belblik
New Member
I am planning to start a planted high tech aquarium but I don't know what canister filter to choose to have sufficient flow. I'm currently thinking about the aquael ultramax 1500
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Canister filter for 160l planted tank
- Thread starter belblik
- Start date
FrozenShivers
Member
Hello, welcome to the forum! You need to provide more information otherwise we can't give you the best advice. Will the tank have injected CO2 for example? I'll give you a very rough guide and say around x3-4 turnover if you aren't injecting CO2 and around x10 turnover if you are. You can get away with less or more but there are lots of variables that influence this, from hardscape amount and positioning to fish selection. For canisters I use Fluval 07 & Oase Biomaster series, both solid however Fluval doesn't have integrated heater if that's in your requirements, Eheim also have this feature but I've never used them so can't comment. I'm not from Czech Republic, but check that whichever brand you go with is well supported in your region, especially in regards to spare parts.
belblik
New Member
I will be dosing co2 with an Inline Diffuser ( or is an In tank diffuser better), I would like to plant heavily. On the other hand, I don't need that many fish in there. Another thing is whether to use a spray bar or lily pipes .If I were to have 10x turnover I would need a canister filter with a prescribed output of about 3200 liters per hour right?
FrozenShivers
Member
I haven't used a spray bar before, only lily pipes/jet pipes etc so I would go with lily as that's what I know and they work well.
No, you would need a filter around 1600 L/H for your 160 litre tank, this is due to most canister filters being closer to 50% their rated turnover, most manufacturer's list their rated speed without any flow restrictions like filter media, head height, bends in the tubing etc.
Edit - I've actually never used in-tank CO2 diffuser, all my tanks use in-line diffusion which as I understand is more efficient so I would go with that, a CO2 reactor could also be considered (no CO2 fine bubble mist like in-tank/in-line diffusion).
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belblik
New Member
Ok, thanks. So a filter in the range of AquaEl UltraMax 1500 would be sufficient or should I go for something stronger.
FrozenShivers
Member
You are welcome! I think that would be enough, if you’re concerned you could go for the 2000 model or add a power head to the 1500 down the road.
belblik
New Member
I I'll probably end up with 1500. if it's not enough I have Tetra Tec EX 800 on hand. So I could add it as needed. ( If I can get it to work, btw this filter is a real pain in the ass ) I have one more question even though it doesn't belong in this thread. If I want to grow red and carpet plants is it better to buy the Chihiros wrgb2 or will the Chihiros wrgb2 Slim be just fine.
FrozenShivers
Member
I have a WRGB Slim 90, that tank is green plant only though. The Slim should be able to grow a variety of red plants. Not sure of colour rendition is better on the WRGB as the slim doesn’t have white LED’s, I haven’t seen them side by side to compare. I’m sure either would serve you well.
In my opinion the "10x turnover" rule is more of a half-truth sort of suggestion than a rule. I've got two 160L tanks (100x40x40), and I'm running Oase biomaster 600's on them. That's "only" 7,8x turnover, but I don't think 10x turnover or more would matter much. I would think healthy plant mass and sufficient flow to distribute Co2 is all you actually need.
FrozenShivers
Member
That's why I made it clear it was a rough guideline and that there are many variables. If someone is unsure I think it's probably best to advise them to go a bit higher than they may need as opposed to lower, as you can change the outlet or restrict the filter etc if it's too much. But I agree that it certainly shouldn't be considered a rule but instead a guide (especially for newbies). There isn't some magical number that guarantees well distributed CO2/nutrient distribution regardless of tank setup.
That is the point of the guideline.
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belblik
New Member
What do you think about ph regulators. Is it worth it. i'm thinking about Eheim pHcontrol+e
belblik
New Member
I have another question about the water parameters.
These are the parameters of my tap water
Total hardness:287 µS / 8.96 dGH
Carbonate hardness:2.7 dKH / 48 mg/litre CaCO3
Nitrate:22.1 mg/litre NO3
Phosphate:0.00 mg/litre PO4
Iron:0.00 mg/litre Fe
Water reaction pH:6.93°
Ammonia:0.0 mg/litre NH3
Nitrite:0.0 μg/litre NO2
Potassium:6.7 mg/litre K
I think there is no need to use reverse osmosis?
I plan to use seiryu stone - which could potentially increase water hardness. So are seiryu stones a good choice?
These are the parameters of my tap water
Total hardness:287 µS / 8.96 dGH
Carbonate hardness:2.7 dKH / 48 mg/litre CaCO3
Nitrate:22.1 mg/litre NO3
Phosphate:0.00 mg/litre PO4
Iron:0.00 mg/litre Fe
Water reaction pH:6.93°
Ammonia:0.0 mg/litre NH3
Nitrite:0.0 μg/litre NO2
Potassium:6.7 mg/litre K
I think there is no need to use reverse osmosis?
I plan to use seiryu stone - which could potentially increase water hardness. So are seiryu stones a good choice?
I don't think they're necessary. A dropchecker to aid in dialing in Co2 is enough. Start Co2 early enough to have green dropchecker by the time lights turn on, and turn Co2 off an hour or two before lights off.
