gallons per hour

[LMOUTHBASS]

how many gallons per hour shoul you be looking to have filtered in a tank? not sure whats good - i have a 55g with a penguin 330 and am waiting for my aqua clear 500 i will run both at once - what shoul i be looking for in performance i'm thinking i shoul have some very clear water!

[beviking]

Some will say 10 exchanges per hour some will say less. I'd say 6-7 exchanges/hr is plenty. Of course, it varies with the fish (and plants) you're keeping. I had a 55g with 2 AC300's and IMO it was a little too much. Didn't get much gunk settling in the gravel though. On my 90g, I have a FilsterXP3 (350gph) so I'm not even at 4 exchanges per hour but the water is clear and parameters are good.
With those filters on a 55g, I'm thinking you should have some dizzy fish!;)

[LMOUTHBASS]

i was thinking you cant have too much filtration!it shoul be ok ?

[RHJ]

I think the gallons per hour question has no clear cut answer. It really depends on a number of factors: The type of filter you are using, the type and amount of fish you are keeping, feeding schedule, how often you perform water changes. With power filters I believe most manufacturers suggest 3-4 x/hour for each gallon of water. I know most people think this is not even close to enough filtration and shoot for 8-10x.Some even go for 15x. If you use canister filters I don't think you need these high flow rates.
I think that you can never have too much filtration, but you dont want to have such a strong current that you will blow your fish away either. I don't have any experience with penguin filters, but it sounds to me like you will have enough when you add that ac500. Of course I first should have asked: What kind of fish are you keeping?

[TKOS]

Just to confuse the issue, I try and aim for 5-6x using HOB filters. I can normally accomplish this by taking my tank size, mulitplying it by 1.5 and then using a filter for that size tank (for a 10 that would be a filter for a 15-20 like an AC mini). It is a bit arbitrary but works for me.

With your 2 bigger filters on the 55 gallon you might want to use some sort of diverter so that the flow doesn't come crashing into the tank. This will help slow down the return and cause less current.

[LMOUTHBASS]

be ok the penguin has a very long intake tube (not that it matters) and is on the far right side of the tank it dfoesnt create overwhelming current the AC will be on the far right
i keep a community tank
angels
cories
gouramis
etc