What type of filter should I buy?

Question

I'm going to get a 75 gallon tank with 1 largemouth bass and 1 crappie in it. I know this will be a large bioload. What kind of filter do you recommend, canister, power, undergravel, U.V. Sterilizer, Etc., Etc. I think the most commonly used for this size of tank is canister. Is this the best type. After you choose best type, please give me specific name brands and model. I am definetly not going to spend more that $150 on a filter. Thanks!

Answer 1

Canister filters in high bio-load situations are a pain to maintain. One way to simplify the cleaning process is to get a honkin' big sponge and use it as a prefilter,(over the canister intake) canister cleaning goes to zero. There is a brand of sponge filter called Hydro Sponge that I have used in this capacity for years,and only clean the canister filters when I move,(once in the last ten years).
In this system the canister becomes the bio-filter only and the sponge catches the crap. I clean the sponge at every water change, by siphoning about half a bucket full of water and rinsing and repeating. If you do this at every water change it is not that big a deal.
With the money you save on a smaller canister you can get a large Aqua-clear to provide some redundancy in case of some sort of system failure.
As to specific brands, I can't help you much there,mine are quite old,and certainly there have been improvements since I bought them. My large canister filters are the large Fluvals,and they weren't the best available when I bought them,but by using the prefilter idea I've made them last a very long time,and they're still working.

Answer 2

canister, i have a 2 LG mouth bass and the load is alot, power filters will not be able to get all of the solid waste.

I have a fuval 405 and a fuval 404 on my bass tank.

You also cant go wrong with an ehiem pro 2 or pro 3 series.

UV sterilzers wont remove the waste it will just kill spores in the water.

Answer 3

id use a 2 prong attack.. use a canister filter 80-100 gal .. Marineland makes a Magnum Pro.. or a Rena Filster... in addition use a Rainbow Lifegard Fluidized Bed Filter to keep debris buildup to a minimum..

the extra filtration will cut down on filter changes.. and also provide more cleaning for the aquatic life.. make sure to have a good gravel/sand base.. with the river based fishes.. make sure to have a good power jet to oxygenation of the water too.. less chemicals are better.. let the tank stabalize and cycle before adding the fish.. Good luck!

Answer 4

You should try getting the biggest size filter you can with your budget. Try Getting a canister filter and point it going from one side of the aquarium of your tank and this will give your fish plenty of swimming time!!

Answer 5

i was in aquotic science last year and in our lab we had a 65 or 75 gallon tank with two largemouths in it. and to tell you the truth for the whole year we used two penguin hang on bio wheel filters. the fish were fine the whole year and the water was crystal clear. it may not be what your looking for but its a cheap idea.