Fluval canister filters for 33 Long

I was considering possibly getting either a Fluval 207, 307 or 407 for my 33 long. But which one? Obviously the smallest is the cheapest. But I can get a decent deal on all three currently at Petco. I am currently using two Aquaclear 50 power filters, so I have around 100 gallons of filtration which is quite a bit. But, if I go the canister route, do I need that much? I would say a 307 might be sufficient. What do you guys think?

 

I was considering possibly getting either a Fluval 207, 307 or 407 for my 33 long. But which one? Obviously the smallest is the cheapest. But I can get a decent deal on all three currently at Petco. I am currently using two Aquaclear 50 power filters, so I have around 100 gallons of filtration which is quite a bit. But, if I go the canister route, do I need that much? I would say a 307 might be sufficient. What do you guys think?

In the past I've kept 30+ mollies in a 33 long (way overstocked, HUGE bioload) and even one Aquaclear 50 was able to handle that, so I think you'd be safe with whatever canister you want unless you're keeping some insane bioload in there. But plan ahead if you think you might use it for a bigger tank in the future.

 

Hmm. I definitely don't think I would trust using a single Aquaclear 50 on a 33 long with lots of messy livebearers lol I do have all guppies in there currently, but there's only nine of them at the moment. They poop a LOT. If I picked up the 307, which is 170 dollars at Petco, I could get it for around 128 dollars tax included. Not too bad. The 407 would be around 150-160 I believe which is a little more than I want to pay.

 

Hmm. I definitely don't think I would trust using a single Aquaclear 50 on a 33 long with lots of messy livebearers lol I do have all guppies in there currently, but there's only nine of them at the moment. They poop a LOT. If I picked up the 307, which is 170 dollars at Petco, I could get it for around 128 dollars tax included. Not too bad. The 407 would be around 150-160 I believe which is a little more than I want to pay.

Surprisingly the AC50 did its job despite the massive bioload; I was impressed. biologically, it kept ammonia and nitrite at 0 and mechanically, the water was clear. However, there was lots of poop that the snails or I had to clean up and lots of water changes needed to keep nitrate in check, which the human's job anyway.
Pretty much any canister should have no problem with the biofiltration and the mechanical would be even better because you can put the intake and outflow on opposite ends of the long tank.

 

I think a 407 would have too much flow for a 33 long.

I would consider the 207 or 307.

Also, I suggest to think about putting a powerhead in one corner of the tank and keep it on a timer.

You can have the timer set to run the powerhead during the day to blow off the detritus from the substrate so the Aquaclears can suck it up. At night when it turns off, the fish can get a break.

This would be a cheaper alternative than buying a canister filter.