hey guy im getting a 55gal for my o today iv been cycling a filter rated for 60gals will this one hang on the back filter be enough filtration for my little guy i see ppl tlkn about canister filters and what not but i just cant afford those if i just use the hang on the back and maybe get another smaller hang on the back will this work good for my tank???

This filter will do the job if you just have the one Oscar but you may find it will get gunged up fairly quickly as Oscars are very messy fish. The reason we recommend canister filters is because they can hold a lot of media, including mechanical filtration. You can get a large canister filter which could be rated four times your tank, you wouldn't be for ever cleaning it then.

how much does a good one rated for a 55gal tank cost?

ryankeithmiller wrote:


When you say a good one rated for a 55 gallon, I assume you are talking about a canister filter? You would have to look at all the different filters available on the market. Off the top of my head and giving you a rough guess, a canister filter rated for a 55 gallon tank would probably be no more than £50. However, if you do buy a canister filter for your 55 gallon tank, I should go for a filter that is rated for much more, let's say the Eheim 2028 for example, this is rated for 132 gallons & would probably be very good on a tank of your size.

i started out with a Eheim copy canister and it cost me 89 Euros.
Not that expensive, but it has been running for 3 years now with no problems.
Gives you some time to save for an A brand filter.

ryankeithmiller wrote:


If you were planning on going for one canister filter for a 55 gallon I would buy one rated for at least a 90-100 gallons. Like the Fluval 405:

www.aquariumguys.com/fluval-405-canister-filter.html

For my 55 gallon I have a Fluval 305...but I also use an emperor 400 HOB. If I had a fluval 405 that would probably work on its own, although I prefer to use 2 filters of different type. IMO that's the best setup.

Bear in mind most GPH claims made by companies are often times very much overstated; Most perform at about 65%-70% of labeled rating.

x2, the flowrate is not quickly too much, when keeping oscars.
2-5 times the tankvolume an hour is not exceptional.
Like JP stated, you usually lose a lot of flow due to point of discharge, filtermedia etc.
And the bigger the filter, the less frequent maintenance will be needed.

thanx guys right now i have two HOB filters one rated for 60gal tank and the other for a 10 gal tank its all i can afford right now i figuer that should do just fine till i can save up for something better i put my two baby os in the tank they are only 1.5 inches long a piece so there is plenty of room i also have a couple red eye tetra and black tetra swimming around in there i figuer once the os get a little bigger they will provide a nice snack i appreciate all the help i love the tank got it for 100.00 brand new from feeder supply there had it on sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have a testset allready?
You are gonna need that, to check your nitrates.
These results will give you an idea for how often and how much water you will need to change.
Best to get a Mastertest kit, (Liquid, no teststrips) so you can test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH.
Your filters are gonna have a hard time, once the oscars start growing and very frequent waterchanges may be needed to keep your fish happy until you can upgrade with a larger filter...
Better start saving some money for a suitable canister filter.

yea well im prolly not gonna keep them both in there im thinking bout getting another 55gal and having one in the living room and the other in the bed room once they get big enough

Better start looking for that tank soon, for a healthy oscar will grow an inch a month.
Getting a new tank wouldt also mean having to cycle that one as well, which will take you an additional 6 weeks.
Check secondhand sites for good bargains, there's some excellent deals to be found, if you keep your eyes open!
Don't wait too long, is my advice.