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Filter & heater for 30 gallon. Help?

3K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  SolaceTiger 
#1 ·
Okay, so I'm in the middle of setting up my 30 gallon tetra tank. I was thinking of eventually just taking my filter off my ten gallon and using that, but I don't know if it's strong enough. It's a penguin bio-wheel 125. I'm sure many here are familiar with them. It has done an awesome job at keeping my 10 gallon crystal clear. Will I need a more powerful one for my up and coming 30 gallon?

Also can anyone advise me on a good but inexpensive heater for a tank that size? Thanks! :)
 
#2 ·
Are you leaving the 10g set up? There are lots of neat stocking ideas for a 10g tank so you could certainly leave it running and put some fish in it. If you decide to tear it down, I would move the filter to the 30g and keep it running. That way, you can fill the tank and move the filter and you've got a ready-to-go quarantine or hospital tank.

The filtration you use on the 30g really depends on what you plan on stocking it with. If you're going to do the tetras you've got in larger schools, the bioload shouldn't be too high so massive filtration isn't really needed. You could put an Emperor 280 on it and be good to go. The 280 is on sale right now at Drs. Foster and Smith for $32:

Tropical Aquarium Filters & Filtration: Marineland Emperor BIO-Wheel Powerfilters
 
#4 ·
Visitherm Stealth, for your size either a 100W or 150W depending on how cool the room is. However when you buy them online there's maybe a $0.50 difference between the two so just take the bigger.

A penguin 150 is kinda suspect for keeping up with a 30 gallon tank. While they say its enough its never a bad idea to overkill things a bit. A 200 would be a good investment and if you do that you're buying new cartridges anyways so I have to agree, an Emperor 280 would be a great investment.

I also recommend getting away from the marineland cartridges and using either:
Aquarium Filter Media: Drs. Foster & Smith Bio3 Penguin Filter Cartridges
or
Aquarium Filter Media: Drs. Foster & Smith Bio3 Emperor 280 and 400 Filter Cartridges

As well as your own media bags and carbon if you feel you need it. If you don't then just add some more filter material in the frame and you're good to go. Much cheaper in the long run.
 
#5 ·
I acually use the Penguin 150 on my 30G, and it is great. Quiet, good amount o flow for the fish I keep, and easy to maintain.

As for a heater, I love the Hydor Theo Heaters. I use them in all my tanks, and they are great. Small size for wattage too.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice everyone. I already got and set up the filter I said I'd get, 150 bio-wheel. It's so clean and new. :D I also got my aquariam started, filled up, got the filter running, took the dirty filter cart from my 10 gallon and put it in the new filter in my 30. Did the conditioning, declouding, ummmm... what else? Have two different colors of gravel, in the back it's different shades of red, a fine kind, and in the front half, a bigger gravel size in the white color. Also got some fake cardumum plants and another fern type kind.. forget the name. Have a huge brick like piece of rock in there, and a nice ornament (top fin brand.. eww. ha, but pretty still!) anyways, i seem to have gone on a tangent. wish i could share pictures, but i just spent 80 dollars on fish stuff, so i don't see me getting a camera anytime soon. :p

visi therm or hydor theo. got it. thanks!
 
#7 ·
There's nothing wrong with a lot of Top Fin stuff just keep in mind what you're buying. For instance the ornaments, its an inert piece of decor and there's nothing really to go wrong there. I've got several Top Fin pieces of gear, some decor, a thermometer, airline tubing, fish nets and and algae scrubber. Things that aren't going to break and on the odd chance they do my fish will be just fine.

What I'd avoid like the plague are things like Top Fin filters and pumps.
 
#10 ·
I use those cartridges myself. I used up the carbon baggies that came with it and then switched over to using my own media bags with carbon. Alternately you can just stuff another piece of foam into the frame if you don't want to run with carbon. They give you some flexibility and save you money in the long run.

What is your pH? I seem to remember you saying but I can't remember for sure.

Messing with the pH is always an iffy kinda thing, and yes I muck with my pH. If you're going to do it you have to do it in a very consistent measured way. Don't just wing it. Use the bucket you're going to use to do water changes with and determine exactly how much of the product you have to use to get that water where you want it. Use that exact amount for every bucket of water and test your pH as religiously as you test your other parameters and also test your tap water to monitor its pH. You never know if the water company's gonna start doing something different.

Also, remember that in the future you're going to have to be extra careful if you ever do something that can alter the pH like run CO2, add peat, or put in bogwood. Not that you can't do it, just that you have to be very careful about it.
 
#11 ·
Here are my test results for my 30 gallon tank I started last night:

nitrate 0ppm
ammonia 0ppm - .25 ppm
nitrite 0ppm
ph 7.6
high range ph 8.0

did both ph tests, high range one seemed more accurate since it was in the middle of the chart.

high range ph test results for 10 gallon tank from October 25th.
7.4-7.6

test results for 10 gallon tank from october 22nd.
high range ph 8.2
ammonia 0ppm - .25 ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 5-10
 
#12 ·
Yeah, if your low range test is pegged at the top that doesn't mean you have that pH necessarily, it means your pH is so high it pegs the test. Your high range reading is your actual pH. That's what mine is.
 
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