filtration

[cardoso]

hi all, got a fluval roma 200l tank, in it was a fluval u4 if i remember correctly (maybe u1 forget the way they count) either way the bigger internal one lol, had it less than a year, for few months now its been getting worse and worse, first the bubbler bit stopped, its not clogged or anything just wont push the air thru (pressure maybe) and i honestly dont think its enougth to do the job, the vents just clog with crap . . literaly.
anyway now iv bored your face off il get to the point, need people knowledge and exp. im thinking an under tank external filter. . .or maybe im completly wrong ? so whoever can give me some good advice or just tell me what to buy lol it would be very very apreciated as worried for tanks welfair.

thanks guys n gals. steve.

[jenky]

you carnt go wrong with ehime extrnals.

if you want something that works fine and is cheaper then aqua one have come along way this last couple of years.

are you buying new or used?

your lfs is the best place to get info on the right filter for your tank. a ALWAYS get a slightly bigger filter then i need. if you dont trust your lfs to give you the best info then ide stop going.

[cardoso]

that is something iv always thought, getting a slightly higher capacity filter for the tank, but yes were i got it from said this filter was enough but its obviously not as its packed up so quick.
il check out the brand you suggested, what should i go for a 300l ph capacity ? also would you recomend a separate bubbler as the internal filters try to do it themselves.
thanks, steve.

[Lego]

Externals are definitely better than any internals so if you've got the cash then go for it

I'd also recommend Eheim's. They're reliable and do the job well I run an Eheim Professional II 2028 on my 240 litre tank and it's spot on so that would be perfect for your tank. If you've got more money then you could chuck it at a wet/dry fancy ass effort thing (but I'm not posh enough to own one of those so can't advise lol)

[cardoso]

Originally Posted by Lego

Externals are definitely better than any internals so if you've got the cash then go for it

I'd also recommend Eheim's. They're reliable and do the job well I run an Eheim Professional II 2028 on my 240 litre tank and it's spot on so that would be perfect for your tank. If you've got more money then you could chuck it at a wet/dry fancy ass effort thing (but I'm not posh enough to own one of those so can't advise lol)

yea just looking now, looks like it will be around 120 for a 250l capacity, 50 more than i need, that enougth ? you think il need a bubler for the oxygen levels ?

[Lego]

Originally Posted by cardoso

yea just looking now, looks like it will be around 120 for a 250l capacity, 50 more than i need, that enougth ? you think il need a bubler for the oxygen levels ?

Which one are you looking at?

Overfiltering is definitely the way to go

And no, it's highly unlikely you'll need a bubbler. Providing you buy the right sized filter for your tank and position the output in the right place then you should get a decent surface ripple

[Sega]

Ive got two Ehiem pros running side by side on my tank, they are pretty dam good at what they do, If I have to delay weekly matainence they still manage to keep the water perfect. They are really exspensive new so I do recomend looking for decent second hand ones.

[cardoso]

Originally Posted by Lego

Which one are you looking at?

Overfiltering is definitely the way to go

And no, it's highly unlikely you'll need a bubbler. Providing you buy the right sized filter for your tank and position the output in the right place then you should get a decent surface ripple

the Eheim 2071 Professional 3 250 Filter at the moment, the one up is nearly double, im not posh enougth for a wet n dry either lol shame tho.

[jenky]

the thing is, internals are a bit of sponge thats it, they have very little surface area for bacteria to grow. the more surface area you have the more bacteria can live there. you need as much as you can provide to do the job properly.

externals have a huge amount of space, normally they contain 4x as much sponge as an internal in one layer, then you normaly have 1 or 2 extra trays to fill with another type of filter media, bio balls or what ever with have a huge amount of surface area compaird to you tiny bit of sponge in your internal filter.

if you have the money then i would get a new ehime, you know were you are with an ehime. there alittle more expencive to do the same job as a cheaper one but you can trust the build quality and you will have the warrenty should it fail.

i would recomend you keep the internal as well. if one filter should fail the other will keep you going till you can sort it.

you do not have to have the bubbles coming from the filter, just lift the filter so the water outlet brakes the surface of the water. its the movement on the surface that gets 02 into the water not the bubbles them selves. its when the brake on the surface that it dose the job. (each bubble also increases the surafce area of the surface area of the water to allow more oxygen exchange.

just about every extranl i know of is suppyed with a spray bar, this sprays the water coming from the filter out thew lots of small holes along the pipe so you get more water movement if its just out or in the water.

a new ehime will be around £90 ish for a sutable size for your tank maybe alittle less or more. you can go all fancy with built in heaters, or wet dry filters but you dont need them unless you have money to burn.

a secondhand filter will be around £45 but you have more chance of leaky seals or worn noisy impellers if you dont know what your looking for.

a small trick i have is to as the lfs if they have any old, or damaged stock that is still 100% working but they wouldent put on the shelves. i got my last 2 externals for 1/4 of the price of a new one because they had a crack in the the plastic leg which the filter stands on. totally comsetic and made no difference to the filter at all.

were are you located?

[jenky]

lol so much has been posted since i started to type my last post!

the link you posted would be a really really good filter expencive but good.

i never clean my filters till the flow rate slows enough for me to see. i have filters running i havent touched for months. evry time you clean a filter dont go mad!
youll kill the bacteria you need to keep it working.; always use tank water to clean the filter (never tap!).

on externals i only ever change the polly pad, rinse out the sponge. i leave the other trays of media alone.