Aquatic Plant Central - Equipment

Fluval FX5 v. Filstar XP3(4) v. eheim 2280

Kypros — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:52:59 GMT

I am setting up a new 75 gallon tank that will be heavily planted, and am looking for a canister for it. I have been very happy with the reliability of the Eheim 2215 I have on my 29 gallon heavily planted tank, but wish I had more flow. I have not been super happy with a fluval 205 I am running on a 20 gallon tank-it clogs regularly.
I am considering the Fluval FX5 or Filstar XP3(or4) v. or eheim 2280 for my new tank. Are those filters too powerful for that size tank (I like to overfilter and will be running a inline heater and co2 reactor)? I really like the idea of the dual outlets and pumping feature of the fx5, the price of the Filstars and the famed reliability of the Eheim.

advice on this age old question is greatly appreciated.

Water repair series: colonize

Qwertus — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:08:26 GMT

Not sure if this fits under this section but I'm wondering if anyone try this product from drsfostersmith.com:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=16760

It' suppose to contain bacteria for freshwater and saltwater aquariums that can give you jump start. The reason for it because a friend of mine lives in another state wants to start an aquarium so this would give him a faster start.

will hydor eth 300w heater heat a 75 gallon tank?

Kypros — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:43:15 GMT

I have a hydor eth 200w in line heater on my 29 gallon tank and absolutely love it. Its not in the tank, its very accurate and heats the whole tank evenly despite when I let my plants get to be a jungle. The 300w Eth says its rated up to 80 gallons. Does anybody have experience using this heater on a 75 gallon tank- in other words, will it actually be able to heat 75 gallon tank which seems at the high end of its rating?
thanks

Help, setting-up Marineland timer

Ahura-sama — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:46:10 GMT

There's only one model by Marineland.

I just got it and the instruction is worthless. Which arrow?? There TWO of them ffs.
Someone w/ the same timer plz tell me how to set this thing up.

What I know so far: black area is night, white area is day and each grey click is 15 min.

Rena xp1 (need help!)

eiginh — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:21:21 GMT

I set up my rena xp1 without cutting the proper measurements with the hoses. Now it's too long and bending so I did some adjustments so it wouldn't bend and reduce the flow. How do I get all the water out from hose and how do I unplug the hoses from the quick disconnect valve?

Thanks!

ADA 75P vs Oceanic Illuminati

citadel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:51:42 GMT

Any thoughts?

The ADA 75P is ~ $299 and the Oceanic Illuminati is about the same.

The Oceanic is about 10 gallons more at 57 gallons as well...

Help on CO2 drop checker

DUHK — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:30:23 GMT

How long does it take for your CO2 drop checker to synchronize? I bought a glass drop checker on ebay and after that I put the Sumo drop checker solution half full in the checker. It's been over a day now and my solution still is blue. I've dosed excel and yet it hasnt changed. Am I doing something wrong? What can I do?

milwaukee regulator

Mhappy — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:05:57 GMT

does anyone have a broken milwaukee regulator I could get an internal piece from?

Cheap Canister Filters

Kamon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:19:51 GMT

Title says it all. I'd really like to upgrade to a canister filter, but don't want to drop a load of cash to get one.

Any filters for $50-70?

8,000k vs 10,000k or one of each?

fishnvw — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:52:17 GMT

Title says it all. I am just planing ahead. 25 gallon tall tank 2 compact flourecent 21 inch 55 watt bulbs. I used this on my old reef so it has a reef setup for the bulbs there's a 10,000k and a combo 50/50. So since the bulbs are old I'm going to buy new ones anyway. So should I do just one or two and should I do 8,000k or 10,000k or one of each? I will probably read on the subject untill my eyes bleed. But I figured I should ask as well. Thank you.

Tap Water Filter

Mattatbest — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:12:11 GMT

anyone ever use this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...84&pcatid=4484 ? im getting tired of hauling 5 gallon jugs from the water store and this is a pretty cheap product and would make things alot easier for me.

HI 98129 calibration

Glaucus — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:24:05 GMT

I cant seem to calibrate the HI 98129 (pH/EC/TDS/Temperature device).

To get to calibration mode one is supposed to press the 'mode' button twice. Instead of displaying either the bufferset or pH USE, pressing mode twice turns off the instrument. Anyone know how to properly do this?

These are the actual instructions:

• From measurement mode, press and hold /
MODE until TEMP and the current temperature unit
are displayed on the lower LCD (E.g. TEMP �C).
• Press the /MODE button again to show the (<< at this point the instrument turns off).
current buffer set: pH 7.01 BUFF (for pH 4.01/
7.01/10.01) or pH 6.86 BUFF (for NIST set, pH
4.01/6.86/9.18

Calibration procedure
From measurement mode, press and hold the /
MODE button until CAL is displayed on the lower
LCD. Release the button. The LCD will display pH
7.01 USE or pH 6.86 USE (if you have selected the
NIST buffer set)

Generic Sub pump as 2213's inflow mouth

Ahura-sama — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:49:53 GMT

Like title. I plan to have a Generic submersed pump as the inflow instead of Eheim's standard stick. My concern is that would the pump interfere w/ the filtration??

Pic of pump and its guard/filter.

Thanks

Problem with SMS 122 pH meter

mjhardt — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:10:31 GMT

I am a marine biologist working out of a remote field station on the North Coast of Jamaica on some experiments that are using Milwaukee SMS122 pH Meters and the MA957 CO2 regulators to control pH in our tanks. We got 4 brand new units of the SMS 144 and the MA 957 and two of the SMS122 units are not working (the two good ones work with all regulators, so we know the regulator is not the problem). The alarm light goes on when the pH goes above the set point, but the solenoid is not turned on so no CO2 kicks in. This is a MAJOR problems and we cannot get another supply here quickly... does anyone know of a quick fix to this issue or what may be going on? Any help would be really welcomed.
Thanks so much,

Marah

has anyone run a rio hyperflow externally?

glen_c — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:10:23 GMT

i know not everyone favors rio, but i wanted to ask the question since i already have it. i have a rio 6hf and i'm thinking of making a canister type filter to replace my wet/dry and it would be easier to run a pump on the outside. i was curious to know if this is possible with my rio 6hf. i can't seem to google my answer.