Should I Buy a Bigger Filter?

Hey everyone, Emiliya here. I have been excited to see my nitrate levels finally show up in my tank at a healthy level and see my ammonia drop to 0 as it should, holding my breath to see if it lasts another week and I think my tank has finished cycling! No nitrite present. I am excited. However I noticed there is a LOT of algae growth and when I do some cleaning of the substrate that the filter doesn't seem to be doing that great of a job. I did buy this tank used and the gravel came with it so I probably should have cleaned it better but it gave me the ammonia I needed to start the tank cycling right away and I have managed it quite well, but I am wondering if my filter isn't doing it's job. The tank is a 55 gallon with an old Aqueon 700 filter. I am not familiar with Aqueon's brands as I have only used Tetra Whispers before this, so any thoughts if I should upgrade or is it all good and normal? My phone is evil right now so I can't post a picture of the filter or what the tank looks like but when the bugs are worked out of the phone I will. Thank you for reading!

 

What color is your algae? If it is brown it is probably diatoms and will go away once the tank matures more. Green maybe your light is on too long.

 

What color is your algae? If it is brown it is probably diatoms and will go away once the tank matures more. Green maybe your light is on too long.

It seems mostly brown, but I did leave the light on 24/7 for a while so I turn it off at night now. Pictures of the tank...

 

I’d cut down to 6-8 hours a day, and should go away

 

I’d cut down to 6-8 hours a day, and should go away

Okay thanks for your advice! I'll do that

 

Are you sure it's an Aqueon 700? I can't find anything on the internet in regards to that filter, only a pump.

 

Are you sure it's an Aqueon 700? I can't find anything on the internet in regards to that filter, only a pump.

Well, I put filter cartridges in it as per instructions but maybe I don't know the difference between filter and pump...

Here's a picture of it, filter is circled. Sorry I can't get a better one I'm across town dog sitting.

 

actually it looks just like this one but older and it says 700 on it. I'm thinking it's pretty old...

 

The dog approves!

That's definitely a filter. Strange I can't find anything in regards to it online.

Does it look like this:

Aqueon 75

LOL you posted while I was posting that exact link.

If that is the filter, it does about 400GPH. So factor in the height of the intake tube and the filter media, I would say you are right around 250-300GPH. That is right on the edge of being enough for your tank. Honestly, if the other person had it up and running with this filter, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just watch your stocking levels, and test your water frequently until you understand it's capabilities.

 

The dog approves!

That's definitely a filter. Strange I can't find anything in regards to it online.

Does it look like this:

Aqueon 75

LOL you posted while I was posting that exact link.

If that is the filter, it does about 400GPH. So factor in the height of the intake tube and the filter media, I would say you are right around 250-300GPH. That is right on the edge of being enough for your tank. Honestly, if the other person had it up and running with this filter, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just watch your stocking levels, and test your water frequently until you understand it's capabilities.

Thank you for your advice! I may eventually invest in a newer filter that handles more because I'm going to be investing in angelfish that I'll be ordering from a gal online. And if I'm going to invest that much in fish I really want to make sure that my filter is working. Haha yeah, Rifka my dog and our cat Lina are my happy helpers with the fish tank. As far as the person I bought this tank from, she was a very nice Asian lady who spoke very little English but she communicated to me that she kept koi in this 55 gallon tank for several years. I suppose if the filter was handling that, I shouldn't stress too much!

 

I would leave that filter and add something like an Aquaclear 70 or 110 and run them both

 

I would leave that filter and add something like an Aquaclear 70 or 110 and run them both

My only concern with doing two is how much power that would take... I got everything on one power strip at the moment, I'm beginning to think I may need to add another one.

 

My only concern with doing two is how much power that would take... I got everything on one power strip at the moment, I'm beginning to think I may need to add another one.

I hear that. At night when I see my 300 watt heater turn on, I think about how much it costs to run.
Your filter draws much less than 300 watt. Much less. What else is plugged into the strip?
I bet you are under 300 watt unless you have a 300 watt heater like I do.
If you have room/space on the strip for another heater, go for it.

If the receptacle/outlet you are plugged into is wired correctly and is protected by the correct size breaker, there is little to concern yourself with.
Oh....does the strip have over current protection/breaker built in, or is it just a rocker switch? This would be very relevant to this situation.

 

My only concern with doing two is how much power that would take... I got everything on one power strip at the moment, I'm beginning to think I may need to add another one.

Your filter uses barely any power compared to the lights and heater.

 

I hear that. At night when I see my 300 watt heater turn on, I think about how much it costs to run.
Your filter draws much less than 300 watt. Much less. What else is plugged into the strip?
I bet you are under 300 watt unless you have a 300 watt heater like I do.
If you have room/space on the strip for another heater, go for it.

If the receptacle/outlet you are plugged into is wired correctly and is protected by the correct size breaker, there is little to concern yourself with.
Oh....does the strip have over current protection/breaker built in, or is it just a rocker switch? This would be very relevant to this situation.

Haha that would be a good question for my husband regarding if the power strip has a breaker in it, I will ask him that when he gets back from plowing. Otherwise I do, unfortunately, have the 300 watt heater because I was struggling to keep my water warm enough. So on that power strip is plugged in the filter, heater, the two lights for the tank, and the air pump. I am not looking forward to our power bill coming up this month... I have two remaining plug-ins on the powerstrip so I'll ask my handy husband if there's too much wattage going in.

Your filter uses barely any power compared to the lights and heater.

Good to know, I guess because it's older I was a bit more concerned it uses more.

 

Haha that would be a good question for my husband regarding if the power strip has a breaker in it, I will ask him that when he gets back from plowing. Otherwise I do, unfortunately, have the 300 watt heater because I was struggling to keep my water warm enough. So on that power strip is plugged in the filter, heater, the two lights for the tank, and the air pump. I am not looking forward to our power bill coming up this month... I have two remaining plug-ins on the powerstrip so I'll ask my handy husband if there's too much wattage going in.
Good to know, I guess because it's older I was a bit more concerned it uses more.

You need the 300 watt heater for the 55 gallon. Some people use two of them.

The point I am trying to make is, there is no limit as to how much can be plugged into the strip other than the number of receptacles on the strip that are available.
You need not worry. The building wiring and protection are there regardless of the strip.
So plug in everything you need to. You have a breaker for this receptacle in your electrical panel.

 

My only concern with doing two is how much power that would take... I got everything on one power strip at the moment, I'm beginning to think I may need to add another one.

I run 2 filters on most of my tanks along with heaters lights and air pumps so as above said as long as your power strip has enough plugs your all set

 

EmiliyaCossack , congrats on your new tank set up!

Your fish tank set up isn't really going to consume that much power, even if you add a 2nd filter.
A HOB (hang on back) filter usually consume between 5-14 watts of power depending on model. Your LED lights might consume around 8 - 15 watts. The heater doesn't run 24/7 and probably only stays on 1/3 of the time at most.

The largest Aquaclear 110 consumes only 14 watts of power, and it's the largest HOB filter you can buy. Even the large FX series of Fluval canister filters consume only 30-40 watts. So for example, you can add the largest HOB and canister filter and still be using less power than 1x 60 watt light bulb !

One electrical wall outlet will easily handle multiple heaters, lights, filters, air pumps, etc etc. When toaster ovens, microwaves and hairdryers pull 1500 watts of power or more, adding a 2nd filter pulling 10 watts is not noticeable. I've got cell phone chargers that can pull more power than HOB style filters.

You said you were struggling to heat the tank with a 300watt heater. How cold does the room get?

Also, you mentioned the setup is used and a couple of years old. I would consider buying a new heater. In the grand scheme of fish keeping, a $30 investment in a new heater is low, especially considering how much fish cost and all the time and effort invested taking care of them. A heater failure can leave you with cold fish, while a thermostat failure could leave you with cooked fish.

The Chewy website has 300 watt Aqueon Pro heaters on sale for $30 and they have a life time warranty. If there is a PetSmart nearby, the cashier will price match the Chewy website. Eheim Jager, Finnex and Fluval make good heaters also. I've used an Aqueon Pro heater for the past 2 years with zero problems.

I agree with the other members about adding additional filtration. Many fishkeepers run 2 filters. I would suggest looking into a minimum of a pair of large sponge filters run off a decent air pump. I use a sponge filter in conjunction with other filters in my tanks.

For HOB style filters, an Aquaclear 70 would be a good choice. I've got Aquaclears in different sizes and recommend them to anyone.


When you mentioned the algae and the filter wasn't doing its job, what type of media do you have in the filter?
Also, filters will not remove algae. Algae is usually the result from different factors, such as being next to a window with sunlight, having the tanknlightson too long, high nitrates and/or high phosphates.
If you didn't clean the gravel well, I would suggest using your gravel siphon vac and thoroughly clean the gravel.
A build up of organic waste from uneaten fish food and fish detritus will basically feed the algae.

I have found the best way to clean algae from glass is scraping it off with an old debit or credit card. Also, the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work awesome. They do not have chemicals or surfactants in them, so you can clean the inside of the glass while tank is full of water. Best time to clean algae is right before a large water change.

 

EmiliyaCossack , congrats on your new tank set up!

Your fish tank set up isn't really going to consume that much power, even if you add a 2nd filter.

A HOB (hang on back) filter usually consume between 5-14 watts of power depending on model. Your LED lights might consume around 8 - 15 watts. The heater doesn't run 24/7 and probably only stays on 1/3 of the time at most.

The largest Aquaclear 110 consumes only 14 watts of power, and it's the largest HOB filter you can buy. Even the large FX series of Fluval canister filters consume only 30-40 watts. So for example, you can add the largest HOB and canister filter and still be using less power than 1x 60 watt light bulb !

One electrical wall outlet will easily handle multiple heaters, lights, filters, air pumps, etc etc. When toaster ovens, microwaves and hairdryers pull 1500 watts of power or more, adding a 2nd filter pulling 10 watts is not noticeable. I've got cell phone chargers that can pull more power than HOB style filters.

You said you were struggling to heat the tank with a 300watt heater. How cold does the room get?

Also, you mentioned the setup is used and a couple of years old. I would consider buying a new heater. In the grand scheme of fish keeping, a $30 investment in a new heater is low, especially considering how much fish cost and all the time and effort invested taking care of them. A heater failure can leave you with cold fish, while a thermostat failure could leave you with cooked fish.

The Chewy website has 300 watt Aqueon Pro heaters on sale for $30 and they have a life time warranty. If there is a PetSmart nearby, the cashier will price match the Chewy website. Eheim Jager, Finnex and Fluval make good heaters also. I've used an Aqueon Pro heater for the past 2 years with zero problems.

Thanks so much for all the info, Islandvic, really appreciate it! I probably shouldn't have mentioned the algae in conjunction with the filter, it wasn't related I was just thinking two separate thoughts, haha. I did just buy the new heater after messing with the old one for two weeks so I got it last week and it's great! I am happy with it. Thanks for the advice about the sponge filters, I will take a look at them, I've heard only good things! Also I appreciate you setting me at ease about the plug-ins, I get concerned about blowing things up from past childhood experiences at a house where we blew the fuse all the time. XD I forget that was quite a while ago and that my big brothers were doing bad things to the outlet. Thanks a bunch!