Habitat - Indoor :: Filter question.

[Rubicon]

Ok I have a fluval 4+ for my 55gallon tank. It keeps the water clean but I'm sure I need something else. What would be a good addition to the 4+??

[Rubicon]

So a fluval 4+ is good for a 55gallon tank. w00t!

[BullDog]

Well, by my calculations, the 4+ is circulating the water in your 55 just short of 5x per hour, which is perfect! The only thing is that I don't think the 4+ has room for extra media (no room for biomedia), but that doesn't mean the good bacteria can't accumulate.
As long as you keep your ammonia level down when you do a water change, and you keep an eye on your nitrates, then the 4+ is just fine if you're happy with it

[Rubicon]

Is there a certain filter that filters biomedia?

[octpusgirl8]

Canister filters are the way to go, they have lots of room for all 3 kinds of filter media. The 4+ circulates the water well, but it doesn't do a lot of filtering. If your water quality is good, I suppose it's working fine for your tank. Do you test the water quality?

[Rubicon]

Nope never have. I just use that stuff that's supposed to break down chlorine and stuff when adding water.

[marisa]

The 4+ is the internal filter? If so, I think it says on the box it's good for a tank up to 56 gallons...and that's for a fish tank. It's really inadequate as the primary filter in a tank the size you have. At some point you're going to need a better filter, and a canister would be the way to go.

[untsmurf]

I agree that canister filters are great for larger tanks. When i had my 55, I used a Rena XP3, it did wonders for the tank.

I would recommend heading to the store and getting a water test kit. They're cheap and very easy to use. I test my water once a month.

[Rubicon]

How would a Eheim 2213 work with the Fluval 4+. I figure the 4+ could pickup the larger stuff and the 2213 would work great for everything else.

Also what do water test kits test for?

[untsmurf]

Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, softness/hardness, pH, chlorine, and alkalinity.

I think that should work just fine.