Advice Needed

[mtxy]

Hi all,

I am a newbie. Own it to my 6 mth old daughter who seems to enjoy watching fishes, I recently bought a beginner freshwater tank setup to amuse her.

My 2wks old setup comes with:

1.5ft tank, hangon filter, light, fan, disposable can CO2 & diffuser, some water plant/moss, tetras, shrimps n cordy.

Water Condition:

Temp: 26 - 28
PH: 6.5 - 7

Observation: Water looks quite clear but filter appears to be weak.

Question: Will canister filter be an overkill? What would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

[oblivion]

Canister will be fine I suppose. I asked the same question before myself on suitability of canister on small 1.5ft tank haha.
Depends on the size and flowrate.
Will recommend the Eden501 (which was in turn recommended to me by forum bros). I'm using one on my 1.5ft tank as well and its working great. Very silent and flow seems just nice (using the packaged rainbar). Fishes and shrimps not having a problem with the current.

It has the accessories and media packaged in. Easy to install and handle.
Small in size and not bulky.
You might find it a bit pricey though at SGD 50+
Not sure you may want such an investment considering the tank is for your baby's amusement (correct me if i'm wrong)

Or you can consider getting a more powerful hangon if you think your current one is weak. What model of hangon you using now?

Other old bird bros can probably help you more on advising.
I'm quite newbie as well. Just sharing what little I know.

[mtxy]

Thanks lee1224 for the info.

Actually, I have two canister filters (given by my friends) - Eheim & Atinan. They look small size but not sure about the model or suitability for 1.5ft tank ie. current/flow rate.

My current hangon didn't look impressive to me, not to mention the brand. It comes with minimum filter medium. Alternatively, I am looking to get Eheim liberty 150. Not sure if this is more appropriate than canister. Guess more advice from experienced ones here will definitely helps.

[oblivion]

Thanks lee1224 for the info.

Actually, I have two canister filters (given by my friends) - Eheim & Atinan. They look small size but not sure about the model or suitability for 1.5ft tank ie. current/flow rate.

My current hangon didn't look impressive to me, not to mention the brand. It comes with minimum filter medium. Alternatively, I am looking to get Eheim liberty 150. Not sure if this is more appropriate than canister. Guess more advice from experienced ones here will definitely helps.

You can give the model of your 2 canisters? That will help the forummers in ID and advise on their suitability.
Since you are just keeping small fish and shrimps, you don't need too big a canister filter. the flow will just create a big whirlpool and you'll see the fauna hiding or having difficulty with the current.

for 1.5ft, something around the flowrate of about 300L/hr shoud do quite nicely.

any other bros advise?

[mtxy]

Thanks friend.. Trial and error with my Eheim (model 2213) with flowrate 440L/hr last evening. Definitely too powerful for the tank and resulted in a mess. Switch back to my hangon. 3 of the shrimps died this morning. *sigh*..
Decided to get a better hangon instead.

[valice]

What is the filter media you used in your 2213? Using rainbar? Height relative to the top of your tank?

If you pack your canister with media, 2213 should be just nice for 1.5ft in my opinion...

[cheetf]

Thanks friend.. Trial and error with my Eheim (model 2213) with flowrate 440L/hr last evening. Definitely too powerful for the tank and resulted in a mess. Switch back to my hangon. 3 of the shrimps died this morning. *sigh*..
Decided to get a better hangon instead.

You can still buy one of the eheim valves and reduce the flow a bit. I used to run a 2213 in a 1.5ft tank connected thru a chiller with minimal turbulence. Just aim the rainbar against the glass slightly upwards.

[mtxy]

Thanks for all your inputs. Starting as an amature, I will stick to a beginner's setup 1st.
Any recommendation (brand/model) on hangon filter with adequate/good filter medium for my setup?

[hirowen]

I am using ocean free, so far so good, but i stuff my own filter media inside, haha!

[juggler]

Thanks for all your inputs. Starting as an amature, I will stick to a beginner's setup 1st.
Any recommendation (brand/model) on hangon filter with adequate/good filter medium for my setup?

I think a Eheim Liberty 100 should be sufficient as well from the technical specifications. I used that for my 1.5ft tank as well.

I prefer the quality of Eheim Liberty. I feel it is safe because in case of power shutdown, there's still water retained in the filter which can restart once once the power turns on. They are other cheap makes of hang-on filter where the water drains out during power outage and can't restart without help. This may cause the filter to overheat and "burn".

[gambit9]

My very first 1.5ft tank, I had in my office also uses a Eheim Liberty 100. It is a good and realiable filter, easy to clean and replace it filter.

I always trust Eheim filters. Probably I am being biased. My current 4ft setup is also using a Eheim.