29 Gallon Tank: Would two or more filters be good for a fish tank?

Neji · February 2nd, 2010

Hello,

I was thinking... since I have an aquaclear 30 filter for my 29 gallon and I was wondering if I have more than just one filter it will increase the filtration in my tank and the water will be crystal clear more often? I'd really like that since maybe only 1 filter might have to work hard just filtering the water and I don't know if it will be able to take out the protein that has gathered on the surface of the water.

I've been doing a lot of water changes recently and my oto cats are eating up the stuff that stays to the plants, it's not green but white fluffy like appearance that gathers at the top of the plants.

David C · February 2nd, 2010

Two filters on a tank is fine. I ran 2 on a 55gal for a year until I upgraded to a canister filter and it helped keep the tank nice and clean.

Dave

Neji · February 2nd, 2010

Oh I see. Are under gravel filters any good? I don't know if they work because all I have is a side filter that keeps my tank clean most of the times and doesn't get my tank cloudy all the time but it does get cloudy at some point...

Jaysee · February 2nd, 2010

Nooooo UGFs. Get a second AC30 and you'll be in good shape.

bolivianbaby · February 2nd, 2010

I agree with Jaysee...no UG filters. AC's are good, I like Aqueon's as well.

I run two filters on most of my tanks. It's great to have the extra filtration. It also provides more room for the beneficial bacteria to live on.

Nutter · February 2nd, 2010

Definitley no UGF. Two filters is the way to go on almost any tank IMO. I have 2 canisters on most of my tanks so that I can alternate cleaning & always have a really good bacteria population. I also don't have to clean them as often as any of my single filter arrangements.

coffeebean · February 2nd, 2010

i over filter all my tanks. its good

Neji · February 2nd, 2010

Hmm... a whole bunch of you say that undergravel filters aren't good :S But no one has explained why... is there really a problem with under gravel filters? I know this person on youtube who has an undergravel filter and a side filter and they seem to work well... :S

Nutter · February 2nd, 2010

Without fail UGF gets blocked up & requires the tank to be fully stripped for them to be cleaned out. They are also very bad news in planted tanks as the roots will get into the filter plates & cause blockages. That leaves some parts of the substrate getting water & oxygen drawn through it while other parts are getting nothing. That's bad news for you bacteria bed. UGF is long out dated & drastically inferior to even the most basic of todays filter designs.

aquarist48 · February 3rd, 2010

Good morning.
Some good advice above.

As long as your fish aren't being forced around the tank by the current then I say go for the additional filter. I see that you have an Aqua Clear (AC) 30. I have AC's of all sizes from the 20 to the 110.
To prevent the surface build up in my Gold Fish tank, which I use an AC 70, I added the Aqua Clear surface skimmer in the link below:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215392/product.web

It does a wonderful job and too it adds additional oxygen into the water. I also have one connected to my AC 50 that I use for my 29g tank to prefilter water for my water changes.

My opinion of under gravel filters....Poop collectors! I had them many many years ago and I'll never use them again.

I think they make for a nasty environment. Others may disagree but I don't think it will be many

The white fluffy stuff you see is probably hair algae. You can remove it with your fingers. Some fish may feed from it. It's not harmful and should eventually go away on its own.

Ken

Neji · February 3rd, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquarist48

Good morning.
Some good advice above.

As long as your fish aren't being forced around the tank by the current then I say go for the additional filter. I see that you have an Aqua Clear (AC) 30. I have AC's of all sizes from the 20 to the 110.
To prevent the surface build up in my Gold Fish tank, which I use an AC 70, I added the Aqua Clear surface skimmer in the link below:

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215392/product.web

It does a wonderful job and too it adds additional oxygen into the water. I also have one connected to my AC 50 that I use for my 29g tank to prefilter water for my water changes.

My opinion of under gravel filters....Poop collectors! I had them many many years ago and I'll never use them again.

I think they make for a nasty environment. Others may disagree but I don't think it will be many

The white fluffy stuff you see is probably hair algae. You can remove it with your fingers. Some fish may feed from it. It's not harmful and should eventually go away on its own.

Ken

Oh I have the same thing in my tank too. It doesn't seem to do a lot of work though :S I don't know if it is working or not since the protein is still at the surface...

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