does this seem like a good filter for my 40 gallon marine tank???

AQUARIUM BIO FILTER,6 LAYER,EXTERNAL FISH TANK 900 LTR on eBay (end time 28-Feb-10 21:18:11 GMT)

is his too powerful for my 40 gallon as it states its for a 900 litre tank??

or what about this one????


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-fish...QQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item48390f1a1c

this one is for a 400 litre tank

which one could be best



they have been selling for around £50-£60

 

chadley1987

1st one is 900 lph (litres per hour)
2nd one is 1000 lph

so in terms of water turnover, nothing much between them
1st one is a brand I recognise Hai Lea - I use one of their chillers and also air pumps
both are very good units IMO so I feel that the power filter will be OK (they seem to produce quality product IME

The 2nd one - I dont know anything about this model or any products made by that company to be honest so I cant advise at all on this one

if it where me, and I was buying an external cannister filter - I would select the Hai Lea from the 2 options above

having said that

whilst you can run a salt water aquarium using an external cannister filter
there are a few things you need to be aware off

they need regular rinsing/ cleaning out, the waste they collect if allowed to accumulate can lead to problem nitrate levels

the spray bars they come with, eventually get clogged with coralline algae so in addition to cleaning the filter out each week with the water change water
you also end up poking the holes with a cocktail stick to try and get the flow even across the spray bar

all in all cannister filters can be more trouble than they are worth
and IMO best saved for chemical filtering purposes rather than biological when a sump is not an option/ desired

loading them with phosphate remover , carbon, or any other chemical filter media does give them a seat at the table IMO

Having them filled with biological media is a waste of time, simply because in a sensibly stocked salt water set up with adequate rock work and adequate water flow your biological filtration occurs on and in the rocks and sand etc

couple that with a decent skimmer - and your set IMHO

Steve

 

x2 on that.. well said steve.