Eclipse type hoods?

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Angrie Woman

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Mar 7, 2013, 8:22:11 PM3/7/13
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Hi all - I have a 29 gallon tank that houses only 2 large goldfish and a catfish.  The tank has been running for years with the type of filters that hang off the back. (I have 2, which is probably overkill.)  I moved, and was considering changing to an Eclipse type filter-in-the-hood to save a couple of inches in the back.

Are they any good? 

denizen

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Mar 18, 2013, 4:42:11 PM3/18/13
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I bought one of those Eclipse hood-filters a very long time ago, for my 15gal tank that was then replaced with a tall 20gal tank. I got the hood model with 2 fluorescent tubes, which provided enough light to grow plants very well.
 
After a few years the plastic that screws went into, to support the light fixture within, started to deteriorate. To keep using the hood, I put a wooden strip on top of the hood, for the lighting screws to go into. Using wood screws from the workshop, the hood then held together ok. The light fixture finally stopped working recently, after about 12years, and I've gone back to a home-made wooden hood on the tank. Another thing is, that the lighting and filter tended to overheat the aquarium. This was made better by drilling some air holes into the side of the hood, but I still watched the temperature. With the 20gal tank this issue was less severe than with the 15gal.
 
As for the Eclipse filter, it had pretty strong flow for the 15gal tank and was better in the 20gal. If your 29gal tank hood uses the same pump, then flow should be fine. The factory filter cartridge ahead of the Bio-wheel seemed expensive, so I used some filter foam instead.
 
After perhaps 8 years, the pump motor stopped working. Rather than try to replace the pump, I got a Hagen Fluval internal (in-tank) filter that has foam media. It was fine within the Eclipse hood, and the internal filter is still in use with the home-made lighting.
 
If you just want your tank to sit closer to the wall, I'd suggest using 1 or 2 of the internal filters. However not everyone likes them. I've also been using two of the more recent model of these filters in my 90gal aquarium. They are the biggest model, and these big filters have the pump at the bottom and a lid at the top, allowing the foam media to be removed without pulling the filters out of the aquarium - fairly easy cleaning.
 
Some folks reported using internal foam filter with power head to be a better solution. Sounds good, but I have never done that, except with a small air-powered filter.
d.

Kel's Blue Mustang

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Mar 18, 2013, 10:41:44 PM3/18/13
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On Thursday, March 7, 2013 7:22:11 PM UTC-6, Angrie Woman wrote:
Hi all - I have a 29 gallon tank that houses only 2 large goldfish and a catfish.  The tank has been running for years with the type of filters that hang off the back. (I have 2, which is probably overkill.)  I moved, and was considering changing to an Eclipse type filter-in-the-hood to save a couple of inches in the back.

Are they any good? 

Hi there.
Having a couple HOB filters isn't overkill (IMO) with 2 large goldies and a cat.
Goldies produce so much extra waste that you really do need extra filtration. It's one of the main things I recommend for them.
I would not, however, think that the Eclipse hood's filtration will be enough for the trio.
Keep what you have going, or go with a canister filter.
If it were a different type of species, the answer would be very different, so take this recommendation for having Goldies.
Large goldies kept properly are pretty cool fish.
I'm guessing if you've had them since they were little they're pretty tame by now.
If you decide to go with something other than a catfish, try a DoJo loach. They're good with Goldies because of their water requirements.
What kind are they?

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