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I have been running the same fresh water 55gal aquarium for about 3 years now and am starting to get interested in PERFECT water quality. (Not that my water is bad or anything.) I am running an Emperor 400 BioWheel filter and it does great. I was wondering what exactly a protein skimmer, Canisters, Wet/Dry filters, etc. do for your tank. Which one would help my fresh water tank out? I have a little cash to trough into it and wanted to know what the best is for my buck.

Currently have:
Gurammi
2 Cori
Pleco
and one random fish (red, blackish brown stipe, size of a guppie)

Im also starting to get into planting my tank. I have hair grass and java moss. Plan on planting alot more when i get my filtration perfect.

Thanks in advance.

55gal Tank:130 watt coral lights,Eheim Wet/Dry 2227 Canister Filter,Powerhead, Co2 Injection and a heater.

Protein skimmers are pretty much useless on freshwater fish tanks, so no need to worry about one of those.

Canisters are just another type of exterior filter. They often have a lower rate of flow than comparable hang on back filters, but the water coming out from the canister will be cleaner. This is because a canister filter has plenty of room for filtration media, meaning that mechanical, biological, and even chemical filtration products can be packed in. They help to remove a lot of pollutants. Canisters are highly recommended, and probably the best quality mainstream filters you can buy. Eheim is one of the top brands.

Wet/dry sumps are mainly used in saltwater systems, though they can still be quite helpful in freshwater. They serve a number of purposes. A sump provides a place for equipment to be placed in the water, but outside of the main tank. That way there won't be any heaters or whatnot being eyesores in the display. Sumps allow for excellent oxygenation, as the water drips down through the media, into the sump, then gets sucked out back into the main tank. And lastly, they add a bit of extra water volume to the tank. That provides extra breathing room bioload-wise. Problem is, unless you bought a tank which was pre-drilled to allow for a sump (this costs extra money), then you'd have trouble getting one now. I know it is possible to install a sump without the overflow having been drilled in, but I'm horrible with plumbing and can't help you there.

The canister filter would be your best option for filtration out of these choices.

Live plants do help to keep a tank clean. They use up certain pollutants which could harm fish if allowed to build up. Only trouble is, the plants only have a large effect on water quality if there are lots of them, and the plants must not be allowed to die. If they do then that will foul up the water, which is exactly the opposite of what you want.

Regarding your fish, I think you'll find that the pleco is probably a pretty big waste producer. If it is a common plec, it'll grow very large and leave nice long logs around the tank. Plecos seem to be enemies of clean tank water. Do note that if the fish is a common pleco, it will likely eventually need a larger tank. Depending on the species, they can grow to about a foot and a half.

Hope this gives you a start.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Thanks, that cleared some stuff up. Could i run the same filter i have now with a canister?

Is this a good canister?
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=29095;category_id=1729;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

55gal Tank:130 watt coral lights,Eheim Wet/Dry 2227 Canister Filter,Powerhead, Co2 Injection and a heater.

Yep, there's no problem with running both filters at once. Besides, if you do buy a new filter, then it will need time to build up some good bacteria. You'll need the Bio-Wheel running during this period anyways.

That filter looks to be a very good one, however I'm unfamiliar with that model. As long as it doesn't need any special plumbing aside from connecting the tubing to the filter and snaking the input and output into the tank, it seems like it would work like a champ.

Maybe another member is familiar with this product and can offer up some assistance.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Sorry to ask even more but does the canister hook up to the filter or is it a seperate line all together?

55gal Tank:130 watt coral lights,Eheim Wet/Dry 2227 Canister Filter,Powerhead, Co2 Injection and a heater.

A canister is its own stand-alone filter. If I have this correct, most canisters have a tubing connection between the filter and the intake in the aquarium, and a seperate one between the filter and the output which sends water back into the tank.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22009;category_id=1711;pcid1=2885;pcid2=


Personally, I like the Eheim "Professional II" series. I have a 2126 w/o thermofilter on a 75 gallon, and it works very well.

On another 75 gallon I run an Emperor 400 with a Fluval 404, which would be an even cheaper option for you.

Can't help with the wet/dry.

If money is no concern the Eheim 2028($300 or so) is the cadillac of the cannister world. Or the 2128 which is the thermo filter version (which I don't like, combining filters and heaters is asking for a catastrophe when it breaks down). If you want to save some money the XP3 is $95 at bigals. XP3 is really good and gets a lot of good reviews. Or you could even go with another Emperor 400 for easy maint. and the same media containers, you would have a total of 8 media slots for a lot of options with bio media like Seachem's Matrix and chemical media like carbon zeolite mix (Marineland Diamond Blend). Plus 4 total biowheels. And Emperor 400 is only $40 or so at bigals. Good luck!