Whats better? A canister filter or a filter that takes cartriges?

[987klb]

Just wondering...My mom says the canister filter is best..but she has a 75 gal with 2 canister filters that go up to 90 gal each, and her water is still cloudy. Her tank has been running for 6 weeks, been cloudy for 5.5 weeks..
Whats the dealio?!
And yes she has fish in it, 2 parrots fish, 7 cichlids.

[sunkenmetal]

Six weeks its most likely bacteria bloom.

A canister filter normally has all three types of filtration Mech, bio, and chemical. Canisters can be customized with different types of media to fit your critters needs.

How big is your tank?

[Mandocruz06]

maybe shes over feeding then food I have three aqua tech fliters running in my 55gl one thats 60gl and the.other two.that are 15 gls and my.water is crystal clear what does she have sand or sumthing?

[987klb]

I have a 20 gal that Im still cycling..its been 4 weeks tomorrow! I think I'm realllllyy close.
Im using a Marineland penguin Bio-wheel 330. Me likey!!

[987klb]

Yes she has sand. to me that would seem messy, but it is pretty.

[aquabee]

+1 to what sunkenmetal described. Keep the lights off for 48 hours and that cloudiness might disappear if it's due to a bacteria bloom.

You can also add filter floss or filter fiber to your filter (whether it's canister or hang-on-the-back) to trap the really fine particles. It's super cheap for a big bag of it.

[987klb]

Okay sweet! Can't wait to tell her this.. she has been going crazy. She did not know about these forums and was just asking the kids at petsmart..alot of them really don't know what to tell her.
Hope it works and hope this doesnt happen to me!

[Ca Nguyen]

wow, took the tank a while to get into bacteria bloom haha.

just in my own opinion, running redundant (multiple) filtration won't increase your bio load capacity. i think it should be more about water volume. then maybe surface area and water movement depending on your stocking, but this is oxygen content related.

if your one canister filter is rated for 90, then i would use just that plus a powerhead on the other side of the tank from the filter intake.

i like canister filter a whole bunch. but i run too many tank to afford it for every tank. my power filter of choice was the aquaclear, now the fluval C series. i'm sure many of the folks on this forum can vouch for aquaclear.

i don't think power filter is better or canister filter is better. it's whatever you prefer and fit your pocket. there are plenty models to chose from both side. both are very modular, and both have ease of use depending on models.

[987klb]

Oh ok, see I'm so new I didn't really know the canister filters were more expensive, sounds like her though, she always needs the biggest and the baddest. But cool cool, she has a 40 gal she is wanting to get rid of, if I get any good at this I might take it off her hands and try my luck with it. We shall see. thank you all for the tips! I'd be lost without it..

[imagirlgeek]

Sorry I'm late to the game, but is the cloudiness grayish, or is it greenish? I'm assuming the fish she has are smaller cichlids? How often is she cleaning her filters, and what's her process? With fish in the tank, 6 weeks seems like a long time to wait for it to clear up. I'd expect to see a cycle, then maybe a couple of mini-cycles, but seems like a long time for the initial cycle. I'm just wondering if she's doing something to cause it to continue cycling. If you have a test kit, it might be worth it to get some readings of the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

On the other hand, it could just be sand stirred up in the water. If that's the case, tossing a sponge filter in for a few hours will clear that right up.

[electricblue]

Did she clean the sand well, i have a thick layer of sand and no problem but you have to rinse it well before putting it in the tank. Sounds more like bacteria troubles to me tho.

For filters ca nguyen, is right. I love aquaclears bc of their volume that allows for media and other stuff. Penguin/marineland bio wheels also work real well but now it's just a habit of mine to add an aquaclear sponge and media to any hob i have.

[987klb]

She probably did not rinse the sand. She is so non-compliant! I read her all of these suggestions and she just doesn't try any of them..how hard is it to keep your light off for 48 hrs?! Crazy woman...Ill keep all of these suggestions in mind in case this happends to me. So thank you all! :)