[conor]

Hi folks. I have a 190 litre (50 US gallon) Fluval/Hagen Venezia corner bowfront tank. This came supplied with a Fluval 205 cannister. I am making the switch to Tanganyikan cichlids imminently and have starting reassessing my filter's capabilities.

I keep reading that manufacturers' ratings are never enough and this has got me thinking I will need a bigger filter, especially given the number of rockwork now in the tank where dirt is likely to gather. I am reluctant to run two filters due to the extra pipework that would go in the tank.

I have been thinking about getting the Fluval 405 to ensure top notch filtration. Would this be overkill or produce too much current?

if you are not familiar with the Venezia tank, the intake/outlets are plumbed in through the bottom where the tank is drilled. With this in mind, am I right in saying that the fitting for the fluval 405 would fit my hoses from the 205 (which they would need to to fit my set-up)?

Sorry for the long post.

 

[AquaTester55]

Any filter I always say that the actual flow is only 70% of the documented flow. EHiem seems to have a better documented flow closer to actual. Depending on how many fish you will have, the 405 may not have enough flow. The 405 at best would be just under 200 gph probubly. Although the 405 would probubly fit right in without an issue.

Ehiem 2260 - 396 GPH Documented (Intake 1" output 5/8")
http://www.aquariumguys.com/eheimcanister1.html
Rena Xp3 - 350 GPH Documented - Very Small filtering surface area though.

Not sure of those will work for the tank....Never seen it first hand.

 

[conor]

Cheers. Is it fair to say that my current filter is not up to the task then?

Do you know if Fluval hoses/fittings are all the same size in the 05 range? It's just that if I go with another brand such as Eheim I'll have to empty the tank and seal the drilled intake/outlet pipes.

 

[conor]

The Fluval 405 is rated for tanks twice as large as mine. Surely this would do the job :-?

Failing that, the next step up is the FX5, which has to be massive overkill and would turn my tank into river rapids? (Having said that, the Eheim 2260 looks equally huge).

 

[Jerseyfish]

I have a 405 that keeps my 72g bowfront super clean, and my girfriend uses a 304 on her 55g and that looks really good to. I would say the 205 is to little for the tank, but a 304/404 or 305/405 would get the job done, although I can't say wether the 405 would be overkill (I often wonder how much is too much). Personally I like the 405 because of the extra two media slots over the 305.

The biggest issue you might encounter would be that the tubing isn't the same size between models. If you have a pet store or lfs around, maybe see if you can't pop open a box there and double check.

Aquatester, how would you figure a 405 would only have 200gph? its rated for 340, so even if its only 70% like you say, thats nearly 240, which would turn over a 50g almost five times an hour.

 

[conor]

Thanks Jerseyfish. I would be surprised if the 05 models all had different diameters of hosing/fittings. Surely a degree of uniformity makes sense to them from a manufacturing point of view? I will check when next at LFS. If they are not the same size, then I will need to drain the tank and close the drilled inlets/outlets (easily done with the supplied screwcaps). I would then consider other options such as Eheim.

I thought the 405 would fit the bill. I wouldn't be stocking heavily with the tangs and do weekly 30-ish% water changes. Only worry would be flow rate being too much for the tangs.

 

[conor]

I've just read on another thread that typical cichlid tanks require a turnover of 10x per hour. Isn't this overdoing it somewhat. Does this mean I should go for something far more powerful than the 405 for my (future) tangs?

 

[Jerseyfish]

I'm no expert on cichlids, or anything aquarium related. I just speak from personal experiance with the tanks I've dealt with and what seems to work. I've seen people who say you just need to turnover 3x/hr, and i've seen people say 12x/hr. I suppose it depends on you fish. The messier the fish, the more work the filter will need to do. At 340gph, the 405 will give you almost 7x/hr turnover.

Also, the tubing for the 305/405 is larger then the 105/205

http://www.fluvalparts.com/servlet/the-88/20014/Detail
http://www.fluvalparts.com/servlet/the-87/20015/Detail

Seems to be a 2.7mm difference, which I'm sure would prevent you from using the hole already in your tank.

 

[dwarfpike]

Remember most filters turn over rate is given with no media in it. Hence a 10x flow with media can drop down to anywhere down to 5-8x ... and those with adjustable flow (emperor filters for instance) can lower the flow even more. Hence an emperor 400 at 400 gph would be 10x filtration for a 40 gallon tank, but after adding media and setting the flow on low it's more like 4x.

 

[conor]

**** thats frustrating about the tubing size difference :x I was hoping I could just leave everything in place and connect the filter straight up.

This leaves me with some options then. I could get a 2nd filter, maybe another 205 and run them together. Downside - this adds more clutter inside and outside the tank.

Or I buy a shiny new 'do-it-all' filter. If I do this I would be tempted by the Eheim 'thermo' filters with the built-in heater. Could anyone tell me which one of these would be suitable for my tank (190 litres)?

Or any other suggestions??

 

[conor]

Would the Eheim 2128 pro ii thermo work or is it too much filter?

 

[conor]

Quick update about the Fluvals. While the hosing on the 305 and 405 is wider than the 105/205, the connection point to canister (they call it their Aquastop valve I think) fits all models.

So I went out and got a 405 yesterday. All I needed to do was change the canisters over. All pipework remained in situ from the 205. Nice 8)