Red wag platy

I know this has been brought up before, but what is the rule for what size filter? Is it 10 gph per gallon?

TFA101

yeah I think so. I've heard that before and it was something like that

tzqng8

Many people aim for this as the optimumin for their FW setups (I guess SW requires a lot more from posts I have read!). You'll rarely see a catalog state that a 300gph filter is the "right" one for a 30g tank though. For my tank, I went with the filter the next "step" up. It isn't 10x, but 6.6x. So far so good!

lilsoccakid

yea 10 gph per gallon is fantastic, but when you look at most filters they dont achieve this. most tanks that claim to be good up to 75 gallon tanks only filter about 350gph

tzqng8

Around 75g is when people start using multiple filters, isn't it? Not really asking if it is needed, per se, but it seems that way. Sometimes two power filters, sometimes one power, one canister.

Ambitiousevil

Not sure if this going to help, but I started with filter that said it was good for up to 60 gallons (300 gph, i think) and it worked fine, but once my tank got a little (a lot) overstocked I ended up buying a second one of the exact size and the water has never been clearer. Ironically it's also the same time I was able to catch up with my weekly water changes and keep a better eye on the feeding schedule since my work had become more stable. Wow, long story to get to the point, yeah, I'd have to agree that if you can get 10 gph/gallon you should have more than enough filtration, but I would agree with the poster above saying that "one notch up" would be a minimum.