Help Choose Filter for 5-6 Fancies (300 litre/ 80 gallon) 4ft tank

[DJMast 0]

I’m currently pursuing to create a Fancy Goldfish aquarium with approximately 5 – 6 Goldfish in total. The tank will incorporate gravel and a few hardy plants (lightly planted) to produce an authentic and natural look.

I’ve already purchased my tank, an “Eheim MP OPAL 120” bought online from “Age of Aquariums” (www.aquariumproducts.com.au) at a discounted price. I feel privilege and psyched to own one since only a limited amount of these are available within Australia.

The Aquarium is built sturdy and the quality is what you’d expect from an Eheim, the dimensions are 120cm long, 55cm wide and 60cm tall; the tank can hold up to 360 litres (95 gallon).

However for my purpose I will consider this a 300 litre (80 gallon) aquarium as I don’t intend to fully fill it all the way and some space will be reserved for ornaments.

I’m very aware that Goldfish including the Fancy variety can produce a lot of biological waste so Biological filtration would be of upmost importance and for this reason I will be looking into a canister filter.

I’ve also done research and found that a turnover rate of 10x is optimal for Goldfish however I’m not entirely sure how relevant this is to me since it’s mostly targeted at HOB and Internal Filter which hold very little amount of media. Elsewhere I’ve heard that the recommend turnover rate for a canister filter is 4 - 6x since canisters hold far media, and this is also assuming that you’re mostly stocking with bio-media.

I also have great concerns over turnover rate as it may produce strong current that can lead to stress amongst my fancy Goldfish, this is because Fancy’s are slower than the common Goldfish.

At the moment I’ve looked into various filters available on the market, notably brands such as Eheims and Fluval which are very prominent and hailed to be reliable. However I’m willing to hear out any experiences and opinions on any other brands of filters on the market.

I’m deeply considering the Eheim 2075 Pro 3 (600) as a possible candidate, it has a turnover rate of 4.16x and a media capacity of 6.5 litres. I’d really be keen in knowing the suitability of this filter as my primary filter and whether a secondary filter would be necessary.

Finally I’d like to take the time to consider a few points with regards to choosing a canister filter:

• Would the Spray Bar provided by most canister be suitable enough to provide sufficient water agitation to assist with replenishing the dissolved oxygen which goldfish require?
  
• The water movement provided by the filter will it be enough to avoid stagnant area in the tank which can lead to the build-up of anaerobic bacteria.
  

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Edited June 8, 2013 by Narny105

[Narny105 1,992]

I have a canister filter on my 200L tank, and it would also be suitable for your tank. The canister filter I use is an Atman CF 2200 which filters 2200lph. That would honestly be fine on a 300L tank as the only filter, and it comes with a big spray bar which dims the current a lot. That canister has a 20L capacity, so it is very large.

10x filtration is a good recommendation for all filters, and not just HOB's and internals, but I would be comfortable filtering 6x filtration on my tank with a canister since there's a lot more room for media and water polishing .

You can also look into the Aquaclear filters, however I wouldn't look at any lower than an aquaclear 50. They're not very cheap, but are very efficient and they will carry a good amount of media. These are HOB filters.

In terms of stagnant water, the whole tank will be cycled through so you don't have to worry. As long as you're doing your weekly water changes cleaning the tank and substrate well, you shouldn't need to worry about bad bacteria building up. If you're looking at 10x filtration, you'll definitely not have to worry about stagnant water.

In terms of secondary filters, if you find a canister that filters at least 6x and you're happy with it, I don't see why you'd need another one. They're a good idea in case one does fault so you still have filtration, though.

I personally have a hard time finding many filter brands here in Aus around where I live, so I can't offer many recommendations bar what I have used.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Narny105

[Shukura 200]

Having 2 filters is a good idea in case one decides not to work for whatever reason, then you still have a backup running.

If it were me I'd be looking at an Aquaclear 110 HOB, which have a great turnover and plenty of space for media, and some sort of canister. I have Sunsun brand canisters on my tanks, they're cheap, big and work well.

[Alexx 6]

I was thinking the exact same thing as shukura. AC 110 and a good canister would do the job.

[DJMast 0]

Would the Eheim 2075 (600) Pro III suffice as primary filter for my tank size.

I've also looked at the Fluval 406 which seem like a good reliable filter as well.

I've personally seen The Fluval FX5 in-store and personally I find that filter extremely gigantic and overkill.

Any Filter that size seems too big,

I really find the HOB and canister a good combo however I don't think I could install a HOB due the way the top frame of the tank is set-out,

secondly I like to keep the hood on the tank to reduce evaporation and surface splashes from the goldfishes.

here are the filter specs:

Eheim 2075

+++++++++++++++++

LPH: --------------------- 1250

Watts: ------------------- 16

Filter Volume: ----------- 6.5 litre

Turn-over Rate (300L tank): ------- 4.16x

Dimensions: ----------------------------- 453 x 238 x 244

Warranty: -------------------------------- 3 years

Fluval 406

+++++++++++++++++

LPH: --------------------- 1450

Watts: ------------------- 23

Filter Volume: ----------- n/a

Turn-over Rate (300L tank): ------- 4.8x

Dimensions: ----------------------------- 450 x 370 x 190

Warranty: -------------------------------- 3 years

thank-you

[4prettyfish 2,702]

Congratulations on your new huge aquarium.

I too was going to suggest the Aquaclear 110. One alone gives out 500 gph. It's huge for a hob but nice with the design. I have two of them on my 55g. But you would prefer not a hob. No suggestions for the canisters for I have none. Looking forward to photo's when you get it all set up.

[pawsplus 253]

You will be overstocked with 5-6 GF in an 80 gallon tank. 4 would be fine.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

You will be overstocked with 5-6 GF in an 80 gallon tank. 4 would be fine.

^I agree with this.

20 gallons / 75 liters per fish is the stocking recommendation that we have found works best for goldfish.

[DJMast 0]

Oh... I thought it was 20 gallons for the first and 10 gallons for each additional fancy goldfish, thats what I've read on other forums.

Feel free to clarify me on this matter. I may just take your consideration and stick to 4.

please let me know what you think

Edited July 9, 2013 by DJMast

[dnalex 13,633]

Oh... I thought it was 20 gallons for the first and 10 gallons for each additional fancy goldfish, thats what I've read on other forums.

Feel free to clarify me on this matter. I may just take your consideration and stick to 4.

please let me know what you think

We used to have the same recommendation, but through experience, this was found to be too optimistic. You really need the 40 gallon minimum, and 15-20 gallons/fish.

[Daniel E. 10,021]

Since yours is really a 95 and you are counting 15 off for airspace and stuff I would say your ok with 5 as the 20gal/fish don't really take that out. (For what I understand anyway) ofcourse more space per fish is always better so if you want 4 all the better for the fish.

[DieselPlower 2,123]

Why wouldn't you fill the tank to the top?

[DJMast 0]

Firstly I can't fill the tank past the top glass frame and secondly I Like to keep a clearance of about 10 - 12 cm from the top.

This won't be noticeable with the top hood on and won't affect filtration via canister.

Also this prevents overflow when I need to put my hand in when i'm not performing water changes..

[LauraThe3xplora 75]

You could always measure your tank and plug in the numbers here to see how much water the tank ACTUALLY holds. Here in the US, tanks usually hold less than what they say, but I've heard that in other countries like the UK they hold more than what they say. That way you could see how many goldies would really fit

This tank volume calculator is amazing:

http://reef.diesyst.com/volcalc/volcalc.html

[DJMast 0]

I've actually used this Stocking calculator from aqadvisor.com,

I'm not entirely sure if its accurate though.

below are the results:

http://www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=120&AquTankDepth=50&AquTankHeight=60&AquListBoxFilter=Eheim+2075&AquTextFilterRate=1060+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=goldfish&AquListBoxChooser=Fancy+Goldfish+%28Carassius+auratus%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=1&FormSubmit=Add+%3E&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&AlreadySelected=200909300070%3A5%3A0%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=L&AqLengthUnit=cm&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

I'm definite that the water capacity that i've stated is correct as I've double checked it with the dimensions.

The units provided are in litres and US Gallons.

[bodoba 2,980]

Why don't you just start slow with one fish. Put it through a proper quarantine and enter it into your cycled tank. If that fish does well and your params are fine get another one.

The more fish in there the more waste there will be. You want to be able to have enough space per fish to filter that waste. We have found that using 15-20 gals per fish when you are properly filtered means you should only need to do one large (over 50%) water change a week.

Once your nitrates creep up to the 20-40 ppm range per week you want to stop at that stocking. For some that means less than the recommended stocking. Also remember that during illness and emergencies, the more space per fish the more time you have to deal with things.

[Flipper 13,057]

I have a 55gal and Aquaclear 50 and 110. I baffle the flow on the 110 a little b/c one of my ranchus is not a strong swimmer. Between the 2 filters the entire surface is agitated. If you are worried about oxygenation you could always add an airstone or bubble wall.

[DJMast 0]

I really appreciate for all the input here and I'm grateful for that but, now getting back to the matter at hand.

I will consider 4-5 as the stocking limit.

Now there is one thing thats still confusing me, its the subject of turnover rate in relation to canister filtration.

I've heard many conflicting things from aquarium shops and other forums elsewhere leaving me lost.

I've been told that 10x is for saltwater aquarium, and that 4x is adequate on a canister filter.

I will like to get a canister filter as my primary filtration and later see if a secondary filter is needed.

I'll definitely be keen to know if the following filters that I've looked at our suitable for my situation based on the specs.

I've distinctly chosen these two brands based on reviews and their quality.

__________________

| Eheim 2075 |

|_________________ |

LPH: 1250

Watts: 16

Filter Volume: 6.5 litre

Turn-over Rate (300L tank): 4.16x

Dimensions: 453 x 238 x 244

Warranty: 3 years

_________________

| Fluval 406 |

|_________________|

LPH: 1450

Watts: 23

Filter Volume: n/a

Turn-over Rate (300L tank): 4.8x

Dimensions: 450 x 370 x 190

Warranty: 3 years