55 Gallon filtration??? new setup

[dough041]

I'm new to this forum and haven't had a setup in alot of years (only had a 20 gal about 25 years ago..). I was wondering what the best filtration setup for a 55 gallon freshwater tank would be? Thought maybe some type of canister and a hang on the back possibly a bio wheel? Any and all suggestions to an inexperienced newbie? Thanks in advance for the help.
Joe

 

[TropicalNorth]

It depends on what type of fish you want to keep and how many. That being said I have an AquaClear 110/500 on my heavily stocked 50G Rainbowfish tank and I'm really happy with it.

Cheap, reliable, you can clean out the filter media without turning it off, handles the constant power outtages I get, you can play around with the filter media to suit your needs and the water is crystal clear. Again it depends on the fish and the bioload.

 

[dough041]

Thanx for the reply... New to this, so I guess I'll have to fugure out what fish have the nicest colors etc ( freshwater). Any suggestions?

 

[plah831]

My "rule of thumb" for filtration is to strive for 10x tank volume filtered per hour. So you can go with one large canister rated at about 500 gallons per hour, or a combination of filters (canister and HOB) that are each about 250 gph. Filtration rate is usually for the filter without any media in it, so is reduced by the addition of media. Still, with a 10x tank volume per hour rating, it should still circulate your water 5-7 times an hour.

Aquaclear is a great brand, as per TropicalNorth's suggestion. Most people find they are inexpensive, as well as reliable and perform for years. For a canister, I was looking into the Rena Filstar line myself. They are inexpensive as far as canisters go, and seem to work quite well. The Rena XP3 has three media slots, so you have a lot of flexibility as far as what you want to use in it. The Magnum 350 Pro canister is a canister filter WITH a Bio Wheel, so also looks interesting to me. It's also not very expensive (less than $100). The choices are almost endless, though, and I wish I had the money to try them all!

 

[SirWired]

I'm new to this forum and haven't had a setup in alot of years (only had a 20 gal about 25 years ago..). I was wondering what the best filtration setup for a 55 gallon freshwater tank would be? Thought maybe some type of canister and a hang on the back possibly a bio wheel? Any and all suggestions to an inexperienced newbie? Thanks in advance for the help.
Joe

In my 38g, I have a Rena Filstar XP2 with foam, floss, and Bio-Stars providing "main" filtration, and then a 40g-rated sponge filter tucked in a corner behind a plant providing "backup" filtration (mostly biological, some mechanical).

The big advantage of having a sponge as a backup filter is it can be transferred to any tank, no matter the fish, because it is so gentle, yet so effective (for biofiltration anyway). Since I wanted to have an air pump anyway, it was only an additional $8 to add to my setup over what I already had purchased. Can't beat the price, and it pretty much never needs media. If I ever needed to replace the sponge (say, because I used it in a QT tank that got infected), it is only $4 for a new sponge + some bleach for the frame and lift tube.

SirWired

 

[Mudfrog]

Definitely the Aquaclear 110, I use this on my 55 BW tank and it keeps the tank nice and clear. Not to mention it can be had for around $35 online.

 

[Hound]

I would recommend either an aquaclear filter or a cannister in your case. On my 50g I use a fluval 404, but I have noticed the prices on the 405 models seem way higher now. I've never had any problems with the cannister filter and setting it up wasn't as hard as I've heard. Right now value wise the renna filters do seem to be a better buy though. All that being said and AC 70 or AC 110 should both be able to handle a community type 55g tank. If you decide to go with fish that are known to be messy however you may want to consider going with 2 filters. Maybe a renna xp-2 and a AC 50 / 70.

 

[coupedefleur]

Here's an interesting filtration article by the Angels Plus guy:
http://www.angelsplus.com/A-filtration.htm

 

[SirWired]

I'm new to this forum and haven't had a setup in alot of years (only had a 20 gal about 25 years ago..). I was wondering what the best filtration setup for a 55 gallon freshwater tank would be? Thought maybe some type of canister and a hang on the back possibly a bio wheel? Any and all suggestions to an inexperienced newbie? Thanks in advance for the help.
Joe

On my 38g I run a XP2 canister and a 40g-rated sponge filter hidden behind a fake plant. The XP2 is a really great "main" filter, and the sponge is a great backup. The advantages of running a sponge instead of another power filter as your second filter:

1) Cheap: If you already have an air pump for decorative reasons, a sponge filter is $8.
2) Effective: Provides quite a bit of biofiltration. Maybe a little bit of mechanical, but fish don't care about mechanical anyway.
3) Can be used with ANY fish. Sponge filters are gentle enough to use with sick fish, baby fish, and fish that don't like current, like Bettas. Really nice for a hospital tank.
4) Great for QT tanks. If the tank gets "infected", all you have to do is soak the frame in some bleach and replace a $3 sponge.

I wouldn't use a sponge as a primary, mainly because it can never accept carbon, and isn't very good for water "polishing", but as a second filter, it is great.

SirWired

 

[BowMaster]

I'll recommend a PennPlax Cascade 1000, available online for $60 or so. I have a 1200 on my 72g, planted community. couldn't be happier. This filter is not affected by power outages, it is super easy to clean, very quite, and if everything is normal in your tank, you might have to clean it every 3-6 months. What ever canister filter you go with, I strongly recommend Seachem Matrix biomedia. It has an incredable surface area to house the bacteria for your biofilter.

Lyle