what is the best filter for a discus tank

[yanke]

hi
I am thinking of doing up my 6ft as a discus tank
I have my 4 discus a pair of blue rams and 20 Cardinal Tetra
in a 4x18x20 right now but would like to go bigger so I can put more in there
I have 2x6x18x20 tanks
1 has a sump that will do 3500L a hr
and the other has eheim 2217 and a 2228 running it
what tank would be best for them
both tanks are the same size
I like to have 6-8 discus and the other fish in them not looking to breed them
thanks for the help
yanke

[mattgoanna]

I use canisters and overhead trickle filters (like your sump). I find the canisters give better water quality. The other consideration is that two filters are safer in the event than one has a problem.

[jimstreet]

I have a 4x18x20, tried it with 1 x 2217 and it struggled, I now have 2 x 2217 and crystal clear water.

[yanke]

well I have 1 2217 running my 4x18x20 and it is doing a good job
the water is away clean
I think I go with the 2 filters for the discus tank
and leave the one with the sump to my African Cichlids

[Mavzta]

Yeh I'm running 2 eheim 2217's in my 5x2x2

Matt, why do you use a trickle filter at the top and what is it exactly?

[angel101]

Don't know why anyone bothers with canisters these days. They are a pain to clean, get clogged and result in water spills. I run a bog standard trickle filter with bio balls.

[ILLUSN]

either will work, I like sumps just because they give me somewhere to put all the stuff I don't want to see in a tank (heaters etc) the one you have sounds perfect.

if going a sump I cant strongly recommend moving bed filters like K1 enough they make the sump near maintenance free (just change the floss when it gets dirty).
6x18x20 is a big tank, you'd need 3x2017's (or similar sized) as a minimum or 2 massive 2080's

[yanke]

well I am running a 2217 and a 2228 on my 6x18x20
with over 75 African Cichlids in it and it is clean as
but I do
do 60%-75% water changes a week on it
and the fish are all breeding size also

[ILLUSN]

well I am running a 2217 and a 2228 on my 6x18x20
with over 75 African Cichlids in it and it is clean as
but I do
do 60%-75% water changes a week on it
and the fish are all breeding size also


Great to hear, discus love the water changes! Keep that up and you wont have a single problem.

Please don't forget that the real world flow of a 2217 or 2028 is ~600-625 L/H @ 70cm head height, given the volume of your tank is 400L and you'd want 3x turn over an hour (1200L/h) the 2 filters you have is the absolute minimum you want to keep everyone happy (assuming your filters are directly below your tank).

if in doubt check your chemistry, keep NH3/NH4 =0, NO2=0, NO3 <50 and everything is fine! given your water changes this shouldn't be an issue you could get away with sponge filters!

[jimstreet]

Don't know why anyone bothers with canisters these days. They are a pain to clean, get clogged and result in water spills.

That's not my experience, they're easy to clean when you use media bags, sure the hoses need a clean occasionally and keep them in a plastic tray to catch any spills.

[mattgoanna]

Top tank trickle filters are used a lot in Asia. They are just a power head that pumps water into a tray of media above the tank. They are a good way to save space if you have tanks on a rack. Not great filters but my fish breed, so they must do ok. I only do 10 per cent water changes on breeder tanks per week.

[yanke]

but how many fish are in the tank and how big is it

[mattgoanna]

Point taken.
Have a look at some of Stendkers views on stocking density, filtration and water changes.

[Jason]

That's not my experience, they're easy to clean when you use media bags, sure the hoses need a clean occasionally and keep them in a plastic tray to catch any spills.

I have been using canister filters for over 25 years now, but am looking at going with a sump system in the near future. I think it really does not matter what is used, as long as it gets the job done and keeps the water clean.

Jason

[broadfoot]

A filter you find easy to clean will get more regular maintenance. That can be a benefit of trickle filters and sponge filters. Sponge filters are ugly as though.

[angel101]

With my triclle filter, the only maintenance is rinsing out the pre filter pad. Pick it up, wash it out place it back onto the drip plate. Too easy, no ring seals to worry about, water on the floor, or hoses to worry about.