Clown's & Filteration

[capeldrae]

I could get my hands on a 6'x2'x2' tank holding 150 gallons of water, and therefore able to keep clown loaches, if I connected a river tank manifold, powered by three aquaclear 802 powerheads to three aquaclear quick filters, what filteration would I need.
Make and model would be appriciated?
This offer has come a little to quick, but it's an offer I can't refuse, so I hav'ent been able to research to much so your information will be much appreciated.

[shari2]

Hi Brian,

You could see here:
http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... highlight=

kff is setting up a smaller river type tank than yours would be, but the general idea is the same. I'm sure the 'collective' will chime in with more specifics for your size set up.

[Emma Turner]

Hi Brian,

I would go for 2 Eheim Prof II 2028 external cannisters in addition to the powerheads on that tank. Two filters are always better than one as you don't have to disturb all the beneficial bacteria all at once, if you clean them on a rota basis. The Eheims tend to be more expensive but are worth it IMO. Alternatively, you could opt for 2 Rena XP3's.

Emma

[Martin Thoene]

What she said (Emma).

I have two XP3s on my 125 in addition to two powerheads on the manifold, one of which is an Aquaclear 802 nee 70. Also, there's an Aquaclear 500 hang on the back filter but I don't believe you can get them in Scotland.

Martin.

[Rocco]

Do you guys have access to Rio powerheads over where you are?

I've found these to be perfect for river manifolds as they have connectors for PVC pipes both 3/4" and 1" diameter.

They even have directional flow control and come in normal and hyperflow variations.

[Tinman]

If it is not rude and really a mis-direct may we speak of Turbelles and the new massive flow pumps. They have a 20 watt that really moves water. I know several are using them but I do not remember which models.
Pleez ,describe your experiance and is the 6080 too much finally???

I am so close to buying a pump but do not know which model for sure. I want to remove the sponges on power heads from my tanks to reduce holding by product like uneaten food in my high flow system and these style pumps really intriuge me for this reason plus the high flow. This is for my loaches obviously hence the question on this thread.

[Emma Turner]

If it is not rude and really a mis-direct may we speak of Turbelles and the new massive flow pumps. They have a 20 watt that really moves water. I know several are using them but I do not remember which models.
Pleez ,describe your experiance and is the 6080 too much finally???

Hi Tinman,

I'm sure Brian won't mind you asking this question on his thread , it's all relevant stuff.

With regards to the Tunze Turbelle Stream pumps, they really are 'beasts'. Our clown loach aquarium (1000 litres) has a Tunze Turbelle Stream 6100 pump which is immensely powerful - it pushes 12000 litres per hour. (And for anyone who hasn't heard all this before, the tank itself is filtered by 2 x Eheim Professionel 3's, rated at approx 1200 litres each, plus an Eheim Pro II 2028, rated for approx 600 litres. Added to this are 2 x 1600 litre per hour Aquaclear powerheads and the Tunze which all add up to a very decent amount of water movement) - the fish love it. We are actually thinking of doing away with the 2 old Aquaclears and saving up for another TTS to go on the other end of the tank. Where clown loaches are concerned, you cannot really have too much flow/filtration for them.

The only downsides I can tell you about are (1) they are pretty expensive (2) they are not suitable for tanks with tiny or slow-moving fish as they will get drawn onto/into the impellor cage and (3) if you have plants in the tank, the powerful flow can push them about so much that leaves tend to break off (even off of Java fern motherplants!) and get drawn onto the impellor cage, which if left to mount up substantially will result in a decrease in flow. At the moment, I have to de-leaf mine every couple of days, however this will change when we make the switch over to the dreaded plastic plants. The clowns have simply got to the size where they trash anything that is green and leafy, and they are aided by their partners in crime, the Filamentosus barbs....

Hope this helps,

Emma

[Emma Turner]

Oh and I should mention that the Tunze Turbelle Stream pump we have is mounted onto the RH glass with one of their specially designed magnetic holders (which as you might guess is also rather pricey ). An alarm also sounds if the water level drops below the motor for whatever reason (water changes etc) and it can be easily slid down the glass slightly on it's holder and back up again when the water level is higher. The whole unit can be moved from side to side when in the mounting bracket too, which means you can vary the flow direction slightly from day to day if you so wish.

Emma

[Botia Robert]

Hi Capeldrae, Go for it! I will be setting up this arrangment soon (6x2x2, plus triple Aqua Clear 802 river manifold). Im planning on using 2x Fluval 405 filtration plus AquaClear 500 Hang on. This gives me about 6.5 times filtration (By my calculations). I hope this is enough for Clowns!
Have you thought what you are going to put in with your clowns?

[chefkeith]

About a month ago, I picked a Hydor Koralia pump for my river tank. I'm very happy with it so far. The pump is rated for 850gph, uses 10 watts, and only cost me $45. I'll probably get another one the the next time I'm at my LFS.

http://www.hydor.it/inglese/koralia.htm
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=15955

[Tinman]

I was thinking the 6080 was a monster but that 6100 is 3 times more. That is a great answer. Thank You. These numbers truly are staggering. I am concerned with the point you raise about smaller fish along with this pump. What in your opinion would be the smallest fish safe in an aqaurium with a 6100. I know my large clowns and Tin Foils will be fine in my large tank but that kind of flow will be too dangerous for 1"-2" loaches in my 150 I am thinking. I need two really so I may get a 6100 for the 7' tank and a 6080 for my 150 as my flow is already 30-40 gallons a minute in that small one. Please tell me your opinions

[Emma Turner]

I hesitate to recommend anything for definite as you never know what may happen in other situations, but I wouldn't trust this pump with clown loaches smaller than 2.5" TL.

LES.. (wherever he is at the moment), raised a valid point about these pumps with different species though. For example, with hillstream loaches, they have a much larger surface area on their underside and once dragged against the impellor cage, would surely have difficulty getting off of it again and could perish. This is the reason why when he plumbed his river tank with the Tunze Turbelle Streams, he effectively used them in reverse so that the pumps were in a chamber to the side of the main tank and he uses them to push the water out of large bore pvc pipework into the main tank.

I have a big shoal of Puntius filamentosus in the clown tank, and these handle the flow and pull no problem. They must range in size from 4" up to about 7.5 - 8".

Emma

[Tinman]

Yes Thank You. I do see places where my smaller fish struggle and could be swept up hence the question and my original inquiry. Thank You. My issue is to remove the pre filter from inside my tank but that issue is not typical of most. That is the reason for my intrest on these style pumps......