Hagen AquaClear Filter 110 is kinda confusing me?

Question

OK, well i am pre-planning for a 55g GOLDFISH tank, and LuLu on here told me that Hagen Aquaclear Filter110 would be the best option, so i am looking into it but im having a few questions.

first is, how many GPH is it? is it adustable?if so, what range? =]

and the second, the media. i saw theres like 3 or 4 diff media square things.... which ones do i need? what do each of them do? if you could give me a link t each type that telss me wut it does/ tell me what it does thatd be awesome!

and, last but not least... how often do i change each of the media squares? i now changong them all at once is a no-no but i wan to know how often... well thanks soo much in advanced!! =]

Answer 1

The rule of thumb is that it's best to get a filter that is rated for twice the size of your aquarium, so a 110 would be good for a 55 gallon tank. The Aquaclear 110 says it filters 500 gph. I have a smaller size of that same filter and as far as I know they all have an adjustable flow rate.

It has room for three different media. The ones you definitely need are the biomedia, which is where your beneficial bacteria will grow, and the foam filter. The third one that will come in the package is activated carbon, but you can buy other kinds of media if you want, like zeocarb, and I've heard of some people just using two of the foam pads instead if they don't want the carbon. The foam inserts filter out particles you don't want in your tank, like bits of plants or food, and the carbon helps purify your water.

You are supposed to change the carbon once a month and the foam you rinse it out once a month and change it every two months. It says to change the biomedia insert every three months but I've heard you really never need to change it, just rinse it out. As you already know, to keep plenty of beneficial bacteria don't change all three media at the same time.

Answer 2

The 110 usually means it filters 110 gallons per hour (GPH) -- which isn't that great, BTW. That's only cycling the water TWICE every 60 minutes. I had an Emporer 400 on my 38 gallon tank -- and that means it was cycling 400 gallons every hour - which means my 38 gallons were getting filter almost 10 times every hour.

I no longer have custody of the tank. My ex got it in the divorce.