XP3 enough for a 55?

[cameracorpus]

Thanks folks. My Cascade 700 doesn't clog or slow down much, I think it just bypasses. Actually isn't a bad filter all in all. Just for a much smaller tank.

I'm leaning towards a wet/dry. More fun to create something. And there are enough videos on the net, that's for sure! I've got plenty of small tanks laying around so it seems like a natural.

[rage]

If the flow drops or if you have to clean the filter out more often, is it not an indication of the filter working real well?
On the other hand, if you never or rarely have to clean it, does it not mean it is not doing its job?

[cichlid1409]

IMO if your filter is getting clogged and you have to clean it out very often its an indication that you should add more filtration.

[cameracorpus]

I agree. Or sell some fish, one of the two.

[Complexity]

My XP3 flows like crazy. I usually clean it once every 2 months but my flow has never slowed or stopped.

I have 1 XP1, 2 XP2s, and 3 XP4s. My biggest problem is having too much flow! Granted, I have dual canisters on my tanks (for example, I have 2 XP4s on my 90g), but that doesn't affect the force of the water coming out. I have to use flow controls to reduce it. The good thing is that the flow is strong enough to allow me to use multiple intakes on each canister AND run large UV sterilizers and CO2 reactors inline with them.

I clean the canisters once every 3-6 months. Most of my XPs are running on heavily planted tanks with large fish loads.

So I have no idea why people are having problems with their XPs losing flow. That is the very opposite of my experience with the 6 XPs I'm running.

If the flow drops or if you have to clean the filter out more often, is it not an indication of the filter working real well?
On the other hand, if you never or rarely have to clean it, does it not mean it is not doing its job?

Yup! If the crud can just blow right through the filter and back into the tank, then there is nothing being trapped to clog the filter. I know that my XP4 traps far more crud than my Eheim Pro II 2128 on the very same tank, but the initial flow is also weaker on the Eheim. It's just not as powerful a filter as the XP4.