90cm and right at the beginning

[Mitchabbots]

Hi all,
So, right at the beginning and have this vision. A 90cm very clear rimless tank on a nice cabinet (to hide all the equipment). Very colourful plants with a carpet, wood, rocks, shrimp and shoals of small fish.
Experience - goldfish & plastic plants (years ago). Newbie aquascaper. Electronic Engineer by trade. A level Chemistry. Green fingers. God daughter, who is a marine biologist, who will not be best pleased if I kill anything.😡

I am considering the following:
1. Aqua One AquaSys 230 (white cabinet), 90L*55D*53H cm
2. Oase Biomaster Thermo 600
3. Chihiros WRGB 2 (90cm), with hanging kit
4. CO2 – FE with regulator and solenoid and inline diffuser (Make TBD)
5. Smart Plugs with timers (App controlled)

With this setup, at this price point, would you consider it balanced? Or should I be considering something else?
I am looking at medium planting. No rush on fish as I want it to be just right for them.
Really looking forward to getting stuck in, good and bad.

Best, Brian

 

[seedoubleyou]

Nice setup mate. I like the dimensions on the Aquasys 230.
I’d personally opt for the 850 on that size tank.
Food for thought, the Oase is typically very noisy. Others on here will have plenty of suggestions for a good alternative.

 

[Mitchabbots]

Nice setup mate. I like the dimensions on the Aquasys 230.
I’d personally opt for the 850 on that size tank.
Food for thought, the Oase is typically very noisy. Others on here will have plenty of suggestions for a good alternative.

Oase BM 600->850, ok. My aquarium is going to be in my front room. So, a quiet alternative sounds like a good idea.
I had read that the flow rate could be as high as 10 times the tank volume. Some say 5 times is enough.
I had plumped for the Oase BM600 tho'. More research then and more reading on UKAPS. Eheim, Sunsun, Fluval amongst others to check out then.
Thanks, Brian

 

[CooKieS]

Hi, check out the Aquael Ultramax 1500, great filter with huge media capacity and very silent.

 

[Mitchabbots]

Hi, check out the Aquael Ultramax 1500, great filter with huge media capacity and very silent.

I haven't heard much about this filter. I'll check it out. Thanks for the nod.

Brian

 

[CooKieS]

Oase tends to be more popular because of the heavy marketing behind the brand but they’re overpriced, low flow and noisy filters.

Plenty of other better option, so yeah check the aquael Ultramax and the new sunsun too.
Eheim pro 4 are not as nicely built are before but have defo better Flow and silence than oase. 🙂

 

[bazz]

I had read that the flow rate could be as high as 10 times the tank volume. Some say 5 times is enough.

This might sound crazy but on my AquaSys 230 I'm running a 1200XLT full blast (through a lily pipe), a Nero 3 running at 15% during CO2 period and 1% when off and a 2000l/h Eheim Compact+ running a closed loop CO2 reactor which is timed to activate 30 minutes before and after the CO2 period. Once hardscaped up, planted (grown in) and filter/pipes coated with film, it's really not what you might expect. I only keep small Fish, Rasboras (Espei and Axelrodi), a couple of Chocolate Gourami, some Rosy Loaches and a couple of Black Tiger Dario and they are all absolutely fine, the whole volume of water is just gently moving round the tank, with just the first 30cm in front of the outlet being a no go area for the fish but I rarely see them there apart from feeding time.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is 'it's quite difficult to have too much flow on a large tank without being silly'.

 

[Mitchabbots]

This might sound crazy but on my AquaSys 230 I'm running a 1200XLT full blast (through a lily pipe), a Nero 3 running at 15% during CO2 period and 1% when off and a 2000l/h Eheim Compact+ running a closed loop CO2 reactor which is timed to activate 30 minutes before and after the CO2 period. Once hardscaped up, planted (grown in) and filter/pipes coated with film, it's really not what you might expect. I only keep small Fish, Rasboras (Espei and Axelrodi), a couple of Chocolate Gourami, some Rosy Loaches and a couple of Black Tiger Dario and they are all absolutely fine, the whole volume of water is just gently moving round the tank, with just the first 30cm in front of the outlet being a no go area for the fish but I rarely see them there apart from feeding time.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is 'it's quite difficult to have too much flow on a large tank without being silly'.

Thanks Bazz, lots to think on now.
Hmmm, I'm slowly going down a rabbit hole here. So you have a filtration unit and a water pump. So, your 1200XLT is not powerful enough (with CO2 on (which also has it's own pump)), but has enough filtration to manage the water. How would I know?
Also, I've just heard about CO2 reactors. I may not go there at the moment and stick with an inline diffuser. See how that goes.
Oh man, capital outlay seems to be on the way up again. 🙄
Brian

 

[bazz]

Good morning Mitchabbots,
Hey my friend, I'm not trying to sell you anything or advise you to do this or that, you can do whatever you want, I was just merely trying explain a little bit about flow and the dynamics of water in an aquarium the same as yours. No two aquarium systems are ever the same and as always there is a lot more than one way to reach a goal, I just do what works for me.
The 1200 is most certainly powerful enough to run a reactor/diffuser, I use a a sperate pump/loop for CO2 purely for stability and I can tweek either without effecting the other and because I can (single). The Nero 3 can move a lot of water without creating a jet and I did find I had a dead spot under the outlets so this is where it was placed.
If I was to offer you any advice it would be to just get what you can afford or feel comfortable operating (you can upgrade later if you feel inclined). Personally I would go with a smaller filter and use a powerhead if you are thinking of planting heavy or a larger filter if you intend to have lots of fish/livestock and not so many plants, a 600 with inline diffuser will be fine under normal circumstances. I have no experience of the Oase filters but I've heard they can be a bit hit or miss as to whether you get a quiet one or not, @Bradders appears to have become our resident Oase expert, maybe he can shed some light.
Hope this clarifies and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Cheers!

 

[Bradders]

Thanks @bazz.

In terms of the Oase, there is definitely a trend when moving from the 250/350 up to the 600/850. My investigation has been hard to nail, but the more powerful pump and larger impeller do seem to contribute to increased noise levels, as everything else in the Oase units is exactly the same. The problem here is that one person's quiet is another person's loud, so this becomes subjective. However, I think there seems to be a 4-6db increase based on feedback from others with these units. I have noticed during experiments that the noise gets a little louder with the media loading. i.e. quieter when all 20PPI sponge, but loader if you stick a load of K1 type media (or other ceramic types) in the unit.

Other considerations with the Oase.

• You have 230 litres of water in that aquarium, and Oase does not focus on high turnover. The manufacturer's specification is 1400L per hour., which I suspect in real life will be 850 to 950 litres per hour. At the lowest end that this going to give you around 3.7x turnover per hour. I don't think this is going to be a problem with filtration, but as Bazz says, you might want to consider flow devices for the plants and distribution of CO2. Failing that, the 850 might be a better choice as not only is it rated at 1,550L per hour (estimated 1,000 to 1,100 L per hour in real life) but has a higher max head height of 2.2M - in essence, more chance of getting the higher turnover with the right placement.
• Although slightly more messy, I have had great success with running 2 x Oase 250's, which provides me comfort from a) redundancy and also b) increased water column turnover. This is not going to be ideal for some (cost and aesthetics) but something worth considering if you want a little more protection from issues - especially as fish levels increase in your aquarium. Also worth noting is that 2 x 250's offer more total filtration capacity than the 850.
• I have found the Oase's included filter media to be quite effective with just 20/30 PPI sponge and some K1 type (HELX-13) media. So no need to spend more replacing the media. Also, the spare parts are freely available, so long-term maintenance ability is very good. i.e. you don't have to throw the thing away due to the issue as it's quite upgradable/replaceable.

Finally, I would also consider the Fluval FX series. These are going to be louder, but they have great reviews from people who understand aquariums and filtrations. Their turnover is also very good, and with some media modifications, the FX6 can be one of the best canister-type filters on the market, offering huge capacity.

 

[Mitchabbots]

Good morning Mitchabbots,
Hey my friend, I'm not trying to sell you anything or advise you to do this or that, you can do whatever you want, I was just merely trying explain a little bit about flow and the dynamics of water in an aquarium the same as yours. No two aquarium systems are ever the same and as always there is a lot more than one way to reach a goal, I just do what works for me.
The 1200 is most certainly powerful enough to run a reactor/diffuser, I use a a sperate pump/loop for CO2 purely for stability and I can tweek either without effecting the other and because I can (single). The Nero 3 can move a lot of water without creating a jet and I did find I had a dead spot under the outlets so this is where it was placed.
If I was to offer you any advice it would be to just get what you can afford or feel comfortable operating (you can upgrade later if you feel inclined). Personally I would go with a smaller filter and use a powerhead if you are thinking of planting heavy or a larger filter if you intend to have lots of fish/livestock and not so many plants, a 600 with inline diffuser will be fine under normal circumstances. I have no experience of the Oase filters but I've heard they can be a bit hit or miss as to whether you get a quiet one or not, @Bradders appears to have become our resident Oase expert, maybe he can shed some light.
Hope this clarifies and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Cheers!

Hey Bazz, no worries and apologies. Your comments do explain that there is more than one way to skin a cat/set up an aquarium. It is good that there are remedies for flow dead spots, CO2 stability and the like and you carefully explained this. I thought I'd missed a fundamental or two and it was going to cost me dearly. Phew, not the case 🙂
I've a lot to learn.
Many thanks for your input Bazz, much appreciated.

 

[Mitchabbots]

Thanks @bazz.

In terms of the Oase, there is definitely a trend when moving from the 250/350 up to the 600/850. My investigation has been hard to nail, but the more powerful pump and larger impeller do seem to contribute to increased noise levels, as everything else in the Oase units is exactly the same. The problem here is that one person's quiet is another person's loud, so this becomes subjective. However, I think there seems to be a 4-6db increase based on feedback from others with these units. I have noticed during experiments that the noise gets a little louder with the media loading. i.e. quieter when all 20PPI sponge, but loader if you stick a load of K1 type media (or other ceramic types) in the unit.

Other considerations with the Oase.

• You have 230 litres of water in that aquarium, and Oase does not focus on high turnover. The manufacturer's specification is 1400L per hour., which I suspect in real life will be 850 to 950 litres per hour. At the lowest end that this going to give you around 3.7x turnover per hour. I don't think this is going to be a problem with filtration, but as Bazz says, you might want to consider flow devices for the plants and distribution of CO2. Failing that, the 850 might be a better choice as not only is it rated at 1,550L per hour (estimated 1,000 to 1,100 L per hour in real life) but has a higher max head height of 2.2M - in essence, more chance of getting the higher turnover with the right placement.
• Although slightly more messy, I have had great success with running 2 x Oase 250's, which provides me comfort from a) redundancy and also b) increased water column turnover. This is not going to be ideal for some (cost and aesthetics) but something worth considering if you want a little more protection from issues - especially as fish levels increase in your aquarium. Also worth noting is that 2 x 250's offer more total filtration capacity than the 850.
• I have found the Oase's included filter media to be quite effective with just 20/30 PPI sponge and some K1 type (HELX-13) media. So no need to spend more replacing the media. Also, the spare parts are freely available, so long-term maintenance ability is very good. i.e. you don't have to throw the thing away due to the issue as it's quite upgradable/replaceable.

Finally, I would also consider the Fluval FX series. These are going to be louder, but they have great reviews from people who understand aquariums and filtrations. Their turnover is also very good, and with some media modifications, the FX6 can be one of the best canister-type filters on the market, offering huge capacity.

Thanks Bradders,
850 or even better the 2*250 sound favourable to me. I like the idea of redundancy (must be the engineer in me). Do you link the 2*250 in series, parallel them off or 2 separate filtration systems?
My guess is parallel (with common in and out pipes). Otherwise one will get dirty and the other is clean, unless you switch them around, and the other, 2 lots of pipework.

Fluval FX has good reviews and many love them. I feel this would be overkill for me and I'd probably work it with a bigger tank. Tank number two? I've heard it can be addictive.

I wonder if there are discounts for buying 2 filters (buy 1 and get 1 half price)? Worth a try 😎

 

[Bradders]

Do you link the 2*250 in series, parallel them off or 2 separate filtration systems? My guess is parallel (with common in and out pipes). Otherwise one will get dirty and the other is clean, unless you switch them around, and the other, 2 lots of pipework.

Actually, I have them as separate units and decided to not parallelise them. Each outflow points (generally) to the inflow on the other side of the aquarium. I would not worry about treating them separately unless you want fewer pipes in the aquarium. The reason for the decision to not parallelise was mainly due to the (relatively) low flow on the Oase and the restriction penalty of one pump pushing through two filters. Both pre-filters are equally as dirty when I clean them.

If it was me, on your size aquarium, I would probably consider the 2 x 350 due to the extra capacity which does not take up too much more space and also does not cost too much extra than the 250's. But, then again, I am slightly bonkers about filtration so I will leave that to you and your consideration! 😀

Lastly, if the FX series is too much, then look at the Fluval 407 as as contrast to the Oase. Good reviews about them, and some from people on this forum who swear by them.

 

[Mitchabbots]

AquaSys 230 coming on Wednesday, CO2 FE and Oase BM850 ready to go. Lighting still to order. Thanks @Bradders, @bazz, @seedoubleyou, @CooKieS for your help with filtration and CO2. A good deal was made, plumped for the 850, couldn't stretch to 2*250/350. Going with inline CO2 diffuser. I hear the words on flow, so I'll look to supplement the 850 with a wee pump as necessary. 🙂

To quote Kosh from Babylon 5:
"And so it begins" 🙂

 

[Mitchabbots]

It's been a while and thought I'd update those interested on my progress. Life got in the way, so progress has been slow. I have all the bits now though.

Working on a pendant light mount for my Chihiros WRGBII. Chunky shelf brackets (40cm) on the top. May even put up a shelf 🤔
Also a pull-out tray for my OBM850. To make pre-filter changes much easier. Must allow extra hose lengths for this. The filter tray will pull out far enough. Despite the door perspective in the photo.
Loving the stainless steel Lilys 😎
Hidden on left FE full of CO2. Inline diffuser in place.
Thoroughly enjoying the build.
Cheers,
Brian

 

[Mitchabbots]

I have been scaping, and before I glue rocks to wood and add some aqua soil for the front, etc. would you please cast an experienced eye over my first attempt. Constructive criticism welcome.
Going for the 2 island look. Carpet across the front and up the middle (or that could be gravel/sand. I've not made up my mind yet.
230litres, CO2, OBM850, Chihiros WRGBii 90

and now the lounge view, the main viewing angle.


Cheers,
Brian

 

[Mitchabbots]

Plan view.

To give the right perspective

Ta,
Brian

 

[Mitchabbots]

Hi all,
Now have a cycled tank. Time to think about plants. Huge water change, as the wood has leached quite a bit and the tank is looking a bit worse for wear. Lily pipes are meant to be shiny and the glass clear.

I noticed that the soil has been moved around by the additional pump. I must slow it down a bit as I've exposed some lava rock and buried a rock or two too. Running at 50% 🤔, too much. CO2 FE ready to go.

I'm going to plant in 2 lots. Back and mids first, then carpet a week or so later (next water change). Then fish!!!!! 🥳

Wish me luck.

Best, Brian

 

[seedoubleyou]

You can always run an absolute tonne of carbon in the filter for 30 days. This will really help with water quality during the early stages.

 

[bazz]

I noticed that the soil has been moved around by the additional pump. I must slow it down a bit as I've exposed some lava rock and buried a rock or two too. Running at 50% 🤔, too much.

Hi,
I personally would turn it right down to about 10% or even less especially if it's moving your substrate around and turn it up gradually as the plant mass increases. As it is it will also uproot your newly planted plants. Once you start getting some growth you will be able to judge much better the power required to make all the plants sway in the breeze without creating a whirlpool and destroying anything. For comparison I have the same tank as you and run my Nero 3 (which looks pretty similar to yours) at 15% when CO2 is on and 1% when off and it is fully planted.
Again though, it's what works for me.