Habitat - Indoor :: Should I upgrade my filter?

[kamekichi]

Howdy crew!

Um, I'm going to make a confession. The filter I bought when I upgraded to my 60 gallon tank was not 2x the recommended strength for my tank, as I know you guys advise, and I believe I'm paying the price for it. Algae is gunking up the tubing, which I'm having to replace more and more frequently. I have a Rena Filstar XP1/S. I am thinking I should get the XP3/L - or should I go larger? The cabinet that came with the tank won't hold a bigger filter so I'll have to put it in front of the cabinet on the ground and wire the tubing through the cabinet hole - will that work OK? How often do you guys find yourselves replacing filters, tubing, etc? I am trying to figure out if the problems I'm having are solely due to the small filter or if there's something else I should look out for before I run out to replace it. Thanks!

[devilduck]

That's a known problem with Filstars and their translucent tubing. I get gunk/algae build up in mine but I never had a issue with it building up to the point of clogging the filter. I think the problem maybe your filter is getting clogged, thus slowing the flow which causes the tubing to clog easier.

I've never replaced the tubing, sponges or biomedia. I've been using them for six years. I rinse those out in a bucket of tank water once every couple of months. I use Purigen and carbon which is replaced/regenerated every filter cleaning.

It's a good idea to step up to a larger filter. I think the XP1 is too small for a 60g. If you like the Filstar design step up the the largest one you can afford and have room for. Don't forget that you can run both the new filter and the old one at the same time for extra filtration.

[steve]

I'd be tempted to use the XP3 because you'd have spare parts on hand.

[kamekichi]

Thanks for the swift responses guys. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's had issues. So I bought the XP3/L but haven't had a chance to set it up yet. I tried to get the XP1 to go strong for me for a few more days until I can set XP3 up Friday. I've been having to clean it out almost every two weeks now. I just recently replaced the microfiltration and this is what it looked like today:



There was also the brown gunk (I'm guessing algae, just like what's in the tube) and I couldn't seem to get it to prime for me. I'm guessing it's clogging like you say, devilduck. Am I doing something wrong or is it just the underpowered filter? I am going to reread VeipaCray's algae management thread before I set up the new filter. Also, should I do a 100% water change before setting up the new filter? How often do you guys do those in big tanks? Smaller ones? I want to make sure I make this filter last so I want to correct any mistakes in my turtle care before I set it up.

[VeipaCray]

It's best not to do a 100% change unless something is WAY wrong or you need to remove chemicals or meds from the tank. You're better doing smaller more frequent water changes to get your parameters in check.

You shouldn't use that microfilter pad in a turtle tank. It clogs / gunks up way too fast. See this for filter media setup in an XP3; viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145#p288911

With a proper filter and the correct media setup, your water changes are dictated by the nitrates. You do water changes to keep the nitrate levels in check. A proper filter will do the rest.

[kamekichi]

Thank you VC, I bet that microfiltration pad was a big part of my problem. So even though I already have an algae buildup in the tank, don't do a full water change? I am going to scrub down the decorations and such - is there anything else I should do regarding the algae before starting the new filter?

[steve]

Do you have any bio media in there? I'd probably do a full cleaning, but retain your bio media.

[VeipaCray]

Algae is there because it has two things food and light. If the tank isn't in direct sunlight, you might try cutting back your basking bulb an hour or so per day until the algae is under control.

As for removing food... you want a lot of bio media in that filter. Turtles produce a lot of waste which means a lot of ammonia. The bio media will provide space for the nitrifying bacteria to colonize and consume the ammonia and nitrite. Once the bio filtration is established and your tank is cycled.... the water changes will keep the nitrate levels from going off the charts and will slowly get your algae problem under control. It probably won't happen overnight with the new filter.

The other possible food source for algae is phosphates in the water. If you read the algae control thread you'll see a few things you can do to control phosphates. Do you have phosphates in your tank? YES. Do you have a lot where this could be the cause of the algae? You need a test kit to answer that.

IF you get a phosphate test kit... test your source water too. If you're using tap water that's high in phosphates then every water change you do is just replenishing the algae's food source.

[kamekichi]

Thanks for the help guys. I do have BioChem Stars (Rena's Biomedia) so I'll add it into the new filter. I couldn't find a phosphate test locally, so I'm going to get one offline. I read your algae control thread and am going to try and stay on top of the food factor. Thanks again.

[ataraxiamb]

What are all of the components of a canister filter? I hear about biomedia, etc. How different a creature and how many more elements are there than my simple in-tank filter that I just change pads on?

[VeipaCray]

This thread explains canister filters and their media: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

[PridgNYC]

This thread explains canister filters and their media: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

I can vouch for the filter loading recommendation of the FX5. I'm using one on a 75 gallon tank and I haven't touched it since I set it up a year and a half ago. The only thing I have done is add water to the tank every couple weeks. Frankly I am now a little afraid of opening the filter, it's got to be bio central in there by now, but it is still working, flow is good and the tank is clean. Can't really complain about the level of maintenance Jordtim requires. Feed him every couple days and add water every couple weeks. Doesn't get any easier than that. YMMV, but the more canister filtration capacity you have the longer you can go between cleaning it.

[slider_keeper]

I can second that! I run two FX5's on a 150 gal and they rarely need cleaning. I will only open them to replace the carbon if water perimeters get a little out of range. But since setting up the tank and the filters I haven't had to open them up. Water perimeters are settled nicely. One of the FX5s is new got setup with the tank, and the other one is the filter that maintained his old 40 gal tank. When I moved it over to the 150 gal I didn't even open it up to cycle the tank faster. I even moved the water from the 40 gal over to help with the cycling. The tank cycled fast like less then a week if that long! I'd have to say after using quite a few filters thru the years. The FX5 is worth every penny. In fact the old FX5 is 6 years old and going strong like day one when I got it in the mail. I will open it up sometime in the near future to see what it looks like. To be honest I don't know the last time I opened it up. But then again I can't remember too much anymore, anyway! I believe, when I ordered the first one way back when, it cost less than $200. When I ordered the second one last year, in preparation of building a bigger tank (wanted to build the 500 gal, but no funds), I paid $200 on Amazon. Heck, I ordered the first one on Amazon. I you can wait and look on the internet you will find a FX5 for about $200. And that is a steal for such a powerful filter. Like mentioned before this filter can hold a lot of media.

[VeipaCray]

Yeah it's hard to beat the FX5 esp. considering it's online price. It's a solid workhorse. The very large eheim filters are technically better than the FX5, but they are 2-3X the price and no where near 2-3X better.