I have 55 gallon fish tank. I wonder if a 330 bio wheel power filter and a skimmer would be good filtration.

You mention a skimmer, which implies you are setting up a saltwater aquarium. If this is the case, that filtration combination is in our opinion, inadequate. You should invest in a good wet-dry filter and a good protein skimmer.

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I have a 125 gal salt water tank. What is the gph rate that is needed from two pumps in my wet/dry?

We try to achieve a turnover rate of between 7 and 15 turnovers per hour, and more like 10-15 (marine fishes LOVE turbulent water movement). So, doing the math, (125 gallons X 10 = 1250, 125 X 15 = 1875), we want your pumps to move a total of between 1250 and 1875 gallons each hour. We would achieve this either with a submersible pump (the Mag 2400 or 1800 (which move 2400 gph and 1800 gph, respectively), or an outboard one (Iwaki 70RLT is best since the ceramic shaft parts will not corrode in the salt water over extended use, and it pumps a similar amount of water). In any case, do not worry that you have too much flow for the fish. They love it! However, your overflow may not be able to keep up, so you will have to experiment, and always use check valves and ball valves where appropriate.

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You replied in your FAQ to someone elses post: "In some cases for larger freshwater tanks, we would recommend using a wet-dry filter instead of an undergravel filter, but never for a 20 gallon tank." - My question is why? Is there no benefit of having a wet/dry filter for a 20 gallon tank?

Technically, there is no disadvantage to using a wet/dry filter on a small aquarium. However, in a cost/benefit analysis, it is a little overkill. Your sump capacity will be close to your tank volume, and the pump needed to overcome any head pressure is more costly than powerheads on an average undergravel system. All that aside, if someone wanted a really tricked out 20 gallon tank, it's perfectly possible.

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I have a 55 gallon with wet/dry filter. The current it puts out seems to be too strong. The fish tend to hide from it. Is there a way to control the strength of the current.

We almost always install a main pump with a double-union check valve, and then a ball valve right above the pump. This allows you to control the output to your return. Before choking the pump down, however, I might reccommend redirecting the flow (with the use of Loc-Line or a similar nozzle attachment) into something to disperse the flow. If this is a marine aquarium, I have difficulty believing that the fish are hiding from the current. If it is a freshwater aquarium, have you thought about switching to marine? Seriously, you may have too strong a pump for your application.

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I need help choosing the best possible filter system for two aquatic turtles, in a 75 gallon aquarium set up.

To handle the waste these animals produce, your best bet will be to use a pair of large canister filters, such as Magnum 350s or any of the larger Eheim models. These filters are the best ones suited for removing heavy amounts of solid waste from the water. You will also have no need for biological filtration in a turlte tank, so most other filter types will serve little purpose.

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I have a Bio-Wheel Filter and I need to know when I should replace the cartridge. Can I just rinse it off and reuse it?

If you are referring to the blue cartidge filled with carbon, you need to replace it every four weeks. Even if the blue pad does not seem very dirty, the carbon is exhausted in that period of time and will no longer have an effect. Just a note: the Bio-Wheels themselves should never require rinsing, and should not be replaced unless they are damaged.

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Can I use active carbon in my power filter and what are the benefits?

Chances are that your power filter already uses cartridges which contain activated carbon, so the answer is yes. The benefits of using carbon is that it removes impurities through a process called physical adsorption. This makes aquarium water clear and odor free.

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I have a 10 gal tank, and am planning on switching to a 20 gal. Would an eclipse system 2(200gph) filter/hood be enough filtration? If not, what do you recommend?

If you can afford it, we would vote for an undergravelfilter driven by onepowerhead, combined with a good outside power filter. This will supply all three types of filtration (biological, chemical, mechanical) in sufficient quantity.

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I have a 30 gal salt water tank with skimmer and hang-on power filter. I currently have live rock and about 8 to 10 fish. I want to gradually move into keeping coral. What kind of filtration setup would you recommend?

Honestly, assuming your skimmer is the best one you can afford, very little supplementary filtration is required in an aquarium of that size. That is not to say that nothing is needed. There should be a layer of 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of high grade live sand--and some animals to keep this layer mixed, such as various gobies, jawfish, stars, and others. Water movement within the aquarium should be vigorous, with the use of powers heads, or even a surge device. For lighting, you must have at least 3-5 Watts per gallon, or 90 to 150 Watts (this is a minimum, and you can go as high as 7 or even 10 Watts/gallon, assuming you can both fit the fixture above the aquarium, and keep the water temperature stable with a chiller/heater and thermostat). If you wish to keep small polyped stony corals (or SPS corals), such as Pocillipora, for instance, Metal Halide lighting produces excellent results. Lastly, corals need Calcium in order to grow, so a reef does well when maintained at at least 400 ppm Ca++. You can use a Kalkwasser drip and dosing pump, or a Calcium Reactor for this.

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I'm converting a currently established freshwater aquarium into a marine aquarium (60 gallon hex tank). I am currently running an eheim 2215 canister filter other then adding a protein skimmer is it absolutely necessary for me to get a wet/dry filter or can I just use my eheim (going to be a fish based tank with some live rock). I'm just not ready at the moment to shell out the additional couple of hundred dollars for a wet/dry if I can get away with using my eheim canister instead. Thanks.

I would actually not use the Eheim at all. The investment for the wet/dry is well worth it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad financial news, but the money you save in not replacing fish will make up for it in a short while.

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Frequent Aquarium Questions