I just picked up a used Clarity Plus 55 gallon acrylic for my 2 grass pickerel. Problem is the filter slot is approximately 13" wide. I would very much like to have an emperor 400 or something of the likes, these are about 16" wide. Would a 280 and a couple sponge filters do the trick? Probably just the two Pickerel and possibly a Warmouth and/or a couple madtoms. Water movement is not the object, just want to make sure I have plenty of filtration one way or another.

I would look at external canister filters.

budget

Maybe a strong power filter with a couple sponge filters for biological purposes? Unless there is some configuration of bio wheel filter(s) that would do a good enough job.

I assume you can't make the hole bigger. If you don't overstock the tank and keep an eye on the filters it may be workable. I feel confident you'll at least be able to keep the pickerel without any trouble.

I would take a tape measure to the big box pet store and get the biggest hang-on-the-back filter that will fit, then get two of the biggest sponge filters you can and put one on each side of the tank.. Make sure you get an air pump big enough to run the sponge filters. I've never used an Emperor filter, so I can't comment on them. I think that if you use sponge filters then you'll be covered for biological filtration.

Its 13.25" long. Anyone have any experience with Hagen power filters? They make a 70 gallon model that appears as though it would fit. Its rated at 300 gph. Possibly something like that along with two sponge filters rated at 50 gallons or so, I don't see how that wouldn't be plenty. It would be helpful if I could get a couple people on here with decent sized HOB filters to measure the space it takes up where it hangs into the tank, that would be very helpful.

Anyone know if my whisper 30 60 is the same exact thing as the current whisper 60 power filter? Because this fits the 55g about perfectly. Coupled with two good sized sponge filters and maybe an eventual fluval u4 internal I'd think this would do the trick.

Keep in mind that the species you list are often found in stagnant, low DO systems.

I used to keep a 55 gallon (and later 75 gallon) tank of mixed native fishes from the coastal plain of Maryland. I used a Hagen Aquaclear 70 (used to be called the 300 I believe) and had no issues. As long as you don't go overboard with feeding (and therefore boost the ammonia load) I think you will be in good shape. While the Aquaclear isn't the fanciest filter on the market, it has good water flow and allows you to put just about any media inside of it. Mine always ran quietly as long as I kept the water level near the top of the tank.

Good luck!

make this and save some time plus money.
more bang for your buck!!!
http://www.bioconlabs.com/abtqs.html

http://www.cichlid-f...les/diy_fbf.php
this one will handle more fish then you could keep or wont to feed.
http://www.aquariuml...y-filter/10.asp

Filtering is a lot easier than most people think it is. You don't need an expensive filter or the latest model or a giant waste of time contraption thingamabob. You just have to assume that you will need both 1. a large surface area location for the beneficial bacteria to colonize and 2. a way to remove the end product (nitrate) from the system. And you're good.

I once ran an overstocked 55 gallon tank for half a year on nothing but a 10 gallon hang-on-back waterfall filter, a sunken six inch round sea sponge with an air stone bubbling through it, and live plants. I did weekly or bi-weekly 10% water changes, and the nitrate was under control. As long as you keep the water moving and have both a nitrogen sink and a large surface area space for the beneficial bacteria to colonize, it works.

So whenever someone mentions high powered super de dooper filters, I scoff a little. If you know what you're doing (if you understand that the thing that really is converting the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate is actually nitrosomonas and nitrospira bacteria) then you don't need fancy stuff. Just have a high surface area material like a sponge, and run a large volume of water through it. The more water flow you have through that thing, the more bacteria can live on its surfaces. And then monitor your nitrate concentration (it's the end product of all of the bacteria's reactions) to make sure it doesn't accumulate in the system. Buy a live plant or two, or do regular weekly water changes. And you're good. You don't need fancy equipment. You just need water flow and bacteria.

I'm at the point now where I'm dropping the carcasses of three cocktail shrimp twice a day and two flake food feedings a day into my aquarium, and my nitrate reads 0-10 ppm and I haven't done a water change in at least three weeks. The reason: my tank has good water movement and is heavily overplanted. Of course, it's a breeding tank, it's got to be that way to hide the babies from their parents so they don't get eaten. So it's probably not a good example of a stable tank that doesn't use expensive filters because the plants are a little more overabundant than most people would want. But there are other examples. My buddy, Shane, who has a 10 gallon aquarium, has got no filter at all, just a single java fern and an air stone to move the water around. It's super overpopulated (15 fish in a 10 gallon tank) and he never changes the water [ever!] but his nitrate is, again 0 - 10 ppm. Which means success. His single java fern is successfully being the nitrogen sink for the entire system. It's all about knowing what the variables are and manipulating them to your advantage. High powered filters are a waste of money and effort. They're sold to newbs who don't understand biological cycles.

So if you're worried about filtration, don't be. You'll be fine. Just remember to fishless-ly cycle your tank before you stick any fish in there. Fishless cycling is where you add a nitrogen source, like a piece of lunchmeat or some flake food, to the tank and then let the nitrogen-converting bacteria population build up for a few weeks before adding fish. The proteins in the food you drop into the tank will break down and decompose into ammonia. The ammonia concentration will build and build (this part is where if you did this process with fish, they would suffer) until the ammonia concentration gets high enough for the water to become quite the appetizing environment for nitrosomonas bacteria to colonize. They will convert the ammonia to nitrite, and then nitrospira bacteria will grow and divide and reach a population size large enough to convert the nitrite to nitrate. It will eventually reach a point where the continual breakdown of the fish food your are adding to the tank will result in zero visible ammonia concentration, zero readable nitrite concentration, and a steadily increasing nitrate concentration. It'll look like the first two steps aren't even there. And that's what they call a cycled tank, that the bacteria present are able to prevent ammonia (super toxic to fish) and nitrite (still toxic, but less so) from being present in the water and harming your fish. At this point the fish can be added safely. Here is an article with some fun graphs for you to visually see the concentration rise and fall over time: http://www.fishkeepi...ing-article.htm
Edit: I forgot to mention, if you seed your new filter sponge media with a bit of material from an existing tank with a healthy population of nitrosomonas and nitrospira bacteria, the initial cycling is accomplished much more quickly. You can cut the time that the bacteria need to divide and grow in population by quite a lot.

What I'd be worried about is the fact that the tank is acrylic. Whoo boy I would avoid using a sand substrate like it was the plague. If even a single grain of sand gets stuck between your magnetic algae scraper and your tank wall, then it'll scratch it all up and make it look absolutely horrible. Please don't use sand in your acrylic tank. It wouldn't be a happy ending.

Edited by EricaWieser, 09 October 2010 - 09:23 AM.

whew erica you love to type. I like the aquaclear 70, just need to find out if it fits, really I have no way of knowing for sure unless I had one to try. Also this is a pickerel tank and I plan on planting it decently. I was unaware plants made that much difference in the nitrogen cycle. I spend so much time reading/studying though I pretty much fully understand the whole bacteria thing. I'll most likely use the media in the 29 i'm currently running to seed whatever filter I use, because I don't plan to wait a month for a cycle again. Well, now that I have a 29, and a 15g tub both cycled, i'm never waiting for a cycle again. Also yea I think I read something about sand and acrylic not being a good plan somewhere, most likely going to be using kitty litter covered by small gravel.

Honestly I might just use the Whisper 30-60 I have on my 29 coupled with a couple sponge filters because I've already set it in there and it fits (almost flush). Like fishhead dave said these fish don't want the water to be moving much anyways. These things combined with moderately heavy planting, I should be set. If I find out somehow that the aquaclear 70 will fit, I'll then grab one of those, if not...I think i'll be fine as is.

Edited by star5328, 09 October 2010 - 11:14 AM.

Sponge filters are very efficient. I have filtered reasonably stocked 55 gallon tanks with just a couple sponge filters. Personally I think the smaller HOB filter, and a couple of sponges will be very adequate. These are very good. http://business.acce...ultimatesponge/

The AC70 would fit with room to spare; it's about 8.5" wide.

whew erica you love to type.

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Ha ha, yeah, *blushes*  I was sitting in the library at a computer waiting for my partner to show up so we could start working.  Sorry about that. 
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Those all seem like decent filter choices.  You should be fine with whatever filter you choose.  If it were me, I'd take out the innards that come with it and pack it full of that high surface area filter media you can buy individually as replacement pads in pet stores.  You've got some seed material from an established filter, so it should work great. 
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Also, tips for the fellow kitty litter enthusiast:  When you go to buy it, check that the only ingredient is either baked clay or diatomaceous earth.  If there's a nonclumping chemical, it will poison your fish.  And add a small handful of kitty litter to a cup of your tap water and see what the change in pH is away from your normal level.  Just because litter is baked clay doesn't mean it came from an area near you; often it came from farther away, where the pH is different.  Checking to see what pH the litter naturally has in a small test cup before adding it to your tank can save you some headaches. 
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Oh, and one last tip:  Put the substrate in the tank first, then put a cup on the bottom, and then pour the water into the tank into the cup so it doesn't disturb the substrate too much.  Then when there's about six inches of water, plant the plants.  Then continue filling to the top.  I always seem to do that in the wrong order; my most recent two tanks have had the substrate poured in when there was already water in the tank and it took foreeeever to settle and be pretty.  Le sigh. 
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Also, I promise I'll stop typing soon, but I've got to mention that if your 55 is 4 feet long, there's a dual bulb strip lighting unit at Home Depot for $22 (bulbs are $8 for two full spectrum ones, 700 lumens each) and it looks just gorgeous resting on top of my 55 gallon tank.  I never would have thought that Home Depot was the place to go for aquarium lights, but my plants are just eating these bright full spectrum bulbs up.  They love it. 

Edited by EricaWieser, 09 October 2010 - 05:34 PM.

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Ha ha, yeah, *blushes*  I was sitting in the library at a computer waiting for my partner to show up so we could start working.  Sorry about that. 
.
Those all seem like decent filter choices.  You should be fine with whatever filter you choose.  If it were me, I'd take out the innards that come with it and pack it full of that high surface area filter media you can buy individually as replacement pads in pet stores.  You've got some seed material from an established filter, so it should work great. 
.
Also, tips for the fellow kitty litter enthusiast:  When you go to buy it, check that the only ingredient is either baked clay or diatomaceous earth.  If there's a nonclumping chemical, it will poison your fish.  And add a small handful of kitty litter to a cup of your tap water and see what the change in pH is away from your normal level.  Just because litter is baked clay doesn't mean it came from an area near you; often it came from farther away, where the pH is different.  Checking to see what pH the litter naturally has in a small test cup before adding it to your tank can save you some headaches. 
.
Oh, and one last tip:  Put the substrate in the tank first, then put a cup on the bottom, and then pour the water into the tank into the cup so it doesn't disturb the substrate too much.  Then when there's about six inches of water, plant the plants.  Then continue filling to the top.  I always seem to do that in the wrong order; my most recent two tanks have had the substrate poured in when there was already water in the tank and it took foreeeever to settle and be pretty.  Le sigh. 
.
Also, I promise I'll stop typing soon, but I've got to mention that if your 55 is 4 feet long, there's a dual bulb strip lighting unit at Home Depot for $22 (bulbs are $8 for two full spectrum ones, 700 lumens each) and it looks just gorgeous resting on top of my 55 gallon tank.  I never would have thought that Home Depot was the place to go for aquarium lights, but my plants are just eating these bright full spectrum bulbs up.  They love it. 

I've got special kitty in my 29, I think per your advice. I was going to plant it then I decided since they're going to outgrow it faster that I imagined I might as well wait.

The AC70 would fit with room to spare; it's about 8.5" wide.

Yes I know it will fit width wise, but the hole isn't very wide short ways. If you know what I mean... How much of the filter hangs within the footprint of the tank?

Anyone know if my whisper 30 60 is the same exact thing as the current whisper 60 power filter? Because this fits the 55g about perfectly. Coupled with two good sized sponge filters and maybe an eventual fluval u4 internal I'd think this would do the trick.

I don't know for sure if they are the same, but if it fits and fills up the space, I'd use it. Gaps are bad, because pickerel are jumpers. That filter and two sponges should be fine.

Yes I know it will fit width wise, but the hole isn't very wide short ways. If you know what I mean... How much of the filter hangs within the footprint of the tank?

I gotcha now. The filter extends 1 ³/₁₆" into the tank.

I gotcha now. The filter extends 1 ³/₁₆" into the tank.

Ok, I have about 2" from back of tank to front of slot, so I think this is an option.

Ok, I have about 2" from back of tank to front of slot, so I think this is an option.

I have a lot of acrylic tanks (because they're lightweight) and I use AC70's on lots of them. They fit with no problem. Also, depending on the cutout, an AC110 will sometimes fit. If you want a biowheel filter, the penguin 350's will usually fit where the Emp. 400 won't.