May have found a good deal on CL

[charden]

Ok so would a single FX5 be enough? Or should I keep my HOB along with it? Ebay rocks

[signde]

i would do both hob and the fx5. should be plenty. you could get a pretty good stock level out of that.

[glenoweth]

Yeah but i would build a Spray bar for the XF5 it helps it alot! and keeps the water moving good. i posted one here. musiccitycichlids.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=diy&thread=2383&page=1

i put mine spraying down the side of the tank though so i get all the water moving at the top... love it. its on my 200gal.

[rick]

you don't need the undergravel filter. the heart of any aquarium is the filtration. i have the fx5 on my 125 gal and love it. set up is simple. i do use a power head and my tank is sparkling clear. this tank is heavily stocked w/ haps and peacocks. good luck with a steal like you got do yourself a favor and get a good filter.

[allierw]

Canisters are easy and much quieter than HOBs. Much less maintenance. Amazon has had some really good deals on FX5s lately. I got an open box FX5 for $195. Check your local Petsmart, too. They have had Rena XP4s for $160, which is a really good price. That was a few weeks ago, though.

[jon carman]

I agree with all, fx5 or make a sump. I prefer eheim, but their large one is never on sale.

[glenoweth]

yeah all the XF5s on ebay are like 199$ not bad.. just make sure the one you buy comes with all the filter media, sometimes the cheaper priced ones on ebay will be missing the media ,and filters.

[charden]

Well I passed on the deal. It was actually a plywood tank. I may just get a 125 going.

[kyangelsncorys]

no matter how hard it is to set it up the main thing is to ask around like your doing and set it up rite the first time. i have a 400 and a 280 Emperor along with a canister on my 125 witch has 18 breeder DOLPHINS and 2 spare ruby male peacocks and the water stays clear as drinking water. i got rid of ALL my under gravel filters

[charden]

Hey I got a 125 gallon. How much pool filter sand should I get and how hard wouldst be on my impellers? I plan on getting started sunday

[rickl]

How deep do you want the substrate? I haven't done anything that big, but if it were me I'd start with 2 bags and see how it goes from there.

I'm playing with PFS for the first time (I've done play sand before) and it seems to fall pretty quickly. I'd still lean towards a foam prefilter just in case, but I suspect that if your intakes were halfway up the water column then you wouldn't have many issues unless you had a malicious cichlid spitting sand right at the intake!

-Rick (the armchair aquarist, who is glad you reminded him -- he needs a foam prefilter before he moves the filter over from the fishless cycle tank to his 29!)

[ree123]

i stand to be corrected, but the foot size of a 125 is rather large. I don't know how big the bags of pool sand is that you are looking at, but I would lean towards more than 2 bags.
Maybe start with 2, but I would bet you will want more.
IMHO.

[allierw]

I usually do 2 but I don't like a thick substrate. Do 3 if you want it pretty deep. I just want enough to cover the bottom about an inch or so. If you're using canisters it will hurt your filters less. I'd put a sponge prefilter over all the intakes anyway, it will help the cloudiness clear up faster (make sure you rinse the sand first, really well). Plus those make great little cycling sponges to start up new filters.

[charden]

Well I can get 2 50lb bags of PFS for $20 bucks and I figured 100lbs should be enough. I dont want it too thick or it would develop Nitrate pockets I have heard. allierw did your PFS clean pretty easily? That was one of the main reasons for going with it is because I was told it didnt need to be rinsed as much as play sand. Also where can I get a sponge filter? lol

[oneyoda]

I put my pfs in a storage tote with a water hose and let it run till clear. Try fish.com for filter or make your own with foam from Jon and pvc.