Two E400s on a 59 gallon tank?

R

rdmpe

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May 4, 2003
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I have a tank tank with an E400. It has recently become heavily planted, w/co2 etc. and I want to go to a canister filter on it to reduce surface agitation and co2 loss.

I'm setting up a 50 gallon (4 ft long) malawi cichlid tank, and would have two E400s available to use on it. There will be a large amount of limestone rock in the tank, so the current will be broken up quite a bit and there will be plenty of hiding places, caves, etc.

Two E400s would fit perfectly on the back of this tank. Would it be a bad idea?
 
Filtration is something that can be debated. I have a 70 gallon tank with one Emperor 400 and a Eheim 2213 cannister filter, they give me great flow and the water is crystal clear, so in my opinion two Emperor 400's would be just fine. I have heard it expressed on more than one occasion usually by LFS's that HOB Bio filters such as the Emperor 400 are junk and shouldn't be used, however I don't share that opinion mine is doing a fine job. I will say though that when I put the Eheim cannister on it did clear up my tank considerably, this is probably due more to the fact that I added filtration.... period. I don't really know how much difference the Eheim made as I'm no expert to say the least.
 
HOB vs. Canister

I don't overcrowd my tanks so the quality of the filtration has never been much of an issue. I can do just as well with an air-driven sponge if the worse came to the worse. The fish may not even notice. Having said that, each has its own pros and cons.

I own three canisters (all are about 3-6 years old): Eheim, Fluval, and Rennaissance. Their advantage is the large amount of media they can hold. Compare the amount of carbon that even a small canister will hold, with that of even the most luxurious power filter and you get the idea. Generally, they can perform the same job with a lower rate of flow because there is no water bypass. Every bit of water (Rennaissance and Fluval might have a very small bypass due to their media containers inside the canister) that goes through must pass throught the media. You can also put a UV sterilizer on the return hose. I have heard of people attaching a bio-wheel on the return hose to increase bio-filtration. You can purchase carbon, floss, etc. in bulk (roll your own) to save money. I am no longer particular about filtration and do not anticipate purchasing a canister filter in the near future.


A HOB filter is hassle-free, and simple to use. No need to cut hoses and use those suction cups to attach tubes in and out of the tank. I have no doubt that an Emperor with bio-wheel will outdo my canister in terms of biofiltration. I recommend HOB for most people. The disadvantage is that most designs allow the water to bypass the filter media (this is necessary just in case you forget to change your clogged media, but wish to avoid dumping the water outside the tank). Also, some filter media cartridges are quite expensive.
 
the reason LFSs dont recommend the use of HOBs is because for instance emp400, is cheaper than say fluval 204, which can be used on the same size tank i think, but the reason is the fluval costs moire than the emperor and thus they recommend a more expensive type of filter to jsut get as much money outta u as they can.

the emp 400 is a great filter i have used them b4 but i just prefer canisters, i mean i use a HOBs and they are great esp aquaclears and emperors.

it jsut depends on your application/tank and how u prefer you filtration.

CLOUD-9 => on the topic of canister and biowheels, me and my brother both have 55g and bothgof us have fluval 304 and biowheel pro60s inline with them, i also have a generic HOB filter on there cause of my increased bioload. as you will see in my signature.
 
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probab;ly would be a better question for equipment but hey if this is where you spend all your time like i do then here it goes, lol.

there would probably be better help in equipment tho.
 
Canister and Biowheel

Tightdog1,

That's a lot of bioload in a 55 g. I share your liking for the biowheel pros. I have the smaller biowheel pro 30 running on the included powerhead. It's the only filtration in a 20 gallon tank.
 
yea i know its not just a lot its a HUGE bioload and my tanks is starting to get worse and i cant find a place for them, its starting to suck big time! mostly casue of those pacus i was told were silver dollars when i was an inexperienced fish keeper.
 
BioLoad

Tightdog1,

Why not find a new home for those Pacus?

I have a question for you. What is the minimum size tank needed to keep a 15-18" fish healthy? Assuming that it is the only fish in the tank and that the owner is willing to do partial water changes every other day.
 
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