Hi all,
I've had planted discus aquariums for many years, but in simple and small settings, starting with 50g and moving 100g about 8 years ago. Now I am planing a ~300g "dream" project. I would really appreciate some advise from people more experienced with larger tanks here.
Size is not yet fixed - only the length is fixed at 94,5" (240cm); for the width I am thinking 24" (60cm) and for height 28" (70cm) or 32" (80cm) - this would lead to a tank of roughly 300g-340g. Any thoughts on this ratio here? Would going for a higher 32" tank make sense?
Next thing I need to decide is the filtering. I currently use EHEIM professionel 3 1200XLT (450gph) in my 100g tank, which is OK, but it is still too loud for me - I love quiet evenings and any "noise" bothers me. So silence of the filter is of absolute highest priority for me.
Now - going to 400g, I would probably need to have at least two such EHEIM tanks or one Fulval FX6 (~925gph). Will that be enough at all or will I need 2x Fulvals? I hear Fulvals are quite good for large tanks but even noisier then EHEIM? Any experience on this? What about the pricey ADA Superjet ES-2400? Any experience of how loud is its external Iwaki pump? Cost is no issue here - the performance is and the noise level is especially critical. Would anyone have any clever recommendations how to sound-proof the housing / cabinet under the aquarium where the filter is kept in order to keep the leaking noise to a minimum?
I will also need to think about the lights. It seems LEDs are becoming more and more popular? I currently use T5 lights... should I consider LED instead? What would be some good LED producers available in Europe?
I will have more questions to follow, but these are, I think, the most essential to start moving forward with the project.
Many thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestions.
I've had planted discus aquariums for many years, but in simple and small settings, starting with 50g and moving 100g about 8 years ago. Now I am planing a ~300g "dream" project. I would really appreciate some advise from people more experienced with larger tanks here.
Size is not yet fixed - only the length is fixed at 94,5" (240cm); for the width I am thinking 24" (60cm) and for height 28" (70cm) or 32" (80cm) - this would lead to a tank of roughly 300g-340g. Any thoughts on this ratio here? Would going for a higher 32" tank make sense?
Next thing I need to decide is the filtering. I currently use EHEIM professionel 3 1200XLT (450gph) in my 100g tank, which is OK, but it is still too loud for me - I love quiet evenings and any "noise" bothers me. So silence of the filter is of absolute highest priority for me.
Now - going to 400g, I would probably need to have at least two such EHEIM tanks or one Fulval FX6 (~925gph). Will that be enough at all or will I need 2x Fulvals? I hear Fulvals are quite good for large tanks but even noisier then EHEIM? Any experience on this? What about the pricey ADA Superjet ES-2400? Any experience of how loud is its external Iwaki pump? Cost is no issue here - the performance is and the noise level is especially critical. Would anyone have any clever recommendations how to sound-proof the housing / cabinet under the aquarium where the filter is kept in order to keep the leaking noise to a minimum?
I will also need to think about the lights. It seems LEDs are becoming more and more popular? I currently use T5 lights... should I consider LED instead? What would be some good LED producers available in Europe?
I will have more questions to follow, but these are, I think, the most essential to start moving forward with the project.
Many thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestions.