55 Gallon Tank What type of filter is best for African Cichlid Tank?

Hey everybody,

Ive been gifted 2 largish tanks by my school teacher who no longer wants these tanks.

Tank 1: has a small leak on the bottom, ill reseal it with silicone
Length: 122cm
Width: 35.5cm
Height: 49cm
=212litres/56 gallons

Tank 2: Old turtle tank
Length: 150cm
Width: 31cm
Height: 35cm
=162 litres/42 gallons

Tank 1 will go in my living room and be stocked with African cichlids, while tank 2 will go outdoors outside our boatshed and used a a live bait well.

So my question, ignoring tank 2, for tank 1, a 56 gal tank to be stocked with 10-15 african cichlids mbunas or malawi what type of filteration would you get

I have spare 5 gallons i could do a sump? I could buy a canister filter, i could get hang on back filter, i could get interal filters.... IM so confused with all these types of filters, ive only ever used interals and once a HOB filter, so sumps and canisters would be new to me. Could you please tell me which would work best with a 55gal tank, also ive heard sumps and canisters can often leak is this true???

Im planning this out and have time just want to make this right... all help is greatly appricated.

Thanks Peter

 

You could do a sump but there's a bit of plumbing work involved and for a 55 I'd be more inclined to go canister or HOB. They both have their pros and cons. HOB's are cheaper but I have a preference for canisters. A Fluval 407 would be ideal but in Australia the Aqua One Nautilus canisters are an excellent cheaper option. Check out the Aqua One Nautilus 1400.

 

You could do a sump but there's a bit of plumbing work involved and for a 55 I'd be more inclined to go canister or HOB. They both have their pros and cons. HOB's are cheaper but I have a preference for canisters. A Fluval 407 would be ideal but in Australia the Aqua One Nautilus canisters are an excellent cheaper option. Check out the Aqua One Nautilus 1400.

Thanks GlennO,

My LFS (Majestic Aquariums, Taren Point, NSW) only has Fluval 107 and 207... but they do have Aqua one Nautilus 1100 ($180), 1400 ($200), 2700 ($330).

I'll consider purchasing the 1400 do you have an experience with them, is it true that canisters can leak? do you find them to be noisy??

 

Thanks GlennO,

My LFS (Majestic Aquariums, Taren Point, NSW) only has Fluval 107 and 207... but they do have Aqua one Nautilus 1100 ($180), 1400 ($200), 2700 ($330).

I'll consider purchasing the 1400 do you have an experience with them, is it true that canisters can leak? do you find them to be noisy??

$200 is not a bad price for the 1400. I have an 1100 which runs just as quiet as my Fluval 406. Very little noise. You can never rule out a leak but I've never had a major leak in over 25 yrs of using canisters. I sit them in trays to contain any drips or spills during maintenance, e.g:

 

$200 is not a bad price for the 1400. I have an 1100 which runs just as quiet as my Fluval 406. Very little noise. You can never rule out a leak but I've never had a major leak in over 25 yrs of using canisters. I sit them in trays to contain any drips or spills during maintenance, e.g:

View attachment 856582

Thanks for your help Glenn, can i ask how big your tank is litres or gallons??

 

Thanks for your help Glenn, can i ask how big your tank is litres or gallons??

The tank shown above is around 240 litres filtered by 2 canisters, a Fluval 406 and Eheim 2215. I was using the Nautilus 1100 on a 140 litre tank.