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advice on external filter please

pike

Member
Joined
15 Sep 2009
Messages
157
Location
staffordshire
hello i have a second hand 4ft juwel tank i think it's 320 litres . i want an external filter i would love an eheim but to expensive ,i don't want fluval as i struggle to open them . just looked on zooplus they have a jbl cristal pro e1200 for £79.99 with free delivery.has any got this model ? any reviews? good or bad .thank's jon
 
Hi,
If this will be a CO2 enriched tank then you should endeavor to comply with the 10X rule of thumb. A 320L tank should ideally receive 3200 LPH of flow rating. A single cristal Pro e1200 is only half of what you would need. An FX5 would be near the ballpark of what you'd need.

Cheers,
 
hello thank's for the link i got the size wrong it is the same E1500 for tank's 200-600ltr at 1500lph should be ok looks like a nice filter.regards jon
 
Hi,
The manufactures rating has nothing to do with growing plants in a high light CO2 enriched tank. Those OEM filter ratings such as "for tank's 200-600ltr" are completely meaningless because the basis for the ratings are about fish. Therefore, their ratings are not valid for plant growth under these conditions. So to reiterate, if this is a low tech setup then a 1500LPH filter might be fine, but if it's an enriched tank there is a high probability that you will experience difficulties with algae or growth performance.

Cheers,
 
There are a couple of issues as well as options; Flow rate, Flow Distribution as well as Filtration. Have a look at this thread and the links it contains to get a more comprehensive understanding; Filtration Recommendations

Cheers,
 
I did the review of the JBL e1500 that was posted above, it's a great filter but just about coped with filtering my heavily planted 180 litre tank. Even then sometimes I had to use powerheads.

Therefore, whilst it's a fab filter, I don't think it's suitable for you in your 320 tank - unless you get two. I think two might be the best option, that way you can have two filters rather than one huge one (FX5). In your situation, I'd get two.

As ceg4048 has said, don't listen to the suggest tank sizes on the side of the filter. Even then their rated lph might drop by 50% in your setup so that's why we say 10x the filtration to make sure you've got enough.
 
thank's for the link and replys two e1500 will be better i did no about the 10x rule just went on manufacturers info .the fx5 is£149 but without media the jbl are with all media for£160 delivered.i'm in no rush to setup don't get the tank until monday see what the lights are like then i will be asking for more advice thank's again guy's regards jon.
 
I am now the proud owner of Superman's e1500, and what a great filter it is, since then I have removed my external 2224, my juwel internal, and both my power heads. And I still have flow all over the tank, was worth the money for sure.
 
sounds good ld ,i have just had a look at a similar tank to the juwel one i have bought and i think the size in litres is less until i get it and fill and count the water goining in, has the people selling the tank had it left in the house they bought.so i should only need one e1500 and a powerhead .regards jon
 
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