AC 500 and HOT Magnum 250 on my 55g at the moment. Water is very clear and no algae is present. Though I'm sure the 50%+ weekly water changes I do have more to do with that than the turn-over flow rate.
Flow in your tank
- Thread starter Hebdizzle
- Start date
If you have a canister you could drain using your output a certain number of gallons and time it with a stop watch. Then divide gals/secs and now you have a number that is gallons per second.
Example - say it takes 54 seconds to drain 3 gallons.. 3/54 = .056 (estimated) gallons/second
Then convert the gallons/second to gallons/minute to gallons/hour.
Example - .056 x 60 (seconds/minute) x 60 (minutes/hour) OR .056x60x60= 202 (est.) gallons per hour is your TRUE FLOW RATE.
To bad I have a HOTB filter.. Maybe I'll try rerouting the flow sometime to see. If I had a hose the same size as my intake I could hang it on backwards and route the hose in the tank.
Example - say it takes 54 seconds to drain 3 gallons.. 3/54 = .056 (estimated) gallons/second
Then convert the gallons/second to gallons/minute to gallons/hour.
Example - .056 x 60 (seconds/minute) x 60 (minutes/hour) OR .056x60x60= 202 (est.) gallons per hour is your TRUE FLOW RATE.
To bad I have a HOTB filter.. Maybe I'll try rerouting the flow sometime to see. If I had a hose the same size as my intake I could hang it on backwards and route the hose in the tank.
Ok I'm exagerating, but seriously my only concern is strong currents blowing around plants and fish.My 270 gallon tank cycles just over 4 times an hour. (measured not rated) The water quality with 30 large cichlids and 2 plecos was perfect. I am changing to discus and I think they will be fine, I am mounting a large FBF to assist.
The flow or amount of filtration has little to do with the amount of algea. Afterall algea grows in fast moving streams all over the world. Algea is pretty much a direct result of ammonia productions levels ( not necessarily readable ammonia levels) and light. Even the idea of high phosphates causing algea is starting to be questioned and rightfully so.
Likewise the clarity of the water has little to do with flow rate. but more to do with the size type of media in said filters.
For me water clarity isn't a big deal, especially considering the fish I have and the amount of time I'm actually at home to clean media. I don't use ultra fine media that will polish my water to a crystal clear look because I'm not home to monitor or work with a system of that type.
My two major concerns are exceptional bio-filtration to facilitate an extremely stable environment, and mechanical filtration adequate enough to put the bulk of the waste where it's easy to access for me.
Folks who want crystal clear water use different methods to achieve their desired goal. Don't get me wrong, My tanks are very clean, but they do not have the transparent/polished look of many tanks I have seen.
Dave
I have about a 6.8 turnover rate in my tank w/ 0 psi in my ocean clear, so I guess my rate is close to 1700gph.
Personally I have 2 AC 500's on one of my 55g tanks for a rated 1000 gph or 20x per hour.
On another new 55g setup I have one AC 500 and one AC 300.
Neither tank has too much current IMO. Im a firm believer in AC filters and I always buy the next size up from what is needed for my tank. I just like a higher turnover rate.
Unless fish are being sucked up in the intake or are acting stressed due to being pushed around the tank, I do not think you can overfiltrate a tank.
I have always ran multiple filters on my tanks larger than 20g. Personalyl, I like the ability of having a 2nd filter in which I can change out media for polishing, or simply use media from one filter to seed another tank.
In my larger tanks I generally keep messier fish, so again, more filtration is what I prefer to keep my water clear.
On another new 55g setup I have one AC 500 and one AC 300.
Neither tank has too much current IMO. Im a firm believer in AC filters and I always buy the next size up from what is needed for my tank. I just like a higher turnover rate.
Unless fish are being sucked up in the intake or are acting stressed due to being pushed around the tank, I do not think you can overfiltrate a tank.
I have always ran multiple filters on my tanks larger than 20g. Personalyl, I like the ability of having a 2nd filter in which I can change out media for polishing, or simply use media from one filter to seed another tank.
In my larger tanks I generally keep messier fish, so again, more filtration is what I prefer to keep my water clear.
cyberbeer65
Scratch Glass!
