Canister filter question

wellington

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no doubt my opinion is based on anecdotal evidence .... i use to monitor my water parameters , it's been a decade or two since i've done that ..... i just found what works and assume it will always work ....... a pond where i live , especially a small pond needs a proportionally large efficient nitrification process as the water temperature is under 65 degrees most of the year , the nitrification process is at best 50% , probably more like 30-40% efficient .......... very different in a tropical fish aquarium where at 80 degrees it's probably 80% efficient ........ i have gone along with the assumption if it works in a 250 gallon cold water pond with four 8-9" adult turtles , it must work anywhere ........ we've had 40-50 degree nights this week , i don't monitor the pond temperatures very often anymore either , i bought one of those test kits today , should get it wednesday , be interesting to see what i think but really don't know ....... when i vaccuum the ponds it draws the water down , when i replace the water it stirs the "sludge" from under the ug filter , i'll try to test the water after i do that ...... should be a good indication as the water in the ponds is pretty cool right now , the nitrification process is pretty inefficient right now .....
Used to have a 1000 gallon pond. One turtle RES and mix of koi and gold fish. Used a simple drum filter with appropriate sized pump. Always clean except before the plants took hold. Then I had a fight with algae as it was in sun all day.
 

MenagerieGrl

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With the fluval filters, you can adjust the water flow with the valve at the hose disconnect at the canister. It is meant to be adjustable flow. With the 407 you will get more filter media and you can reduce the flow. Should work well.
Well, If your adjusting the flow down, on a Fluval 407, Just buy a 307, since the flow will be reduced, so will the amount of water filtration, the only caviat with the 407 over the 307 would be possibly an extended period of time at which it would have to be shut down for cleaning...
 

Lrodmyre

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I have 2 diamondback terrapins in 120 gallon black trough. I have a fluval fx6 that I love! It is totally biological. I can adjust the size of the flow, and adjust where I want the flow to go on both hoses. Love this filter! My water is crystal clear all the time. I say the bigger the better, but in saying that, I do know musk turtles are very small so my suggestion is get as big as you think you can. No matter what, turtles are messy.
 

MenagerieGrl

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I have 2 diamondback terrapins in 120 gallon black trough. I have a fluval fx6 that I love! It is totally biological. I can adjust the size of the flow, and adjust where I want the flow to go on both hoses. Love this filter! My water is crystal clear all the time. I say the bigger the better, but in saying that, I do know musk turtles are very small so my suggestion is get as big as you think you can. No matter what, turtles are messy.
And another suggestion is to spread the discharge out, so it is not as forceful in one area/direction....
 

Okapizebra

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I've been keeping fish for nearly 15 years and I have to say, I also strongly dislike UG filters. I also think canister filters are a huge pain to keep clean. I personally use sponge filters and HOBs as my primary filtration. For my musk turtle Oscar's 40 breeder, I run an aquaclear 70 plus a small internal filter rated for 20 gallons (just for a little extra water movement on the other side of the tank). Always crystal clear with good water quality. I also religiously do a big water change every week. Hope this helps :)
 

Bubblesmom

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Has anyone had experience with a Fluval 407 canister filter?

My razor backed musk turtle is in a 40 gallon breeder tank with a Fluval 207, which just isn't up to the task.
I HAD coupled it with an under gravel filter, using a powerhead (Marine Land Maxi Jet Pro) to pull the water through the under gravel plate, but the powerhead created a tremendous current rushing though the whole tank, and both Nelson and the fish struggled, so I took out the powerhead. Of course,I then lost that extra filtration. I reduced the water volume to about 2/3 to try and help the filter, but my water quality is embarrassing. And the algae is happy, but I'm not.☹️

I'm thinking of trying a Fluval 407, but I don't know if that's too much current for a 40 gallon breeder?
I'm also thinking of adding a couple of HOB filters with plants in them for added biological filtration.
Opinions are welcome. :)
I have a map in a 55 gallon tank. At first I had a hob rated for a 75 gallon and a couple of internal filters… wasn’t doing the job. So I broke down and ordered a Penn Plax Cascade 1200… and that was the best decision I’ve made in a while… so far! It wasn’t that expensive on Amazon… around $190 including tax and s&h… I spent that on the 3 filters I had began with. I do t know anything about the Fluval but I do know it would be worth the expense of that cascade filter. It’s easy setup and very quiet.. it’s in my living room and I don’t even know it’s there. The 1200 comes with 4 trays so you can put lots of media … which of course, keeps your tank in top notch shape. So, just a thought before spending money on the hob filters.
 

Moozillion

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I have a map in a 55 gallon tank. At first I had a hob rated for a 75 gallon and a couple of internal filters… wasn’t doing the job. So I broke down and ordered a Penn Plax Cascade 1200… and that was the best decision I’ve made in a while… so far! It wasn’t that expensive on Amazon… around $190 including tax and s&h… I spent that on the 3 filters I had began with. I do t know anything about the Fluval but I do know it would be worth the expense of that cascade filter. It’s easy setup and very quiet.. it’s in my living room and I don’t even know it’s there. The 1200 comes with 4 trays so you can put lots of media … which of course, keeps your tank in top notch shape. So, just a thought before spending money on the hob filters.
Thanks so much! I’ll definitely check it out!
 

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