questions about filters

[stompa]

hi lookig for peoples feed back ...... if doing a deep tank say about 700mm - 800mm deep would you use a hang on filter or a canister filter ....i like the idea of the hang on filter but never owned one so not sure if they are any good....... if i use a hang on can you get ones that will hole a good amount of filter media and glass wool above e.t.c. & handle the tank due to the depth of it.... going to use sand for base so cant put a under gravel filter in aswell...... peoples feed back on what they have succsess with would be cool...... thanks

[Kookie]

Although I have never used a HOB filter, I have had great success with canister filters. Even my old antique lol.

Reason I like them is the size, and volume of media they can hold.

The one thing that puts me off the HOB's are the sound of water falling back into the tank. Would make me want to P all the time lol.

[Wok]

for that tepth I would go for an external filter. more power and you can place the return anywhere you want.

Whereas with the HOB filter you can't place the return where you want. the closer the top of the water is to the return on the HOB the less noise you get.

[suphew]

IMO the volume of a tank big enough to be 700-800mm deep would be far to much for a HOB filter, plus as the other have said you would mostly only be filtering the top couple of hundred mm

[Caryl]

With that depth I would have an external canister plus be inclined to add an undergravel filter as well to get circulation right through the tank. You will need to add an extension to the canister uplift as you want the tube as low as possible.

[Tanksman]

Yes definitely go for two filters if you can afford it. My two cents are use a HOB to increase aeration and a canister. This way there is redundancy in case one filter breaks down or is switched off inadvertently.

[ryanjury]

I have a tank 600 x 600 x 800 (high) and I use an aqua one cf700 in it.. As far as im concerned its a good filter for the price and it does the job for the community tank that I have at the moment its pretty empty so I get away with water changes and rinsing the media every couple of weeks. I think it could quite easily cope with a larger bio load about the only bad thing about it is the filter intake doesn't reach the bottom of the tank which isn't really a biggie to me..

I think one of the main considerations is the max head height of the filter when doing a tall tank. Also I find the tall tank a pain in the bum to aquascape as im on a chair and upto my arm pits in water to touch the bottom... But it looks good when setup.

[Tanksman]

Why don't you change the inlet pipe then Ryan? I have changed the whole inlet side for larger diameter pipe and hose. It allows more water to get to the filter faster and slows the hoses blocking with slime. Lightproof hosing would be the best option as slime/ algae would be slower to buildup.

[stompa]

hi guys ..... thanks heaps for your feedback..... yes i was wondering about a HOB & a canister filter running together...... sounds like a good thing to me..... yes 800mm is a pain to get to the bottom e.t.c..... but they looks heaps better for a display tank..... im going to put 2 x 600 x 600 x 700-800mm to gether so it looks like a big 4 foot set up and then can run different fish in the 2 tanks but make it look like 1..... im a bit pushed for room (and as we all no 3 or 4 tanks are not enough)..... i was thinking of doing a sump filter for both but then i cant have discus in 1 and africans in the other for example.....thanks for the help