[fireman02360]

Hello,

New to the forum but not new to African Cichlids. I wwould consider myself a novice. I currently have a 45 gallon Marineland tank but want to upgrade to a 75 to give my 6 fish a bit more room. I am having a hard time deciding on a filter for the tank but leaning towards a OASE BioMaster Thermo with built in heater. My questions are:

1) Does anyone have experience with these filters, the Oase Biomaster? I have heard good stuff. I have always have had Fluval filter's (U4s) so this will be my first canister. My other options would be a FX4, but like the idea of having the heater built into the filter and the abilty to remove the pre-filter with opening the lid of the canister every time, the OASE has both these options but open to suggestions
2) Is the 300 watt heater that comes with the Oase 600 enough wattage to heat a 75 gallon tank?
3) I want to go will an all glass tank and looking at the Marineland 75 HD with stand for $399. Good choice?? I currently have the ML 45 gallon HD and its super-clear and the black silicone hides any algae vs. clear silicone. I am very happy with the ML 45, but as always, I am open to suggestions.

Thanks for any responses.

Fireman

 

[DJRansome]

IDK anything about that brand, but you can get in line heaters without buying this.

I have not had good luck with the Marineland brand. I would go Aqueon.

Better to see the algae so you can remove it?

 

[Auballagh]

An on-line 'deep dive' look into your canister filter makes for some interesting reading.
For one, these German made canister filters are NOT cheap.
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And for another, OASE North America is a relatively new company that has no affiliation with Marineland (sketchy) or any of the other 'giants' of the aquarium industry.
- The OASE Biomaster Thermo 600 you are interested in, is rated at 350GPH. And has a pretty large capacity for filter media. This canister filter should have plenty of biological capacity to service a heavily stocked, Mbuna-themed 75 gallon aquarium, with no problems. For redundancy, I personally would still keep a second - established - filter, running in the aquarium.
- If you're really committed to this thing, I would definitely purchase the 'Thermo' model with the integrated heater. 300 watts is a good sized heater for a 75 gallon tank. Placing the electric heater in-line with the flow of the water around it (External or Internal design) will enhance heating efficiency a LOT.
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On paper.... this looks like a very good canister filter. Those engineering specs and published design characteristics are just one side of the story, however. So, if this product comes with a decent warranty and even accessible 'technical support'? It might be worth taking a 'flyer' on it, and seeing just how good it actually is.