What filter to use

[locaso76]

hi all,

setting up a standard 3ft barebottom tank just for discus tomorrow and would like to know what people think regarding filters.

what should I go for?

canister?

sponge?

Your help would be appreciated

thanks

[Aurora]

I had a breeding pair in a 2.5ft tank with just a sponge filter, but it was not able to cope long term. I have now moved them to a 3ft with a canister and sponge and its going much better.

Its always better to overdo it on filteration rather than underdo it. As someone once said 'too much filteration is never enough' :D

[skoom]

go cannister

[kalebjarrod]

canister would be the easy way to go

sponges need dedication so not to biologically overlaod them :wink:

[dreamer]

i prefer aquaclear over canister ....quiet, reliable, easy to maintain and reasonably priced

[kalebjarrod]

you like aquaclear?

do you find the move to much water?

i have always liked aquaclear but never thought of it for a breeder tank

[dreamer]

i use sponge filter only in breeder tank ...

[kalebjarrod]

fair call :wink:

[Trebs]

If there are no plants than a hang-on filter can also be a good option. Depends on how many discus you are going to keep.

[goldenpigeon]

for my breeding tank i just use a sponge filter and an air stone at the opposite end of the tank (2.5 ft tank). when i feed the pair a feed of bloodworm i can see how well the water circulates with the worms going everywhere.

David

[Ben]

My thoughts are just a sponge filter will do, but you will need to do a 30 % water change at least every 2nd day! thats my personal routine.

[kkiu]

We have a bb 3ft too (but with decorative stones) and have running a hang-on filter plus 2 canisters filters. From memory the canisters are both 700/hr but because the original tubes are long and a UV, i dont think the overall flow is too great.

Havent had experience with sponge.

I say go with the canister/s :)

[kalebjarrod]

if you are dedicated to ritual water changes go sponge

if you lead a busy life stlye and won't be able to water changes every second day (minimum) go canister

hence the reason i say canister :wink:

[nicholas76]

Utilise the biggest and best cannister you can find.


simply position the outlet pipe to splash against the tank wall or cover it with a sponge to kill the current.


you cannot go passed a cannister.

[funkyfish]

i use sponges in all my tanks exept for my planted and thats canister
in my 75's i use 2 hydro 5 sponges daily wc's never had a prob out of them
my 30's i use 1 hydro 5