Equipment Review and Discussion :: New 75 Gallon. Questions bout XP3 and Powersun

[WyredHardware]

doesn't an xp3 have an inlet tube and a outlet tube like all canister filters? As long as the draw tube is blow the water line it makes no difference!

[steve]

The only trouble you might encounter is if you keep both the filter and tank on the floor. Even then, it could still work though it may not be as efficient.

[kermitzaqd]

pahl,

I haven't heard that about the XP3, as long as you put the intake more than 12 inches from the top of the water it should be fine. If your tank is 120 gallon though, I would look at getting the XP4 instead, since turtles tend to create more waste, i don't think the XP3 would be as efficient for your tank.

[marisa]

I used an XP3 with the water level no where near the top and it worked fine (you don't want the water that high for turtles). To work most efficiently, the filter should be 24 inches from the water's surface (i.e., on the floor under the tank). I've used the filter with a stock tank and had it placed next to it with both on the floor and it worked OK with some modifications (shortening the tubes, for instance), but it was noisier and harder to get going.

How high a water level would you have? The filter will work better with the water higher rather than lower.

If you have a 120 gallon tank, have you considered an XP4?

[ACF&RESLOVER]

Will the Fluval 405 do the job in a 75 gallon tank?

It says it's powerful enough for a 100 gallon tank, but typically turtle tanks need filtering for twice the number of gallons. So a 75 gallon tank would need a filter powerful enough for 150 gallons.

My 20 gallon filter was not enough for my 20 gallon tank even though the tank was only 1/2 filled. I needed a second filter.

I was thinking the FX5 might be a bit of overkill, but I'd rather err on the side of too much filtering power and turning it down than too little power and having a dirty tank or having to get a second filter.

[marisa]

When it comes to turtles, it's hard to overfilter.

[ACF&RESLOVER]

So then maybe I should just go with the FX5.

The thing I am trying to avoid is getting a Fluval 405 or something similar and then finding out I need more filter than that to do a good job for a 75 gallon tank.

[DavidY]

Ooh, if you can afford it the FX5 looks like an awesome filter! Or the Rena Filstar XP4 might be a good middle choice as it's rated for 265gal. That's a little over 3x your tank size which is the recommended filtration rate for a RES tank. But the FX5 will allow you to upgrade to a bigger tank in the future too.

[ACF&RESLOVER]

The FX5 is available at a reasonable price on EBAY ($200). I never ordered something from EBAY before though.

[DavidY]

Wow, that's a good price! Just make sure the seller has a good rating like 98% or higher. Also beware of the tendency to keep bidding higher when it gets down to the last minutes. Too many times people get caught up in the bidding excitement and wind up driving the price higher than the actual retail price. I don't buy anything thats popular on ebay anymore because too many idiots out there who don't understand the process of bidding. Always set you max limit and stick to it. Don't be tempted to keep bidding higher. And don't forget to add in the shipping charges to the final cost.

[pahl]

Thanks for your input. I did think that the guy might have been a little confused whne I heard his reply! Now I know he definately was.

[ACF&RESLOVER]

Do the Fluval cannister filters work well if you only have your tank 1/2 or 3/4 full?

[steve]

Yes you can use them like that. 3/4 would be much better too.