Tropical Tank Set Up Need Advise

Just bouhgt a 170 litre tank and need some advise on setting the tank up for tropical fish really want to start right . Going to buy an external filter is it better to buy one that is higher rated than the tank capacity.
Thanks Ross
Pic Of Same tank i got i got off the net

defo get larger external filter also i would recommend an internal fluval or ehiem,
tetra tec would be best value external filters give drew a ring in aquatic village he would sort you out

also what used to do was geta couple od goldfish (depending on size of tank) and put them in tank for about a month and half to let tank cycle then put them in my pond turn the heater on and stock with fish slowly buying maybe 1 's and 2's or maybe a shoal if hardy fish

Hi Ross,
It is always better to go for a filter with a bigger capacity than you think you need.
Whatever the pump rate is you can subtract about one third (i.e. 1000l/hr turnover = roughly 650l/hr turnover) because once you fill the canister with filter media it will slow down the flow rate.
Its efficiency depends on the type of media you use and the number of times it turns over the water capacity of the tank. With your 170l tank I would personally go for a 1000l/hour rated canister filter (or even a 1200l/hr if the price difference is not too much) so that you get a total tank water turnover of not less than 3 times per hour.
I have found Siporax (sintered glass) to be an excellent biological medium once it is well protected from 'dirt' in the water that could cause it to clog. Plenty of mechanical media before it will do the trick (ceramic rings followed by foam followed by fine foam followed by floss/fine filter mat). If it does clog it can easily be cleaned out in a microwave and lasts for years (expensive to start with but pays off in the long run).
Hope this is of some help:)

1200l/h is way too big in a 170l tank. All the fish will be swept to one side of the tank with the current.
Get a filter that will turn over the water 3x times per hour.
If the tank is a Juwel than leave the Juwel internal inside it
and buy another internal.
Fluval internals are great.

Anthony wrote:

1200l/h is way too big in a 170l tank.

Hi Anto,
I have found that nearly all filters 'slow down' after a year or so:huh: Is this not your experience?

That is the reason I would go for a much larger filter than is initially necessary. Although a 1200l may seem way overrated for a 170l to begin with, the natural ‘wear & tear’ will reduce its turnover dramatically in a relatively short time:S

Running several tanks as you do will make this a mute point (as you can just swap filters from tank-to-tank as the output reduces and the filter becomes less effective) but for someone just starting out in fish keeping I think an approach that will not involve upgrading/replacing the filter in a year or so may be advantageous. All that extra financial outlay could be put into upgrading the rest of the system instead:cheer:

This is only my personal view on things:silly:

I base it on looking back to my first tank, which was far too small to sustain an aquatic community and had a filter that should not have been sold to me in the first place. Trial and error (along with ‘pumping’ money into aquatic shops to constantly upgrade to a point where I could keep fish alive on a ‘regular’ basis) led me to the belief that I could not overfilter a tank. It was very easy for me to underfilter and end up with all sorts of problems (mainly involving fish health, death of livestock, plant losses and algae problems) but I never encountered a problem with overfiltering.
A lot of headaches (even with experienced fishkeepers like us) are caused by under-filtering, over-stocking (which we are all guilty of) and over-feeding (which some filters can not cope with).

I am well aware that some of my thoughts (and practices) on fishkeeping are viewed to be over-cautious by other aquarists but I rarely encounter problems along the way. When I do have a problem I can normally attribute it to something stupid that I have done and can blame nobody else but myself.

Anyway, I hope our diverse thoughts on the subject does not confuse pearsonross and that he comes to a well thought out decision when spending his hard earned cash on his first filter.

Good luck with your new setup pearsonross.

All d best, Carl

I agree to some extent but a 1200l Tetratec is way to powerful
for such a small tank.
Although it is recommended to turn over a Tropical tank at least 3x an hour I personally aim for around 5-6.
That tank is probablu about 3x2x2 and if I remember right he
plans to add dwarf cichlids to this tank.
They would have to be able to swim in a very strong current.

If any of my filters start to slow down I would change the impellers or throw it out.
I have a Fluval4+ about 3 years and it is going as good as it
was when I first bought it.

Point well taken Anto...
I must order some more new impellors:S

After getting an EHEIM wet/dry filters for aquarium sizes up to 600 l. got it second hand off Kilkenny Aquatics alot of limescale on it but have it cleaned up now and it is as new got it for €100 . Does anyone recomemd the 3d backgrounds for the tanks.
Thanks for all your comments
Ross

Those black ones are a pain in the a**e. Ugly and take up too
much tank space.

Hi guy,
Looks like you got a bargain with the filter and very suited to you set-up:cheer:

If you see a 3d background that you really like... go for it! Everybody will have a different opinion on how a tank should be decorated/look but in the end it comes down to what you are happy with.

There are other options if you are into a bit of D.I.Y. There have been several posts on this website about making your own background and a couple of previous external links I have saved are: -
www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_aquarium_background3.php
www.thecichlidgallery.com/article_styrobackground.htm
(Apologies to those members who posted these links… I did not save your names to credit you with them).

Apart from these you should be able to find a post by apistodiscus detailing his method of making your own background.

A D.I.Y. version will not necessarily be more economical… it will entail a lot of time, effort and expense (on materials) on your part but you should end up with something unique that you will be happy with. I have decided to make a custom background for a new tank arriving soon but am under no illusion as to the expense and effort that it will entail:S

Looking forward to hearing about your new set-up when you have it up-and running:)

All d best, Carl

In my humble oppinion I think it should depend on what type of fish you are thinking of putting in the tank.

In my Juwel 180 I had a TetraTec 1200 with African Cichlids and it did them no harm. To keep down the aggression I overstocked my tank but had sufficient level of filtering to maintain the quality of the water.

Now I have the new Rena 600 litre tank and I have a TetraTec 1200 on left of tank and a Rena Filstar XP4 on the right. It approx. turns over the water five times an hour.

Well thats my tuppence worth

Cheers

Mick

Just a point on the 1200 external.

In my opinion, its not too big. What people dont consider is the fact that a spray bar can be fitted which almost eliminates completely strong current. I'd go with a 1200, bigger the better, more biological surface area, and extra volume.

Mick makes a good point, I've a 1200 on my marines and find that the flow isn't sufficient enough to provide even half the circulation I need. As he says it entirely depends on the fish. In a community tank I assure you there would be no problem.

Any good sites of shops for 3d backgrounds some are mad money just want do get the tank right and lay everything out before a add the water.
Thanks Ross