For a 55 gal. Freshy tank......cannister filter or the waterfall kind??

+1 on Seachems Matrix. Very good stuff. This stuff as advertised, makes up a lot of ground for tanks lacking the proper amount of live rock.

 

I definitely vote canister type filter. Ive used canisters for all my freshwater tanks and they are the best performing, best cosmetically (ie. not much visible in tank equipment), quietest and in my opinion, the type of filtration that requires the least amount of cleaning and maintenance.
I have also recently had some experience of the HOB type filters as well. All i can say is. I wish i didn't waste my money. :S Seems very pointless if you ask me. Not much capacity for filtration media. The fact that it Hangs On Back of the aquarium means that you have to have the aquarium sticking out from the wall a considerable amount enough to accommodate the filter. But by far the most silliest of design flaws is the fact that the filter just sucks in the water it has just released! Wheres the sense in constantly re-filtering the same water over and over again?@?!

SUMMARY: Buy a Canister filter

 

If you get a canister filter, it will have baskets or trays for your media, You put your carbon, phosphate remover etc. in them. It will also have a spot for your bio media, most come with this. There are many different types, ceramic rings, bio balls, the glass stuff that was mentioned. Seachem Matrix is new, it has a ton of surface area ( which is good). Here is a link to the description. You can order it from most online stores.

Seachem. Matrix

I really like it. Helped drop my nitrates big time!

 

thanks for all the help fella's! NOW its time for me to pick a good cannister filter that will not bust my wallet! lol any suggestions?

 

^???

 

i use a cascade 1000 for a 90 gallon with 2 oscars. i have only had it for about a month now and water is very clear and levels seem stable. I am going to add a sump though to help out with all the good floatys and airiation.
The cascade only cost me 150

 

I use a Hagen Fluval 305. Got it new on ebay for $75. eBay is your friend.

 

well....3 years, a house, a wife and a baby later i did it...finally bought my dream tank. Stay tuned for pics within the hour. I have no clue how to operate or set up the filtration system it came with and are going to need TONS of advice!

It's good to be back!

 

Welcome Back, Are we to assume this one's a SW tank?

Either way, welcome back, congrats on the family, house, etc.

 

its a 55'er

if i dont get much replies here i will make another thread with these pics







If you cant see...all the filtration things it came with seem to be made by Aqua - Crylic "Tekna Series"

Now the tank has a mfg date of 1993 so its older for sure but in AMAZING shape for its age. The cabinet is real Oak wood so i know its good to go as well. Also came with the original hood with two ballast bulbs activated by a push button on/off but only one bulb will come on as of now. So i got everything off of craigslist from a very wealthy man's home for $400. Do you think i got an ok deal?? I thought it was fair for everything i got....the man said just the cabinet alone cost him 800 when he first bought it. All it's life it has been ran as a salt water tank. So naturally i want to wipe the tank clean first but as far as the bio balls in the filter and the other filter part im not too sure on how to go about cleaning everything outside of just taking everything apart. THIS WILL BE A FRESH WATER SET UP if i haven't made that clear yet lol. So im not even sure if the filtration things it came with are correct to run fresh or not....but then that goes to show you just how much i know about setting everything up...which is nothing. So guys......what do you think?? Where do i begin?