Conflicting filtration info

Hey guys,

So as long as I've been on fishlore I've heard that filters are never actually designed for the capacity they claim to be (a 20 gallon filter is better fit for a 10 gallon aquarium etc.) and to base filtration on GPH. I've read that ideal GPH should cycle your tank through about 10 times an hour, or 8-12 times an hour... This of course depends on your fish as some prefer a higher current than others.

Since then I've gone about making sure to have double filtration in all of my tanks. My first of which is an Aqueon starter kit 10 gallon. I've spent a lot of time debating over which additional filter to get in order to give that tank proper filtration, considered getting a second 10 or 15 filter or replacing the 10 entirely with one designed for a 20 gallon. When I actually looked at the math.

An Aqueon QuietFlow 10 is designed to have a GPH of 100. Meaning it is designed for a 10 gallon to have a flow rate of 10 times per hour, right? So this filter is actually designed to accommodate a 10 gallon tank appropriately and a second filter isn't actually needed after all of this time debating what size to get?

This might be just a rare case of one filter actually performing based on actual tank size needs, since a 50 only cycles a 29 gallon about 8 times, and a 55/75 technically only has a GPH of 400 (which means it's ideal for 40 gallon tanks, for example.)

I guess I'm just kind of double checking this hypothesis. All things considered, despite what everyone says about starter kits not actually being sufficient - an additional filter for the Aqueon 10 kit isn't really necessary is it?

I would also like to point out that I do have a 15 of some other company on standby so I DO have a second filter if the first one stops working, that's not what this post is about. It's about needing to run at a certain capacity, not having a back up ready in case of emergencies.

I hope that all made sense.

 

I believe that your hypothesis is correct. Your Aqueon 10 should be sufficent for the needs of the tank depending on stocking. Over filtration never hurts however.

 

If you wanted to add some extra filtration you could add the 15 until it gets colonized with bacteria and then remove the 10. Keep the 10 for backup or emergencies. Either of them would probably be fine, but of course the 15 would be a little bit better. You can almost not have too much filtration. As long as the flow in the tank isn't too strong for the fish. In that case you could baffle the output if you want.

Another good option for a second filter for your tank would be a sponge filter. This would help aerate your water and provide the awesome benefits of a sponge filter. Aerating the water can be helpful especially in summer months when its hot and oxygen levels can get low in your tank. Sponge filters are super cheap, you can get them on ebay for about $3 including shipping. Just need an air pump and air stone to power it (which you may already have) and your good to go. On my 10 gallon, I run a Penguin 150 (150 gph) and a DIY sponge filter and they work great together. My painted fire red shrimp are doing great in there and love to clean off the sponge.

 

I believe that your hypothesis is correct. Your Aqueon 10 should be sufficent for the needs of the tank depending on stocking. Over filtration never hurts however.

It houses 8 male guppies at the moment, 4 of which aren't going to be full grown for a few months still. I was planning to add one of those internal 15s since I'm out of space in the hood for another HOB. They have a GPH of 66 so that should be sufficient enough boost if I add a few more to the tank, once my fry are sexed.

 

If you wanted to add some extra filtration you could add the 15 until it gets colonized with bacteria and then remove the 10. Keep the 10 for backup or emergencies. Either of them would probably be fine, but of course the 15 would be a little bit better. You can almost not have too much filtration. As long as the flow in the tank isn't too strong for the fish. In that case you could baffle the output if you want.

Another good option for a second filter for your tank would be a sponge filter. This would help aerate your water and provide the awesome benefits of a sponge filter. Aerating the water can be helpful especially in summer months when its hot and oxygen levels can get low in your tank. Sponge filters are super cheap, you can get them on ebay for about $3 including shipping. Just need an air pump and air stone to power it (which you may already have) and your good to go. On my 10 gallon, I run a Penguin 150 (150 gph) and a DIY sponge filter and they work great together. My painted fire red shrimp are doing great in there and love to clean off the sponge.

There is absolutely nothing about the 15 that I like. It was free so I keep it in case I need a back up for a day or two, but it's unreliable, louder and has LESS of a GPH than the Aqueon according to the internet, if I recall correctly. I don't remember what it was and the information is listed on the bottom of the filter so it's hard to read since I'm currently using it on another tank.

I don't have any sponge filters set up but I do have some sponge baffles on the inputs. Since filters love to eat duckweed and I have plenty of that.

 

When I bought my AQUEON 36 gallon bowfront tank, it came equipped with a AQ30 - the 30 is only rated at the 200gph which is not sufficient for the 36 gallon even though I was told it was.

So to supplement that, I added the 55/75, which is 400 gph. I was just going to use the 55/75 by itself but then decided that I could use BOTH. Glad I did because even though 600 gph is overkill for my 36 gallon, I use it to store and seed extra filter media.

I have all kinds of biomax, sponges in there, "just in case" I need to fire up my QT tank

I don't know what manufacturers are thinking, Maybe just to put a minimal kit together??????

 

actually what do you mean by over filtration?

 

actually what do you mean by over filtration?

Using a filter with greater capacity than needed for your tank.

For instance, using an Aqueon QuietFlow 10 for a 10 gallon tank gives a GPH of 100 gallons per hour. Meaning the entire tank's water cycles through the filter 10 times per hour, exactly. Most people suggest 8-12 times as a good aI'm in your tanks, depending on how crowded the fish inhabiting it are.

Overfiltration would be say, using a QuietFlow 55/75 (GPH of 400) on a 29 gallon tank. A GPH that high means the water in the tank is cycling through the filter nearly 14 times an hour - which is more than actually necessary.

Some people suggest that more is better, and you can't ever have too high a GPH on your tank. Others disagree, and say that your GPH shouldn't be too high for the comfort of the fish in the tank.

 

No such thing as "over filtration" in my opinion.

 

actually what do you mean by over filtration?

Filtration rate that's more than what is required for the given water volume. Ideally 10 times per hour is what was mentioned in the first post. Filter manufacturers do not have a constant set of standards so people double up just to be sure.

 

There is a train of thought and practice amongst some experienced aquarists, that filters are not required at all on large tanks, and I can sort of see the logic in that, because there is infinitley more BB in the substrate than in any filter due to the shear amount of media.
Its why UGF filters work so well
After all the filters are just a tool we use to make cleaning a tank easy, and also allowing for possible overstocking of the tanks
All the filtration is managed by the substrate and plants alone, and only very small HOB filters are used with no media inside them to create small amounts of current to push plant nutrients around the tank
I personally have never been brave enough to try this, but I have never used filters of more than 5 times tank volume turnover in 1 hour
Basically its the way I was taught, and have learned for myself over 30 years of fish keeping
I really want the water in my filters to stay there, inside the filter for a minimum of 4 minutes before being pumped back into the tank, in order that BB have a chance to work on the impurities in the water, so in order to achieve this the flow rates are lower than many people use
Over my many years of keeping fish, I have never experieced any issues with unclear water, or high Nitrates Etc, because the BB have processed the water correctly

 

Interesting.

 

Good morning,

"I personally have never been brave enough to try this, but I have never used filters of more than 5 times tank volume turnover in 1 hour
Basically its the way I was taught, and have learned for myself over 30 years of fish keeping
I really want the water in my filters to stay there, inside the filter for a minimum of 4 minutes before being pumped back into the tank, in order that BB have a chance to work on the impurities in the water, so in order to achieve this the flow rates are lower than many people use"...ThaI Aquarium Owner (post #11 above)

I have also seen information in the past, that the beneficial bacteria in the filter will be much better off if you can adjust the filter to low flow, keeping the water in the filter in contact with the beneficial bacteria longer.

On my 265g (+ 35g in the Wet/dry and 13g's in the refugiums so around 300g's for this tank) tank and using Wet/Dry filtration with a Mag Drive 1200, I'm close to 5 x's the gph turn over. Adding the refugium gph I'm sitting around 6 x's the gph turnover. In my 40 + years experience, I've come to the conclusion that it is more important to have greater bio media (more of it) compared to having a higher gph turnover.

Also IMO, hang on back (hob) and canister filtration cannot compete with Wet/Dry and Sump filtration. Since I've added refugiums (hang on back type and creating a refugium in the Wet/Dry), even better! More surface area for beneficial bacteria to live.

Ken

 

As Aquarist48 has stated above, I also am of the opinion after many years of fishkeeping that it is better to have a larger chamber that holds more of the bio media in the processing area of the filter rather than a high GPH that pushes the water through the filter more rapidly and therefore the BB have less contact time to work
My next tank will have only 2 x turn over with an even larger chamber for the processing media, and I hope to get about 8 minutes contact time for the water in the filter
At this moment in time with 5 x turn over, I have 6 KG of ceramic rings in the 5 foot, 5 kg in the 4 foot, and 3 kg in the 30 inch
This is the reason I now use wet/dry trickle filters and in the past have used canister filters in order to get a large amount of media to hold BB.
And having used my share of HOB and all kinds of other filters over the years, by far the wet/dry trickle filter sytems are the best, and if a refugium is added to the system , then all the better
Many ( if not all ) manufacturers of tanks and equipment when selling the " all in one " plug in and go tank kits will sell the filter as a part of the kit,
If you work out the ratings on the filter pumps against the tank volumes, you will find that the turn over on all of them will be pretty close to 5 times volume / hour
This is not due to the manufacturer selling the minimum they can get away with, its because that's what works, and has been proven over many, many years by some really clever scientists Etc, and IMO the only real need to have GPH in the region of 10 X turnover is with a reef/ marine tank in order to replicate tidal flows Etc
After all the manufacturers want you to buy your next tank from them, and to recommend their products to your friends and associates, so they will not sell rubbish stuff to you the public

 

I've heard about tanks that are so heavily planted minimal filtration is required with no water changes. This is something I've been working towards for one of my tanks, but the rest don't have nearly enough plants to compensate for the waste.