Loaches Online Forum

So, can anyone weigh in for an 80 gallon tank regarding which is best - canister or HOB?

I'd really like to benefit from the Black Friday sales on DrsFosterSmith.com. My little loach family is doing super good... the biggest is almost 3 inches now & it's time for my to upgrade my tank.

I have the tank & stand & sand & décor, but need filtration & a heating source.

Any advice would be very much appreciated, but HURRY if you can... sale ends tomorrow 12/2!

Thanks,
Amanda

I have an eheim 2217 and an aquaclear 110 on my 75gal, plus a powerhead with sponge pre-filter. Just right for me.

I have two Aquaclear 110 HOBs on my 65-gallon, and I much prefer them to any other filter. The larger ones can be a little noisy, but they're great for being able to clean easily and for the flow control valve that lets you adjust the current. I can live with a little noise, and I like the waterfalls. They're great filters.

One recommendation: Unless you are removing medications from your tank, discard the carbon and add another mesh bag of biomax beads to your Aquaclear, if you get one. The nice thing is, you can interchange media easily, and the extra biomax will provide more surface for beneficial bacteria to grow.

Carbon is chemical filtration, and really only useful for removing chemicals from the tank.

From what I've read about cannister filters, they can be a hassle to work with.

canisters are fantastic. HOBs have nothing on the amount of media you can use compared to how much media you have in a canister. they are very simple to set up and run. one hose is for the water going in, the other is for the water going out. i run two canisters on my hillstream tank, Rena Filstar XP-m and XP-L. i love them. they are filled with mostly bio-media (api chemstars and ceramic rings)the XP-L i use for the river bed because it is rated for a 175g tank, and the XP-M i use for circulation around the tank.

personally i am switching all of my tanks to a canister. they are far more customizable when it comes to the type of filter media you want to use. you can a canister with say only bio filtration, or mechinal and bio. where as with some HOBs you are limited, because of the design, to only doing the bio, chemical and mechanicle.

heaters are nice for maintaining a temp above room temp, but personally i only run a heater on one tank, and i have never run into a issue.

So, I sort of chickened out on getting the canister style filter. So, I opted for 2, Aqueon 55/75 HOBs that cycle 400gph, each. Not only do canister filters seem very intimidating to me but my fish really love to swim in their waterfall. We call it a "slide" & really enjoy the soothing sounds from it. Hopefully, it was a good decision?

I also picked up an Aqueon Pro 250 watt heater. According to the charts a 200 watt would have been big enough for a 75 gallon, but since the 250 was the same price I opted for a slighly bigger one. It can get pretty cold where we live & although we have the house climate controlled 24/7, it doesn't make sense to overwork & risk burning a heater out. Again, hopefully, it was the right decision!?

So, I think we're good to go now. I'd like to look more into power heads, too, eventually.

there is no wrong way to do it. do what you are comfortable with. canisters scared me when i first started looking at them, but after keeping fish for a year i felt like i was ready to try out a canister, it was a little confusing at first, now they are very simple.

like i said, there is no wrong way.

Thanks, Will! That makes me feel much better! I'll have to take a photo once we have it all up & going & the fish have settled in =)

yes! please do!

I posted several pics of the fish & the tanks on this thread: http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... 46#p200393