75 gallon freshwater better filtration ideas/advice?

Okay so I'm thinking of adding discus into my 75 gallon tank. I want to change the filtration to something better even if I don't. I have over filtration on there now with currently 2 Aquatech 30-60 HOB's on the tank and running no carbon with pot scrubbies for added bio media right now. For a total of over 600 gph. However, I know AquaClear filters are better. I was considering adding a Magnum 350, an AquaClear 50 and then a sponge filter as well. I really want to have the best filtration as possible.

Do you think this would be a good set up or should I modify it or leave the AT's and add other since I have modified them from their original set up anyways?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I do want to stay away from large amounts of media, thus the Magnum 350 fit better to the route I wanted to go.

The sponge filter I was going to set up would be a ATI Hydro Sponge Pro Filter #5 rated for 125 gallons and a Fusion 700 Air Pump rated for 110 gallons.

I am unsure of requirements for discus but I do tend to overfiltrate all my tanks. All my tanks over 33G have canisters as well as HOB's on them.

The only tank without a canister/HOB setup is my planted tank which has 2 canisters only on it. That tank is a 75G tank, pretty heavily planted. No big fish just the congo tetras and the plants. I run a Rena XP4 and a Fluval 306 on it. This tank used to also have an Aquaclear 110 on it when it was a more "fishy" tank and housed my group of "kyogas". I removed the Aquaclear when I moved the plants over to the tank.

Not having had discus I am uncertain as to whether they like water flow or don't...that would be a question. Also, I have no experience with Magnum filters so hopefully others will chime in there. I have read that discus like pristine water so having an overfiltrated tank is a probably a good thing for them.

Which canister 33g filters do you use??

It's not the filtration you should be worried about. It's the amount of water changing for discus. They don't do well with nitrate in the water. Filters will convert stuff into nitrates for you, but you're much better off just removing the waste form the water all together.

For instance at the shop, all the tanks get 4 water changes a day that adds up to 15%. We have to do an additional 25% water change every day on the discus tank.

So your discus are getting 40% water changes daily??

Well it's slightly less then that, because it's not done all at once. The 4 extra water change change from of the first water change etc. But yes, we find that discus only thrive in clean water. We had eggs all the way to wrigglers last week and new eggs laid again this week at the shop in the selling tank.

Since I just got an AC50 for my 20L... I can say it is inadequate for a 75g. I would be looking at the AC70 minimum but the AC110 would be a better choice

DMD123 wrote:Since I just got an AC50 for my 20L... I can say it is inadequate for a 75g. I would be looking at the AC70 minimum but the AC110 would be a better choice

I was choosing the AC50 since I would have the other canister filter and the sponge filter as well. And not the AC as a sole unit for filtration.

I have a 72 gallon bowfront and run an AC110 and an Eheim 2217 canister. This has been an awesome combo. The AC110 is basically a huge, glorified, hang on the back sponge filter. The 50 just is too small to do much of anything.

Hmmm maybe this would be a better way to go. But I would have a larger bio-load than I think you would compared to your 72 BF stock and my 75 stock?

I am lightly stocked in comparison but have always kind of over-filtered my tanks. I would think the combo of a 350 and the AC110 would do quite well.

Okay, I priced (roughly, on one site only) and the AC110 and the Magnum 350 come to a higher cost than the sponge filter, AC50 and the Magnum 350. So when combined in the amount of filtration I would think for a lower cost and more filtration the trio set up would cover more water so to speak? Filtration specs on what works the best kind of confuses me some so that is definitely why I am asking opinions on what other people suggest.

I am listening to all and writing them down and researching them as I get them. So keep throwing them at me!

Even if I don't add discus to this tank I would like to switch the filtration to better. If adding the Magnum 350 and a sponge filter to my existing AT30-60 with carbon removed and more bio-filtration added would be better, I'm even up for doing that.

So if I am hearing this correctly Discus do not like nitrates. What about maintaining low nitrates with plants? If someone could maintain low to 0 nitrates in a planted tank would the Discus thrive with once a week water changes at about 20-30%.

I'd be asking the resident discus breeder what's best for discus, Zach? I have an AC 110 and an Eheim 2217 on my 75 like Dmd123 and it works well. Mine houses fish that enjoy water movement so I added a mid-size powerhead with sponge pre-filter.

Looking at those Aquatech filters I don't like them at all. Doesn't look like you can add or modify filter media very easily...

fishNAbowl wrote:Looking at those Aquatech filters I don't like them at all. Doesn't look like you can add or modify filter media very easily...

Not really. I just removed the carbon pad and stuffed it with pot scrubbers to the water line inside

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:

fishNAbowl wrote:Looking at those Aquatech filters I don't like them at all. Doesn't look like you can add or modify filter media very easily...

Not really. I just removed the carbon pad and stuffed it with pot scrubbers to the water line inside

Well that dosent sound to bad... Maybe if there is room a 3rd HOB maybe an option?  Have each HOB running at different levels of the tank? Get extentions for the water pick up, have 1 picking up from all the way from 2" above the substrate, 1 about mid level, the other just a few inches from the surface? Having the 3 HOB's running would be close to the same water current as you would get running a spray bar while picking water up from all three levels of the tank. This would be more than enough filtration. Just having the 2 Aquatech should be enough. The 3rd HOB wouldnt even have to be a AC 70. It could be a 50.... IDK. Maintenance on 3 HOB's wouldn't be tough. Every 2 weeks rinse the sponges in one, then rotate ...

Going combo dosent sound like a bad idea. Running both of the HOB's  you currently have then running a canister. If you already have the canister then perfect! If not the 3rd HOB maybe a cheaper option.

I don't already have the canister. I was talking to an experienced keeper, on another site, who doesn't like canisters. And I can't say that I do either but my lack of knowledge and experience I though I was over looking them because of that. I like the 3 level idea though. That makes complete sense. I wonder if a sponge filter and another HOB would take care of any and all levels?

Its not one of my Discus tanks. I have them all bare bottom with two Hydro sponges per 55 and one per 29. I also do 50% water changes daily. The biggest issues with Discus and plants is temp. Most plants do not like the higher temps to be successful with Discus (mid to upper 80s best). Young Discus tend to need more/larger water changes to grow well. Any tanks I have with 4" or smaller discus get a 75% daily plus another rough 5% when I siphon food out before bed. Under 2" get two 50% plus the mentioned 5%. Excessive no, costly yes.

Side note if your Discus are 1yr old and not approaching or exceeded 5.5". 1. you bought inferior stock or 2. your water was not maintained properly. Sorry thats a hard truth, when I see people breeding 4" 2yr old fish I cringe

Ok onto my filter set-up in my in house displays. I really find it hard to beat well maintained Aquaclear filters. My 95 wave has two 110 and is very heavy stocked with 8 3" bodied angels, a breeding pr of Guianacara Stergoise, 14 Nanacara Buckles, 8 random apistos, and a breeding pr of BN plecos. Our other tank is newer set-up, 65g with a single 110. It houses a 4.5" Fahaka Puffer (Puffy McPufferson) who is a real pig and a brutal bio-load.

So I'm partial to Sponges and Aquaclears personally. Filtration is going to be one of your smaller issues. Discus are not as hard as people think as long as you don't get complacent and stick to a good water maintenance schedule.

Now these are my opinions and other may do it differently

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:I don't already have the canister. I was talking to an experienced keeper, on another site, who doesn't like canisters. And I can't say that I do either but my lack of knowledge and experience I though I was over looking them because of that. I like the 3 level idea though. That makes complete sense. I wonder if a sponge filter and another HOB would take care of any and all levels?

3 Hob's, and a large sponge filter is a crazy amount of filtration. You shouldn't have any water quality issues.

zach_discus wrote:Its not one of my Discus tanks. I have them all bare bottom with two Hydro sponges per 55 and one per 29. I also do 50% water changes daily. The biggest issues with Discus and plants is temp. Most plants do not like the higher temps to be successful with Discus (mid to upper 80s best). Young Discus tend to need more/larger water changes to grow well. Any tanks I have with 4" or smaller discus get a 75% daily plus another rough 5% when I siphon food out before bed. Under 2" get two 50% plus the mentioned 5%. Excessive no, costly yes.

Side note if your Discus are 1yr old and not approaching or exceeded 5.5". 1. you bought inferior stock or 2. your water was not maintained properly. Sorry thats a hard truth, when I see people breeding 4" 2yr old fish I cringe

Ok onto my filter set-up in my in house displays. I really find it hard to beat well maintained Aquaclear filters. My 95 wave has two 110 and is very heavy stocked with 8 3" bodied angels, a breeding pr of Guianacara Stergoise, 14 Nanacara Buckles, 8 random apistos, and a breeding pr of BN plecos. Our other tank is newer set-up, 65g with a single 110. It houses a 4.5" Fahaka Puffer (Puffy McPufferson) who is a real pig and a brutal bio-load.

So I'm partial to Sponges and Aquaclears personally. Filtration is going to be one of your smaller issues. Discus are not as hard as people think as long as you don't get complacent and stick to a good water maintenance schedule.

Now these are my opinions and other may do it differently

This kind of intensity to keep one type of fish puts me off from keeping them.  Discus are amazing fish. But water changes everyday? There has got to be a way to stretch it out to 1 a week safely...

OK well that puts discus into perspective for me. With working full time and a house to take care of as well as chickens, dogs, cats, and a rabbit I don't think I could maintain the water to keep healthy discus. If I could be a stay at home I could.

So I think until I can stay at home to be able to do that many water changes I will need to hold off on discus. I still want to change the filters though.

IDK, defiantly requires more research... There has got to be a way to house these fish in a healthy manner without having to do water changes EVERY DAY. I swear not to long ago I was watching a video about a fish store display tank with Discus . The system filtration was a sump / freshwater refugium. The tank was fully planted, refugium was planted, and it had an algae scrubber inside the sump. The owner of the store claimed to do water changes like once every 3 months. And the fish and tank looked amazing. He also claimed with the algae scrubber not having to clean the glass but every few months.

fishNAbowl wrote:This kind of intensity to keep one type of fish puts me off from keeping them.  Discus are amazing fish. But water changes everyday? There has got to be a way to stretch it out to 1 a week safely...

Yeah, I fully agree. I watched a video of a guy who has a refugium and has done very few water changes over years. He just tops off and his breed like crazy.

Hey I wonder if we watched the same video lol. Sounds a bit different because this guy admitted he didn't do water changes. If I had the extra money I would just get a refugium. This is the plan when the tanks go in the wall though. Right now I just want to make it better until I can get the best

I just talked to another discus keeper who has an amazing beautiful and healthy tank and he said:
"I do 50-60% WC at least, weekly. All my first are at least sub-adults. Juveniles would do better with more frequent WC's and multiple heavy feedings daily to maximize growth. I don't have bare bottom tank to growout in, so I buy my discus at 4" minimum. Filtration for this tank is a 60g wet/dry sump. Tank is drilled with center overflow."

So that's not too bad. I would just take out 25% more than I already do from the tank and add better filtration. I was considering a refugium and making it myself out of acrylic.

You'd be surprised at some discus hobbyist, their schedule makes Zach's seem light. Plus, some of the asian breeders do entire tank water changes 4x a day.

A drip system is probably the best way to split the middle though.

Wow, I like the looks of the fish. But I do have many other things in life which take priority and more care. If it was my income source that would be a totally different story.

Your missing the point, if you buy young fish 4" or smaller. You will need to take care of them correctly. Now if you lay down the extra $$ and buy adults they are much less labor intensive.

As for a once a week water 20% water change. Unless you have a well planted and seasoned aquarium that's over filtered, your just being lazy and selfish. You put your fish in a glass box and want them to grow and flourish in a cesspool your delusional.

There is a reason Discus are called the King of Aquarium fish and for the most part why most people do not do well with them. They take time and dedication. Would it help if I made a video and stated in it that "I have never done a water change and feed 20 times a day, but my water stays perfect in my 20g with 6 breeding prs in it". I would take alot of these claims with a grain of salt. I answer way more e-mails/calls/text with people asking advise on how to fix a problem than I do on folks asking what should I do with the 200 fry from there last spawn.

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:Hey I wonder if we watched the same video lol. Sounds a bit different because this guy admitted he didn't do water changes. If I had the extra money I would just get a refugium. This is the plan when the tanks go in the wall though. Right now I just want to make it better until I can get the best

Its possible it was the same video. I can search for it again. Bumped into it researching freshwater refugiums. Have plants and mosses growing in my sump with an LED light attached to the rim. Guess you can call it a refugium. I don't want to say what my nitrates are at. It seems to spark controversy....

dwarfpike wrote:You'd be surprised at some discus hobbyist, their schedule makes Zach's seem light. Plus, some of the asian breeders do entire tank water changes 4x a day.
A drip system is probably the best way to split the middle though.

Seems like the spectrum of Discus care is all over the place. Extreme maintenance to low maintenance. It's starting to seem Discus care depends on many factors . Water conditions, tank setup , parameters, ect.

So a "well seasoned" system, plants with heavy filtration and your good to go with a weekly water change.

I think it's actually gotten harder for the normal aquarist as higher nitrate levels have become 'acceptable.' I cringe when I see people listing 40+ nitrate levels on other sites, when I first started 20ppm was reason for an immediate, near full blown water change. Nitrate sensitive fish like discus, blue rams, and some geo's were never allowed to get over 5ppm.

When you think 40 is normal and 60 is still 'okay', it's harder to put out the effort it takes on some species.

Just a thought (and not saying anyone in this thread keeps their nitrates that high).

zach_discus wrote:Your missing the point, if you buy young fish 4" or smaller. You will need to take care of them correctly. Now if you lay down the extra $$ and buy adults they are much less labor intensive.

As for a once a week water 20% water change. Unless you have a well planted and seasoned aquarium that's over filtered, your just being lazy and selfish. You put your fish in a glass box and want them to grow and flourish in a cesspool your delusional.

There is a reason Discus are called the King of Aquarium fish and for the most part why most people do not do well with them. They take time and dedication. Would it help if I made a video and stated in it that "I have never done a water change and feed 20 times a day, but my water stays perfect in my 20g with 6 breeding prs in it". I would take alot of these claims with a grain of salt. I answer way more e-mails/calls/text with people asking advise on how to fix a problem than I do on folks asking what should I do with the 200 fry from there last spawn.

I could not agree more. I deal with the same issues in my CA species. Haitiensis, Festae, Beani, Istlanum, Grammode, Ornatum to just name a few, in order to get them past that delicate stage you need to be diligent in your maintenance. To think that you can buy them and just halfass the maintenance and expect results than you should take up a different hobby. But if you are taking on the challenge of these beautiful species than you must do your job.

There is a reason why you RARELY see adult species of the fish that I named above. Most people do not have the patience for them.

So a "well seasoned" system, plants with heavy filtration and your good to go with a weekly water change.

This is why I hate forums, people take a contextual statement and turn it into a absolute.

zach_discus wrote:Your missing the point, if you buy young fish 4" or smaller. You will need to take care of them correctly. Now if you lay down the extra $$ and buy adults they are much less labor intensive.

As for a once a week water 20% water change. Unless you have a well planted and seasoned aquarium that's over filtered, your just being lazy and selfish. You put your fish in a glass box and want them to grow and flourish in a cesspool your delusional.

There is a reason Discus are called the King of Aquarium fish and for the most part why most people do not do well with them. They take time and dedication. Would it help if I made a video and stated in it that "I have never done a water change and feed 20 times a day, but my water stays perfect in my 20g with 6 breeding prs in it". I would take alot of these claims with a grain of salt. I answer way more e-mails/calls/text with people asking advise on how to fix a problem than I do on folks asking what should I do with the 200 fry from there last spawn.

Wow, little bit rude.. my tank has been setup for 3+ years already and yes it is already over filtered. I'm not missing the point and the last guy stated 4" or bigger. I never once said I planned on getting small discus IF! I got them. I'm trying to research them prior to getting them to see if I can handle the correct parameters they need. I do 25%-30% water changes weekly on my tanks now and all of them are already over filtered. I'm trying to see if there are better options than what I have now. I currently have breeding angels with females laying every 2-3 weeks. All of my tanks are even under stocked for their sizes currently. Thanks for being rude when at least I'm TRYING to research prior to buying a 'pretty' fish at the store and shoving it in a too small tank that's low on water, dirty and under filtered.

LOL again that was a response from another post. It just happened you wrote a response (a couple actually) in-between me replying to the one I was addressing.

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:
"I do 50-60% WC at least, weekly.

Here is his key statement, that is the minimum recommended not the norm.

Quoting who you are addressing helps tremendously. Or stating the persons name in the post would help a lot. That way you are getting the correct information across to the correct people.

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:That way you are getting the correct information across to the correct people.

The info still applies to everyone and yes sometimes I am rude with my replies. It does help in some instances to drive a point home. "I don't mean to be rude but I tell it like it is" Kenny Chung a awesome discus breeder and importer, those are very true words.

OP question edited too reduce conflicting.

zach_discus wrote:

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:That way you are getting the correct information across to the correct people.

The info still applies to everyone and yes sometimes I am rude with my replies. It does help in some instances to drive a point home. "I don't mean to be rude but I tell it like it is" Kenny Chung a awesome discus breeder and importer, those are very true words.

People including myself, were listening to what you were saying. Some instances such as people asking a question and arguing with answers or not even listening to responses, yes, I get that you need to drive a point home. However, in this circumstance your input was being taken into account for and the semi-rude comments were unnecessary. I stayed away from this site for close to a year because of people being rude or not recognizing the info that they asked for because they thought they knew better. That ceased to exist or became very limited on here and that was my reason for return. To someone new to the forum or wanting information that is listening and replying to what you have for input shouldn't be treated this way. Not only does it deter from them asking questions, using forums, but it can also hurt your personal business due to your attitude towards people. IF I was going to buy Discus, you were one of those I would have been interested in buying from. The semi-rude comments kind of deters people from wanting to purchase. Whether it was me or others who read this thread and saw that. Please keep these things into consideration for comments.

I will make it a point to not add info from now on to easily offended peoples threads or reply to threads that are conversations between just two people.

Adding info is appropriate to question in which people are seeking advice and knowledge.

Both of our sides have been stated. To discontinue derailing this thread can we please return back to the filtration topic.

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:I don't already have the canister. I was talking to an experienced keeper, on another site, who doesn't like canisters. And I can't say that I do either but my lack of knowledge and experience I though I was over looking them because of that. I like the 3 level idea though. That makes complete sense. I wonder if a sponge filter and another HOB would take care of any and all levels?

Just 2 HOB's rated for "up to" 60 gallons, or 600 GPH is turning the water 8X. This is pretty darn good! slapping a fat sponge filter on the bottom is just going to add to biological filtration. If I was going to have 2 HOB I still would stagger the pickups. One at mid level, the other deeper.

The canister filter on my 9.5 was the 1st canister I've tried. I would totally dig it if I could DYI a micro sump. And i may at some point but the small canister filter seems to be working fine. I modified the hook up so I can adjust water flow and easily disconnect without making a mess so it definitely wasn't plug and play. I also have the canister sitting in a  Tupperware  so I don't make a mess.

Sweet I have an easy spot to hide a sponge filter so I think I will stagger the two HOB's like you suggested fishNAbowl and add a large sponge filter in too

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:I want to change the filtration to something better even if I don't. I have over filtration on there now with currently 2 Aquatech 30-60 HOB's on the tank and running no carbon with pot scrubbies for added bio media right now. For a total of over 600 gph. However, I know AquaClear filters are better. I was considering adding a Magnum 350, an AquaClear 50 and then a sponge filter as well. I really want to have the best filtration as possible.

Do you think this would be a good set up or should I modify it or leave the AT's and add other since I have modified them from their original set up anyways?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I do want to stay away from large amounts of media, thus the Magnum 350 fit better to the route I wanted to go.

Sounds like you've settled on a reasonable course of action.  I do have a question.  You'd like to improve your 75G filtration regardless of the Discus decision, but I'm not sure you ever say what it is about your current filtration that seems lacking?  Are your nitrates higher than you'd like each week at water change time?  Are you seeing a lot of physical debris in the tank, or is the water clarity not what you'd like?  I have two Eheim 2217's on my 75G African Mbuna tank.  They do an AWESOME job of housing the bacteria and processing the ammonia and nitrites, but imo they only do an OK job of capturing all the poop.  It does end up in one spot, so I can suck it out pretty easily when I want to, but that doesn't seem to be a real strength of my canisters.  They do hold lots of media, and filter a TON of water hourly though.  

Just wondering.  The sponge will improve your bio, and maybe mechanical a little.  The staggered inlets are a good idea as well for capturing more "stuff".    How are you measuring any improvement with your changes?  Fewer water changes required?  better clarity?  What makes the Aquaclears "better" for your situation?

I love to tinker with my tanks, but sometimes I have to step back and just ask myself wtf I am trying to achieve, and then I have a clearer idea of what I want to do, and prevent from changing stuff just to change it.   Thinking about what aspect of your filtration you're aiming to improve might help you better predict if your changes are going to help you achieve your goals there.

hose91 wrote:

ShortyKiloGyrl wrote:I want to change the filtration to something better even if I don't. I have over filtration on there now with currently 2 Aquatech 30-60 HOB's on the tank and running no carbon with pot scrubbies for added bio media right now. For a total of over 600 gph. However, I know AquaClear filters are better. I was considering adding a Magnum 350, an AquaClear 50 and then a sponge filter as well. I really want to have the best filtration as possible.

Do you think this would be a good set up or should I modify it or leave the AT's and add other since I have modified them from their original set up anyways?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I do want to stay away from large amounts of media, thus the Magnum 350 fit better to the route I wanted to go.

Sounds like you've settled on a reasonable course of action.  I do have a question.  You'd like to improve your 75G filtration regardless of the Discus decision, but I'm not sure you ever say what it is about your current filtration that seems lacking?  Are your nitrates higher than you'd like each week at water change time?  Are you seeing a lot of physical debris in the tank, or is the water clarity not what you'd like?  I have two Eheim 2217's on my 75G African Mbuna tank.  They do an AWESOME job of housing the bacteria and processing the ammonia and nitrites, but imo they only do an OK job of capturing all the poop.  It does end up in one spot, so I can suck it out pretty easily when I want to, but that doesn't seem to be a real strength of my canisters.  They do hold lots of media, and filter a TON of water hourly though.  

Just wondering.  The sponge will improve your bio, and maybe mechanical a little.  The staggered inlets are a good idea as well for capturing more "stuff".    How are you measuring any improvement with your changes?  Fewer water changes required?  better clarity?  What makes the Aquaclears "better" for your situation?

I love to tinker with my tanks, but sometimes I have to step back and just ask myself wtf I am trying to achieve, and then I have a clearer idea of what I want to do, and prevent from changing stuff just to change it.   Thinking about what aspect of your filtration you're aiming to improve might help you better predict if your changes are going to help you achieve your goals there.

Now that's the kind of answer I like! I would like clearer water that's for sure but my levels are all good. AquaTech filters are Walmart cheapies. I have heard nothing but good things about AC's and sponge filters and figured they'd do a better job with keeping the tank cleaner and clearer. Less water changes isn't a goal. I do 25% weekly WC's now. I have a sailfin pleco and featherfin catfish that put out the most waste for the tank mates so I try to clean their preferred areas more to keep the tank cleaner. I am also going to be changing the substrate up a bit to accommodate better for plants and to reduce the amount of waste/food that gets down between the current substrate and lost to the fish. I hope that will as well help for a cleaner tank. I see these people with crystal clear water and wish it was mine. Mine isn't cloudy or anything. I just feel it would be better.

Ok, I'll buy that. I have an AC20, AC30, and AC50 on my 3 smaller tanks. (20G, 20G and 29G, respectively). They are a bit louder than I expected (impeller noise, not trickle noise), but I really do like the design of their filter baskets and that they're flexible and don't require me to insert a prefabbed cartridge.

AC's may have more flow than your ATs given the same rating. The impeller seems pretty good on my AC's.

I like canisters because they are super quiet (in the house instead of the garage), and LOTS of room for layers of media and flexibility as well. Mine have a quick disconnect coupling in both input and output lines, which makes it easy to remove for cleaning. I have a deep utility sink that makes cleaning it a snap. Takes about 15 minutes once every 3-4 months.

I have a penguin 150 on my 29 as well, and it looks like a similar design to your AT's. I've stuffed filter floss in behind the filter cartridge. If you add a sponge, once it gets colonized, I think you'll no longer need the scrubbies for bio, maybe shift some of your media to more mechanical/polishing pad?

I have wanted to put a sponge in my tanks for a while, mostly because I think it makes a nice tool for cycling a new tank if you have established sponges. I also think my Mbuna would graze on it. I just don't really want an airpump in the house. Maybe I'll rethink that.

Have fun tinkering! This is the best kind. You're not panicked trying to fix a problem, just working to make the tank incrementally better!

I bought a Fusion air pump for my HOB breeder box and it is alot quieter than any pump I've used before. I really like it and they are well priced.

I have a deep utility sink in the shop I can use to clean a canister filter. And I wouldn't mind putting one of those on there. I'm considering after looking at some refugiums to add one of those instead and maybe have the AT's for mechanical.

Your Mbuna would love to graze on the sponge filters. I had two friends with mixed african tanks and I frequently saw them grazing on the sponge filters. So the quiter Fusion air pump may be an option. I can shoot a short video of mine and send it to you if you'd like to hear the sound.

I do like that I'm not in a panic with the filtration on this tank. All are happy in there now. I just want them happier and the plants to flourish better.