Filtration Question--New 75g tank

[paulmi]

I'm in the planning stage for a 75 gallons discus tank. I have read (on various websites) some conflicting information regarding proper Discus filtration needs. I have read Discus need a low water current. I have also read that carbon filtration is bad because the carbon can cause specific diseases in Discus. I have also read that hang-on bio wheel power filters such as the Emporer series by Marineland are a great choice.

Having spoken personally with experienced Discus breeders/keepers, I was told that a hang-on power filter will in fact meet the needs of my fish. I have found four filters that will work with my 75 gallons tank:

1. Emporer 400 (Marineland)
2. Penguin 350 (Marineland)
3. AquaClear 110 Power Filter (Hagen)
4. CASCADE 300 GPH POWER FILTE 6 (Penn Plax)

(all four are hang-on, bio wheel, power filters)

Problem: All four of these filters rely on a chemical cleaning stage which uses carbon.

*Are diseases caused by carbon filtration really such a worry; should I ignore what I've read abour diseases realted to carbon filtration?

Considering strength of water current:

The Emporer 400 claims to clean 400 gallons/hour (tanks up to 80 gallons)
The Penguin 350 claims to clean 350 gallons/hour (tanks up to 75 gallons)
The Aquaclear 110 claims to clean 166 gallons/hour (tanks up to 110 g)
The Cascade 300 clams to clean 300 gallons/hour (tanks up to 100 gallons)

*Would these stats mean that the Aquaclear model makes the lowest strength water current at 166 gallons/hour?

Lastly:

*Which model (from the four listed here) would you recommend I use and why?

OR

*Do you recomend I use something all together different--what exactly and why?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[benjohnson]

Hi Paulmi

I think you will find that most people here use cannister filters without a problem, along with internal filters to.

Carbon is used widely for removing meds from the water after a treatment , there are conflicting reports on its effectiveness, personally I havn't had a problem with it .

Hang on filters can be prone to blocking , and filling your front room with water from your fish tank .... whcih I don't like the sound of !!!
Personally, I think a cannister filter would be your best bet, that way you get decent filtration, and no risk of drowning your fish :-)

[Phathead6669]

I have also heard that Carbon relates to higher PH which Discus do not like. I would use it for the intial setup and filteration of new water for the first month or so.


As for the filter you have mentioned the only one I have used is the Emperor 400 which works great IMO. Eventhough it has a high L/Hr rating the way the water flows out of the filter creates very little current within the water itselfs. You also do not need to have anyting in the actual filter casing, just using the Bio-Wheels are fine. I would recommend using this as well as some sort of cannister filter.

I have 75G tank as well and currently re-doing it for Discus. Before though I was running the Emperor 400 and 2 Fluval 404 canister filters(Will only be using 1 canister with the Discus.) With a canister filter though you will want to make sure you attach a spray bar for the outlet as you already know Discus don't like much current.

[paulmi]

Thanks for both replys.

[paulmi]

Hmmm...

Sorry.

I'm not sure I'm reading the both of you correctly--

Are you suggesting that I might try using a hang-on bio wheel filter concurrently with a canister filter?

-Thanks for the input about removing carbon filtration after set up. I was wondering if I could remove the carbon insert and still have decent filtration for the fish.

Another observation I've made:

Hang-on filters are reported to help more with water aeration and make less water current, where as cannisters can claim better cleaning power.

Knowing that aeration and current, together, are probably as important as water cleanliness, if I had to choose one system over the other, which would suit discus conditions best?

Am I reading too far into this? Should I just get a filter already and shut up?

Sorry. Just want to keep my discus alive and healthy for as long as possible.

[the german]

welcome to the forum paulmi

i build a big filter in each of my tanks there are all arround 10% of the tankvolume when you have a planted tank it dont look to good but you can build along the back and cover it with something

[k9outfit]

We live in an area where power failures of even a split second or longer, are frequent. My experience has been that hang-on-back filters tend to drain themselves even with a split second power off, and not restart, leaving the fish with no filtration or agitation for possibly hours, even overnight, until I notice and restart the filter. The worst culprit, in my experience, have been the Marineland Penguin filters, next came the Whisper, and the least succeptible - though not immune to this glitch - are the Aquaclears. I have switched all my hang-on-back filters to Aquaclears on my small tanks, but for anything over 45 gallons, I only use canister filters. It is possible to set up the canister filter return to minimalize the current.

Hope that helps :)

[Phathead6669]

On my 75g tank I am working on for Discus is going to be using a Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel filter as well as a Fluval 404 canister. With canister filters you can reduce the current and improve Oxy levels by using a spray bar. Have the spray bar posistioned horizontally and within the top few inches of your aquarium.

By using two filters you will lower the chance of a power failure causing no filtration on your aquarium. This will also allow you to clean one filter and not have to worry about losing all your bacteria you have created since the other filter will be running.

[paulmi]

Thanks.