I have a 76 gallon Oceanic Systems 1/2 round tank on order. I am in the design/research phase, but would like to go heavily planted and host some beautiful discus as the feature fish in this living room tank. This is my first foray into both discus and heavy planting. I am looking at CO2 systems, softened acidic water, etc. etc. etc.
I am struggling with the filtration needs for this tank. I am planning to go with canister(s). The rule of thumb appears to be 5-10X circulation rate per hour -- that would be 380-760 GPH. At the low end of that, there are several choices of a single filter that could deliver this. At the high end, I would really need 2 filters to meet this level. One discus site I queried recommended 7X as the target- on the hairy edge of getting one filter -- but adding things like a CO2 reactor in-line would probably force a 2 filter system.
I also read that fully planted tanks provide much of the biological and chemical filtering by the plants.
What I can't seem to find is what the circulation requirements are for the well-planted tank. Can one go to the 4-5X range for delicate fish like discus if the tank is well planted and balanced? Or is water circulation needs independent from filtering needs?
I do not plan to add the discus until I have run the tank for 6 months or so and have the plants well established.
Do I need need 2 filters and 6-700 GPH of canister filtration in such a setup??
Thanks for your advice!
Ken
I am struggling with the filtration needs for this tank. I am planning to go with canister(s). The rule of thumb appears to be 5-10X circulation rate per hour -- that would be 380-760 GPH. At the low end of that, there are several choices of a single filter that could deliver this. At the high end, I would really need 2 filters to meet this level. One discus site I queried recommended 7X as the target- on the hairy edge of getting one filter -- but adding things like a CO2 reactor in-line would probably force a 2 filter system.
I also read that fully planted tanks provide much of the biological and chemical filtering by the plants.
What I can't seem to find is what the circulation requirements are for the well-planted tank. Can one go to the 4-5X range for delicate fish like discus if the tank is well planted and balanced? Or is water circulation needs independent from filtering needs?
I do not plan to add the discus until I have run the tank for 6 months or so and have the plants well established.
Do I need need 2 filters and 6-700 GPH of canister filtration in such a setup??
Thanks for your advice!
Ken
