fish.

 

It's all good advice above. It's really up to you. Adding another Cascade 1500 wouldn't be overkill - but they are big canisters as I'm sure you know.

But you might try getting one of these ...

It's a filter booster that goes before the input on your 1500. It will do all your mechanical filtration and you can then fill ALL FIVE media trays in the 1500 with some good biomedia like Pond Matrix or Biohome. Over time, this system will reduce even nitrate buildup and with five trays of bio-media, you can't have a more robust bio-filtration. Another plus? The booster is what you'll be cleaning most of the time ... you'll have to open up the 1500 for cleaning maybe half the time ... maybe even less and the filter booster is WAY easier to clean. You can clean it every week in about 10 minutes or less.

You could then add a large HOB and some sponge filters and you have lots of flow.

But this is just one thing you could do ... there's a million other very valid options you have.

 

It's all good advice above. It's really up to you. Adding another Cascade 1500 wouldn't be overkill - but they are big canisters as I'm sure you know.

But you might try getting one of these ...

It's a filter booster that goes before the input on your 1500. It will do all your mechanical filtration and you can then fill ALL FIVE media trays in the 1500 with some good biomedia like Pond Matrix or Biohome. Over time, this system will reduce even nitrate buildup and with five trays of bio-media, you can't have a more robust bio-filtration. Another plus? The booster is what you'll be cleaning most of the time ... you'll have to open up the 1500 for cleaning maybe half the time ... maybe even less and the filter booster is WAY easier to clean. You can clean it every week in about 10 minutes or less.

You could then add a large HOB and some sponge filters and you have lots of flow.

But this is just one thing you could do ... there's a million other very valid options you have.

Thanks Swampgorilla...I will defiantly check that out. Does it effect the flow rate of your canister filter? I don't want to overwork the pump and hurt the filter.

 

350 isn't near enough. 1,000 an hour is about right in a 125; you won't get near enough movement near the bottom and in the corners otherwise; those dead areas are, well, dead; low oxygen, high dissolved toxins and solids...

If you're going to go to the time and expense of setting up a big aquarium, do it right.

Pool sand will give you diatom problems and feed other algae. I highly recommend an intert substrate if you're not going to plant.

Here's my 125 gallon species tank (Fahaka puffer); he gets a daily 10% and 2x weekly 50% changes - large, messy fish.

Thanks Rojer Ramjet...This is my tank so far. The penn plax is coming today. the pool filter sand has a 20 to 40 sieve size and is silica sand...is it all garbage or could I add anything to save some of my investment so far.

Tank

• BrendanB
• Mar 24, 2018

First 125 g tank.

 

Use the pool sand you have it, unless you like black sand better (blasting sand).
You already own the p/p canister, so use it. It is very under powered for a 125 so as additional filters I would suggest either a Fluval FX6 or 2 Sunsun 304B's plus you p/p canister I would stay away from HOB's because of the noise and the amount of work to maintain them. Africans are real picky about clean water. There are lots of good lights out there, but I prefer the Fluval 2.0 plant lights even if your not growing plants, it makes the fish's color pop.

 

Thanks Rojer Ramjet...This is my tank so far. The penn plax is coming today. the pool filter sand has a 20 to 40 sieve size and is silica sand...is it all garbage or could I add anything to save some of my investment so far.

Tank

• BrendanB
• Mar 24, 2018

First 125 g tank.

Silica will always feed diatoms and nuisance algae; personally, I'd just add some laterite and humate soil, then control lighting.

 

Thanks Swampgorilla...I will defiantly check that out. Does it effect the flow rate of your canister filter? I don't want to overwork the pump and hurt the filter.

It will marginally slow the rate of flow of the system. Flow rates are deceptive. You will see advice like ... "it should turn the water over 10 times per hour" ... or something like that. The real factors are quality media and lots of it. More surface area for bacteria equals a more efficient filtration.

I have an Eheim 2215 that I restrict the output flow to a crawl on ... it's probably designed for around 160 gallons per minute but I restrict the flow to less than 50 because it outputs to a U/V sanitizer (this is WAY more restriction than you notice by using a filter booster on a canister - if you notice any at all). The Eheim has run fine for two years this way.

 

It will marginally slow the rate of flow of the system. Flow rates are deceptive. You will see advice like ... "it should turn the water over 10 times per hour" ... or something like that. The real factors are quality media and lots of it. More surface area for bacteria equals a more efficient filtration.

I have an Eheim 2215 that I restrict the output flow to a crawl on ... it's probably designed for around 160 gallons per minute but I restrict the flow to less than 50 because it outputs to a U/V sanitizer (this is WAY more restriction than you notice by using a filter booster on a canister - if you notice any at all). The Eheim has run fine for two years this way.

thanks for the reply. I just bit the bullet to add to SunSun 340s to the filtration. for 16 0 that is a lot of filtration With the option for uv when needed. that will bring me to just about 1400gph. I may just use the two SunSuns and keep the 1500 for my 55 gallon tank. what do you think?

 

thanks for the reply. I just bit the bullet to add to SunSun 340s to the filtration. for 16 0 that is a lot of filtration With the option for uv when needed. that will bring me to just about 1400gph. I may just use the two SunSuns and keep the 1500 for my 55 gallon tank. what do you think?

Do you mean the SunSun 304?

The U/V in the SunSun ... and really any canister is useless - it burns electricity and does nothing else. If you bought the 304 it has a 9 watt U/V and the 525 gph flow is way too fast for it to do anything. A 9 watt UV "taps out" at about 150 gph and that's only for algae control - parasite control isn't achievable at all with a 9 watt lamp.

Companies include the UV in their canisters pretty much as a marketing ploy only. It's aggravating because UV has a bad name - lots of people say it doesn't work. Most of them are people who have 9 watt bulbs in 500 gph plus filters. I have a 57 watt attached to output of a canister - but that canister is restricted to less than 50 gph.

 

I have an AC 110 that I bought before I found out canisters were a thing. I figure I can keep it running and use it for QT when needed, but I'd definitely like to go with a canister (or two canisters?).

The highest GPH I've been able to find on a canister is the Fluval FX6 (website says pump output 925 GPH and flow rate 563 GPH, I'm assuming actual filtration is closer to 563), but the AC 110 also claims 500 GPH. Are there bigger canister filters readily available? Theoretically with both of those I'd have like an x8 turnover rate, which I feel okay about, but since HOB's aren't that efficient idrk.

I'm honestly not sure if this is enough filtration, or if I should have more, or if there are better options, or if it's actually just overkill and I should get something smaller. If anyone with a bigger tank wants to let me know what they use for filtration or give recs it'd be much appreciated.

Also, still not sure on stocking, but aiming for understocked and no plans for anything with a huge bioload, but better safe than sorry haha.

 

I think it's somewhat important to know what kind of stock you'll be aiming for when choosing a filter there are a lot of factors at play, just as an aside though the GPH and flow rates tend to be the maximum possible rates it can achieve and not what you would always expect - just having a canister filter below your tank drops the actual GPH by a fair bit as it's working against gravity. You could probably find the actual flow rates somewhere based on normal variables.

If money is no object then just throw in the biggest canister filter you can and look at optimizing it (some people replace the central sponge media with bio media). You have to take into consideration how much flow you'll be throwing into your tank and stock fish that can deal with that level of flow, you do have the ability to alter the flow rate with most canister filters but then you are heading into the 'overkill' capacity by doing so. The massive upside to canister filters is that it's the most 'hands off' approach. In terms of your tank specifically, the Fluval FX6 should do more than a decent job at filtering your tank, I have 2 friends both running a 125g with a 207 filter and they've had 0 issues with weekly 20% water changes I believe.

In a heavily planted tank with shrimps you could easily get away with a couple of sponge filters and 1 or 2 hob filters, but you might have to do more water changes than you would with a canister filter. I was very impressed with how well my sponge filters worked when I first started using them and now I would probably keep one in every tank.

Overall I found it better for me personally to start on the lower end of filtration and build it up later if necessary than just to jump straight into the deep end but I can definitely see why people opt for a canister filter.

 

A tank that size I would suggest a sump.

 

I just bought the FX6. Looks like a good canister. Good for a 400 gal tank. That and your 110 will be more than enough. On a side note the Fx6 is on sale for 249 at PetSmart.

 

Welcome to fishlore.. There is no such thing as to much filtration IMO 2 canister filters are the way to go on your 125g.. With the fx6 don't get my wrong it is a good filter but the price is high I would go with 2 sun sun 304b you can get them on Amazon for cheaper then the price of 1 fx6 the are rated at 525gph which will give you 1050gph total.. even with the reduced flow from media and head height you should still be getting around 600gph flow or just under 6x turnover and that should do a good job keeping your tank clean...

I forget to mention the sun sun 304b also comes with a 9w uv light that the fx6 does not have..

 

Only thing is the sun suns have a tendency to leak. Ask me how I know . I’ve got the 304 in a closet now it leaked about 10 gal before I noticed .

 

Only thing is the sun suns have a tendency to leak. Ask me how I know . I’ve got the 304 in a closet now it leaked about 10 gal before I noticed .

No they don't. Yours does maybe, but hundreds of thousands or millions of others do not. Please don't spread rumors.

 

As stated a sump is probably your best bet. However I never liked sumps, so on my 125 I went with 3 HOBs. Each with 400 GPH. it has worked well for about 5 years now.

 

Cichlidude a rumor is something you heard not experienced. I’ve experienced it!! I was a sunsun believer and had 2 running. When that one leaked after a power outage I gave up on them. The saying IS true..,you get what you pay for!!! Many reviews about leaking. Just telling my experience.

 

Any filter can leak canisters and hob I have had hob's leak and I I have had canisters leak both name brands and off brands so you if you go on the fact it could leak then pack it in and find a new hobby..

 

Cichlidude a rumor is something you heard not experienced. I’ve experienced it!! I was a sunsun believer and had 2 running. When that one leaked after a power outage I gave up on them. The saying IS true..,you get what you pay for!!! Many reviews about leaking. Just telling my experience.

OK, well I've had a Sunsun for almost 8 years now and mine has never leaked. If they do leak it's because of incorrect assembly. You don't get 4 star rating if they leak. But all manufactures canisters can leak. Just a few weeks ago someone posted a poll and Fluval leaked the most.

 

A tank that size I would suggest a sump.

Agreed. All my 125s are in sumps.

 

OK, well I've had a Sunsun for almost 8 years now and mine has never leaked. If they do leak it's because of incorrect assembly. You don't get 4 star rating if they leak. But all manufactures canisters can leak. Just a few weeks ago someone posted a poll and Fluval leaked the most.

Agreed. 90% of canister filter leaks are due to operator error or pinching an oring. Once you pinch the oring you have to replace it don't try and run it thibking it will be fine. Canisters leak because of improper assembly or maintenance.

 

Thanks guys!! I think I’ll go with two sunsuns. You can’t really argue with double the filtration for a fraction of the price, and sunsun seems really popular on here. I originally planned to do a sump but got overwhelmed fast with all the diy stuff.

 

Thanks guys!! I think I’ll go with two sunsuns. You can’t really argue with double the filtration for a fraction of the price, and sunsun seems really popular on here. I originally planned to do a sump but got overwhelmed fast with all the diy stuff.

Good choice. Get 2 of the 525 gph and you are set.

 

What filter is suitable for a 125 gallon tank? I'm looking into Fluval as I have heard many positive reviews on it. But the Fluval 4FX seems really expensive! The Aquaclear 110 seems good as well.
Are there are any reliable filters that aren't too expensive? Could I use a Fluval 406 and Aquaclear 110?

Does this filter seem suitable also? I am concerned about leaks.

It is a Polar Aurora External Canister

 

Does this filter seem suitable also? I am concerned about leaks.

It is a Polar Aurora External Canister

^^^^
Two of those.

Might want to look at this also. Sunsun HW 5000 1200 gph with controller.

 

Does this filter seem suitable also? I am concerned about leaks.

It is a Polar Aurora External Canister

I have a similar one, basically a SunSun 304B. Its on my 150 gallon stock tank patio pond. just becareful, the plastic parts are somewhat brittle. cracked my spray bar pushing the pieces together.

you could try a pair of Aquaclear 110 or a pair of Tidal 110.

 

Could I run a Fluval 406 Canister Filter? It says it is for 100 gallons but with the Aquaclear 70, would it work out? I'm still not very convinced on the SunSun or Polar Aurora as they seem TOO cheap if you know what I mean. I have heard reviews saying that you get what you pay for and that makes sense. So the SunSun or Polar Aurora seem okay but they are not very strong or the best. And it also seems fragile.

 

Could I run a Fluval 406 Canister Filter? It says it is for 100 gallons but with the Aquaclear 70, would it work out? I'm still not very convinced on the SunSun or Polar Aurora as they seem TOO cheap if you know what I mean. I have heard reviews saying that you get what you pay for and that makes sense. So the SunSun or Polar Aurora seem okay but they are not very strong or the best. And it also seems fragile.

Well Sunsun sells more canisters than all other manufactures combined they are so big. Considering all canisters have only $40 in parts there is profit to be made and others are making it. Sunsun and Polar Aurora are also 4+ star rated on Amazon. I've had mine for going on 8 years now with no issues.

You do know you need about 1000-1250 gph for that tank right?

 

I thought I needed around 625 gph as that is 5 times the amount of gallons the tank holds.

 

I thought I needed around 625 gph as that is 5 times the amount of gallons the tank holds.

But when you add your media trays, tubing, pump height lift, U bends and all media it's now only is pumping at around 50% or 2.5 times. That's why you spec out to 8-10x to cover all the loss. But, it's up to you.

 

Oh yes, good point!

I'm just really unsure because the SunSun or Polar Aurora don't seem like much. Is the Fluval FX4 really worth it? Does it have an extensive surface area that is much larger than the Fluval 406? Couldn't I add a sponge on the intake tube to increase surface area? This would increase the efficiency. All these things make me really unsure of what to get. I know surface area is what makes a filter efficient as well as water circulation. What if I put 3 large sponge filters and a Marineland 350? Do I even need a canister filter? The sponge filter may support bacteria with surface area and the power filter circulating water. I'd like to hear opinions as I'm not sure myself. I just know that people tend to overload aquariums with too much filtration that may cost a fortune and I don't want to do that. And the stocking is a community fish tank so I'm thinking I won't need to much.

 

I would go with what Skavatar said then and go with 2 Seachem Tidal 110's then. You have plenty of choices.

 

NatureFine , how do you plan on stocking your 125g?

Heavily stocked African cichlids? Some large South American's like Oscars?

I think a lot of the negative reviews on SunSun products comes down to user error, though I am sure there are occasions (like all brands) where the product physically breaks.

Applying a food-grade silicone lube (not vaseline) to all the seals, o-rings and gaskets will go a long way for the prevention of leaks.

If you want to go the route with HOB filters, look into getting a pair of Tidal 110's from Kensfish.com. He has them for $62 each, which is the cheapest price I have seen.

Another HOB filter option is a trio of Penguin 350's which usually are $26-$30 each if you look around online.

Those loaded with blocks of sponge foam (in lieu of the cartridges) and a bit of Polyfil works well for the price, and they move a lot of water.

While on the Ken's website, check out the ATI Hydro Sponge IV and V sponge filters.

A pair of those tucked into the corners will really boost filtration. The normal Hydro Sponges use a fine foam (around 40ppI pores-per-inch) and the "Pro" versions use a coarse foam sponge material (around 15-20ppi). The "Pro" version has a higher flow rate over their finer standard foam sponge.

You mentioned an option with 3 large sponge filters and a Penguin 350.


Also, try a Google search of both "Jehmco" Those places (+ Ken's Fish site) have the best prices and carry the full line of sponge filters , pre-filters and parts for the ATI brand.

Jehmco also have pics of "stacked" sponge filters. ATI's are modular by design, and you can stack their fine foam sponge filter on top of their "Pro" coarse filter.

That gives you the higher flow rate through the coarser "Pro" sponge on the bottom to draw in muck and the finer top sponge for increased bio-filtration.

Running a power head on top of the sponge filter bumps up the flow rate.

Finnaly, check out swisstropicals.com and their Poret brand of foam sponge products imported from Germany.

They use the "Jetlifter" air lift method which is a very efficient design.

For every 1 liter per hour of air delivered, you get 3-4lph of water flow through the lifter tube.

That is a lot more lift, versus the traditional airstone-in-a-tube method.

Most breeders and keepers of fishroom primarily rely on sponge filtration, with HOB's and/or powerheads to supplement water movement.

Let us know what you decide and how you set your tank up.

 

Found this one also, Sunsun vs Fluval and the Fluval broke. And Fluval wants $25 for a $1 part.

 

What would be a suitable SunSun filter for a 125 gallon tank? There are so many types that I have been a little overwhelmed. By the way, the setup will be a community tank with Silver Dollars and Angelfish.

Also, it seems the filter has a UV light. Should it be run all the time?