What filter media arrangement should I use in my FX5? I have 2 Adult Red Eared Sliders in an 125G (72x18x22) aquarium filled 16" high w/ water.
928456
Bottom tray put bio balls filled with sponge and bio rings with 1 blue fine filter pad, middle try you can put 1 bag of fluval carbon or a better way to go is more bio balls, top try put pre filter rings, if you get micro bubbles turn down the outlet valve until they go away.
928457
Hi, I would assume those have just as high a bioload as the Comet Goldfish I have. The FX5 comes with three media baskets. I use Seachem Matrix in the bottom and middle tier. In the top tier I have crushed coral and floss, but you can also put Matrix in that basket as well, but leave more room for floss and the blue Fluval filter for mechanical filtration. I also wrap the outter foam with fine-filtering cloth cut to size for filtering fine particles. The higher surface area of the foam on the outside of the baskets is better than a fine pad on the inside which can result in cavitation and fine bubbles being dispersed from output nozzle. Hope this helps. BTW, I did my research and Seachem Matrix out-performed regular ceramic media.
928458
I would also suggest the Matrix biomedia from Seachem as well. I have Oscars which are probably just as messy as your turtles when they eat. I put the Matrix in the top 3 baskets, with the top basket halfway filled so as to accomodate a charcoal bag. Also , I use a floss polishing pad in the bottom basket, but the blue coarse pad might be a better fit to capture the larger particles the turtles might create .
928459
I would probably double up on the carbon media. It'll help with the smell and clarity. Hope that helps.
928460
Best arrangement for Sliders is to have the bottom two baskets and half the top basket filled with biomedia (any kind of ceramic rings will work well). On top of the bio media in the top basket a bag of carbon and a bag of purigen, and on top of that the blue filter pad. I have used this media stack for about 1.5 years without cleaning, and the water is still perfect. I have 1 adult RES in a 75 gallon tank. See this thread http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t;=30145
1467247
hi . ours works excellent on a 75 gal tank , excellent so i imagine two would be great just dont overfeed and do regular water changes , definately use the uv when putting in new fish ! add a few bubblers we use the lighted underwater bubblers 24 inches and of course all depends on freshwater or saltwater tank , we use ours on africans and discus tanks , its a super quiet and very efficient filter sherry
81297
I am using in the top basket: Fluval Universal Filter Media Bags - one filled with ammonia remover and another with activated carbon. The second basket: Seachem Purigen in a Seachem Filter Media bag (very fine mesh able to contain the Purigen) and in the 3rd basket: Seachem Matrix Bio Media in the bottom, I have an 125gal tank and this works well for me.
245875
You need to replace the sponges IMMEDIATELY with a better filter medium. Look through the reviews and you will find what to use. Otherwise this is a great, quiet little filter for very small aquariums.
752979
There are 3 sizes for filters for different size filter systems. I bought the large, it fits my Aqueon Quiet flow 50. I had a smaller tank and with that a smaller filter system and that system took the medium cartridges. You can search on your filter system for it's size or model number then search online for the right size filter. Good Luck
2022346
Well thats what I do now. I used to run the ammonia stones alone but when I saw that Marineland sells it already mixed I started to mix my own. You just have to wing it as to how much you need. Quantity of fish would be a factor. I have a Magnun 250 & mix apx 2/3 charcoal & 1/3 Ammonia stones. You can slice the filter open & reuse it or get a Magnum. Its worth it! http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-PC0250HSB-H-O-T-Filter-Magnum/dp/B000260FVQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1428698231&sr=1-1&keywords=magnum+250
296656
I have a 150g set up with two canister filters. I have two of these, one on each filter.
1158523
it depends on the load on the filters. i have two large cichlids that are housed in a 125 gal aquarium and mostly feed them live minnows. the pellets seem to be alot of waste because when they eat them about half escapes out their gills and mouth. monitor your aquarium regularly withe a test kit. this will help you get a feel of how often you need to change carbon and zeolite media if that is what your going to use. love the penn-plax filters best bang for your bucks!
2262483
Make sure to check the dimensions of your existing aquarium to ensure this will fit in it, but otherwise it "should work. I'm always a fan of having a little extra filtration capacity, since if the filter is rated for 15 gallons (as this one is) that's assuming its clean and operating normally. Getting the PF25 would give you a little extra filtration and flow in your tank. Those are just my thoughts. I really liked the idea and concept of this filter and it seemed to work fine for me, I just couldn't get it to fit under my aquarium shroud, so I ended up returning and got a secondary fiter to support the primary one. UV is definitely a good thing for your aquarium though!
81299
I realize you are looking to keep turtles but the absolute beauty of this very large canister filter, is you can fill it with whatever you want to. It really depends on whatever you are keeping. Since I keep only very large fancy goldfish in a 125 gallon tank (messy critters that they are) I am using in the top basket: Fluval Universal Filter Media Bags - one filled with ammonia remover and another with activated carbon. The second basket: Seachem Purigen in a Seachem Filter Media bag (very fine mesh able to contain the Purigen) and in the 3rd basket: Seachem Matrix Bio Media in the bottom canister covered with filter pad cut to fit the circle shape of the basket. Hope this helps somewhat! I realize you are looking to keep turtles but the absolute beauty of this very large canister filter, is you can fill it with whatever you want to. It really depends on whatever you are keeping. Since I keep only very large fancy goldfish in a 125 gallon tank (messy critters that they are) I am using in the top basket: Fluval Universal Filter Media Bags - one filled with ammonia remover and another with activated carbon. The second basket: Seachem Purigen in a Seachem Filter Media bag (very fine mesh able to contain the Purigen) and in the 3rd basket: Seachem Matrix Bio Media in the bottom... » Read More I realize you are looking to keep turtles but the absolute beauty of this very large canister filter, is you can fill it with whatever you want to. It really depends on whatever you are keeping. Since I keep only very large fancy goldfish in a 125 gallon tank (messy critters that they are) I am using in the top basket: Fluval Universal Filter Media Bags - one filled with ammonia remover and another with activated carbon. The second basket: Seachem Purigen in a Seachem Filter Media bag (very fine mesh able to contain the Purigen) and in the 3rd basket: Seachem Matrix Bio Media in the bottom canister covered with filter pad cut to fit the circle shape of the basket. Hope this helps somewhat! « Show Less
1853539
Actually for turtles is 3x. Good fish are also extra dirty so 2x is recommended so in a 65 gallon tank this filter would be more than atiquite
1948774
Not sure as all the media I needed was included on the one I purchased. That may be a question to direct to the seller to find out what media is missing, the one I bought was not missing any media and was ready to put together fairly easily. I have bought media since this time frame such as the bio media but that was much later. If you are buying media just make sure it is for this filter as the fit is perfect if you do that, if not you may have to manually adjust and that could be a headache.
2177525
I agree with the others the fx6 is a great filter, but it is still necessary to do frequent water changes. No filter will do that for you.
244010
I use it in a 175 tub for a 10" red eared slider turtle, I works well. I use it as pre-filter and a pond 2 gallon sealed barrel bio filter as a polish filter, and a pond pump.
309066
I am using that model on a 55 gallon along with a fluval fx5 under the tank which is supreme overkill but it works great. I like this filter because it is easy to remove and replace media and is better constructed than most and is quiet as well. It is worth a few extra bucks for the quality alone and it has been working great for the past months in my r artificial reef setup. I use two main filters on all my tanks but that is just me.
1638963
I used the Tetra filter in a 20-gal tank when my yellow-bellied slider was a hatchling for about the first year, but when he got to about 8 inches I had to switch to a larger (75 gal) pond so the only thing that can handle that is the Aquaclear 70 Power Filter I now use. Much less work in keeping the water clear and he loves the swimming space.
1468625
So most everyone sees these bubbles as a problem? I miss them having switched from a pair of simple power filters. I have the eHeim intake on one end of the tank and the output dumping down into a bubble wand for a long strand of lots of bubbles. The fish - tetras, mollies, platys, loahces - tend to congregate on the intake side of the tank. Not cool?