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View Full Version : Fresh Water Aquarium - Filter Choices



Dennis Peacock
07-04-2016, 8:55 AM
Wow!!! I've been running fresh water aquariums off and on for several years now. I still can't figure out what's the best filtration without having to buy so much stuff. I also recently read where having gravel for the bottom medium was not good but to use something like sand. Is that true?
Also, educate me on sump filtration. Some say it is the best way to filter aquarium water. I'd like to get rid of the HOB filters on the backs of both 55 gal tanks. I run a power head sponge filter in both tanks and a HOB filter on both tanks. The tank in the great room I am also running an Eheim canister filter.

I'm considering DIY projects to improve my tanks and to do away with as much "buying more filters" as I can.
What are your experiences?
Do you run a wet/dry or sump filter? Why/Why not?

George Bokros
07-04-2016, 9:16 AM
I used to have some aquariums and my son has one now. I do not think that just using the under gravel filter is adequate. I always used a HOB filter in addition to an under gravel filter. My son uses an under gravel and a on the floor (guess that is what you are calling a sump filter). He changes 1/3 of his water every week and his tank is always crystal clear. I do not believe in using sand instead of gravel. Sand is a good filtering medium, home sewage systems using a septic a tank and a filter bed use a combination of gravel and sand.

If it were me I would use an under gravel filter and a sump filter with what ever medium the filter mfg recommends.

I am not an expert so this is just my experience and opinion.

Bruce Page
07-04-2016, 1:24 PM
I have had a tank of one size or another since I was 16, I currently have a 110 gallon tank. I run two Fluval 406 canister filters (overkill) and a Sun 13 watt in-tank UV sterilizer. I service the filters every 3-4 months. The water stays crystal clear thanks in large part to the UV sterilizer.
I used a sand bed when I experimented with a salt water tank years ago. I went back to polished gravel for freshwater. I have not used a sump filter.

Brian Henderson
07-04-2016, 1:30 PM
I've spent more time doing salt water, where filtration is much more involved, but I can give you my input. You do need an under-gravel filter and you don't want to use fine sand in a fresh water setting because it can clog the filter plates. I always thought that thicker material provided a better growth bed for beneficial bacteria to break down waste. Running powerheads on the uplift tubes is a good idea, it provides a superior throughput. That said though, just using an under-gravel filter is not going to be enough for a 55 gallon tank, I wouldn't recommend it for anything bigger than a 10 gallon tank. You are going to need some kind of external filtration, either a large HOB filter or a sump system. The sump is superior because it provides more area for filtration to take place, but it requires that you have space under the main tank for another tank. For fresh water, and this is also dependent on your bio-load, you don't need nearly the same size sump as a salt-water tank, so with a moderate load, you can probably get away with a 10-15 gallon sump. They can effectively filter ammonia, nitrite and even nitrates out of the water, to aerate the water, as well as being a place to put your tank heaters, etc. There are plenty of websites out there explaining how to set up a sump, assuming you have room, and I'd recommend that as the best way to deal with filtration. I came across this site (http://www.oscarfishlover.com/aquarium-sump-filters), although there are many. many. many more.

Brian Henderson
07-04-2016, 1:32 PM
I used a sand bed when I experimented with a salt water tank years ago.

Salt tanks are entirely different animals, freshwater tends to use bacterial filtration while salt tanks tend to use some bigger critters that need to actually move through the sand. There is more surface area overall with sand, but better water flow through gravel.

Phil Mueller
07-04-2016, 11:02 PM
I've used a Filstar XP canister on my 55 gal tank for about 10 years now. No under gravel filter. Water changes every 4-6 weeks, clean the filter every 3 months. I do use a Python hose system and vacuum the gravel when I do the water changes.

Water test results are always well within a healthy range.

Never regretted going to the canister after years of HOB filters.

I don't have any experience with sump systems.

George Bokros
07-05-2016, 7:43 AM
My son uses an under gravel and a on the floor (guess that is what you are calling a sump filter). He changes 1/3 of his water every week and his tank is always crystal clear.

Guess what my son uses is not a sump system from what has been described. He does have some sort of filter that sits on the floor. Guess it is some sort of a canister system.

Chris Padilla
07-05-2016, 1:35 PM
I like this guy: http://advancedaquariumconcepts.com/

Good, practical stuff and he isn't afraid to give you his opinion. No ads.

I have a 29 gallon tank with UGF and powerheads (what I learned to use in the late 80s/early 90s) so I'm quite antiquated! :)

Brett Luna
07-05-2016, 2:29 PM
Wow!!! I've been running fresh water aquariums off and on for several years now. I still can't figure out what's the best filtration without having to buy so much stuff. I also recently read where having gravel for the bottom medium was not good but to use something like sand. Is that true?
Also, educate me on sump filtration. Some say it is the best way to filter aquarium water. I'd like to get rid of the HOB filters on the backs of both 55 gal tanks. I run a power head sponge filter in both tanks and a HOB filter on both tanks. The tank in the great room I am also running an Eheim canister filter.

I'm considering DIY projects to improve my tanks and to do away with as much "buying more filters" as I can.
What are your experiences?
Do you run a wet/dry or sump filter? Why/Why not?

I don't keep tanks any more but I've run both salt and fresh tanks. After I retired from the USAF, I even did a short stint in an aquarium shop as a 'fun job', running their saltwater section. Unless you've got a complex setup, I think it's hard to beat an appropriately sized Eheim canister. If you wanted to go the extra step, you could setup a second for bio filtration only. My last tank was a 90-gallon planted tank with assorted rainbowfishes, mostly Melanotaenia spp.:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/PetersCreek/Misc/M.jpg
Melanotaenia lacustris


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v283/PetersCreek/Misc/M_trifasciata_640x320.jpg
Melanotaenia trifasciata (var. Goyder River)

Filtration was, first and foremost, lots of plants followed by a large Eheim canister with pads, carbon, and bio media, along with DIY CO2 injection system, and VHO lighting.

An external wet/dry sump can be worthwhile but requires extra care is required/advised (siphon breaks, float switches, etc.) to prevent accidents.


Salt tanks are entirely different animals, freshwater tends to use bacterial filtration while salt tanks tend to use some bigger critters that need to actually move through the sand. There is more surface area overall with sand, but better water flow through gravel.

You're right that microfauna are beneficial to the health of a live sand bed but the same kinds of bacteria found in FW systems (Nitrobacter spp., Nitrosomonas spp., et al) are just as important to SW tanks, if not more so. SW fish-only tanks with decorative substrates are often filtered simply, with an HOB or external wet or wet/dry bio filter. My last reef setup utilized live rock and and several inches of live sand (no plenum) as well as a sump containing additional bio media.

Dennis Peacock
07-05-2016, 3:58 PM
My main living space tank, 55 gallon, is running both of these + a powerhead powered sponge filter. I am not running any type of under-gravel filter.

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The 55 gallon tank I have in our sun room is only running the same dual filter HOB filter + the powerhead powered sponge filter (like the one in the other 55 gallon tank).
I mainly have Red Tux Platties and Neon Tetra's as many of my other fish have aged and died.
I've experienced filtration issues before and I feel more confident with my canister filter than simply relying on HOB filters. I am planning on building a canister filter for my sun room tank and maybe an additional one for the main living space. I'd like to put more various fish in my tanks but I feel as though I don't have enough filtration in either. I do have live plants in both tanks and the plants seem to do really well.

Biff Phillips
07-06-2016, 4:13 PM
Wow!!! I've been running fresh water aquariums off and on for several years now. I still can't figure out what's the best filtration without having to buy so much stuff. I also recently read where having gravel for the bottom medium was not good but to use something like sand. Is that true?
Also, educate me on sump filtration. Some say it is the best way to filter aquarium water. I'd like to get rid of the HOB filters on the backs of both 55 gal tanks. I run a power head sponge filter in both tanks and a HOB filter on both tanks. The tank in the great room I am also running an Eheim canister filter.

I'm considering DIY projects to improve my tanks and to do away with as much "buying more filters" as I can.
What are your experiences?
Do you run a wet/dry or sump filter? Why/Why not?

I have done just about every filter possible. I have about 50 aquariums running in my house.
It all depends on what you want to do.
Is it a show tank, medium size (125 gallons or less)? Then probably a canister filter is best, although you can wet/dry
Large tanks (over 125), it becomes more worthwhile to do a wet/dry filter, but you can still use a canister.
If it is just a utility tank for breeding fish, I use a simple sponge filter.

This is just my opinion, but I hate sand on the bottom. Gravel is easier to keep clean and maintain. Gravel doesn't get sucked up into the syphon. Sand can get into your filters and potentially damage the impeller when the bottom is stirred up. If you have a thick layer of sand, you get get anaerobic bacteria action under it, so you need to either stir it up about 1/week or make the sand layer thin. Unless it's a fish that really needs sand, I think gravel is better.

I see you have two 55 gallons. I would just put an ehiem on each one and be done with it. You can do a wet/dry if you want, however, most 55 gallons are made of tempered glass. This means you can't drill the tanks, which makes wet/dry filter set up more difficult but not impossible.

There's no need to have multiple filters on the same tank. People think they are helping their fish by doing that, but they aren't. A properly sized filter which is maintained is all you need.

There's a forum called "monster fish keepers" that has an entire forum of DIY projects.

Edit: everything I have said applies to freshwater only. Also, with your last name, I hope you keep Peacocks in one of the tanks :)

Brett Luna
07-06-2016, 5:11 PM
[...] however, most 55 gallons are made of tempered glass. This means you can't drill the tanks, which makes wet/dry filter set up more difficult but not impossible.

Just to expand a bit on Biff's good advice...I heard dire warnings about tempered glass aquariums for many years but in my experience its use is probably not nearly as common as a lot of folks believe but it does vary a lot among manufacturers and models. I've had a few tanks successfully drilled for standpipes and for use as sumps. It's pretty commonly used for aquarium bottoms while the sides may be standard glass but as Biff notes, a lot of 55s are all tempered. My understanding is that all bow front panels are tempered as well.

A tempered panelshould be marked as such in one or more corners. You can checked unmarked glass with a polarizer and look for banding that's more pronounced at a steeper viewing angle. Looking at a smart phone or tablet screen held to the other side of the panel makes the bands even more prominent.

Marc Burt
07-08-2016, 9:27 PM
Interesting thread. I've been into reef keeping for over a decade but sold out when I moved last year. My little girl was 2 at the time and the tank required more maintenance than I had time for. (Still true) I have been thinking about getting a freshwater tank...but it sure is a slippery slope.