Can there be too much of a good thing? Could I use a 350 gal/hr canister with a 20 gal. tank (I want to get a bigger tank in the not too distant future)? If it is too much, what is the right flow or rather suction for a 20 gal filter system?
how much filtration is too much?
- Thread starter alter-falter
- Start date
An aquarium filter should run all the water in the tank through it at least three times per hour. a hundred gph would do a 20 gallon tank (not overstocked) just fine. you cannot really over filter a tank but you can definitely have too much water movement. many species of fish will suffer stress if required to constantly 'swim' just to maintain a static place in the water.
The good thing about a 350gph cannister is.....it probably has a ton of surface area for bacteria to take hold. Can you adjust the flow so it runs at about 1/2 the flow rate?
Some fish (pleco) would like it. I just put together a 40g tank for my pleco with two AC50's. That's 15x water turnover per hour.... + a 340gph powerhead. My 10g tank has about 200gph turnover, but its divided between two AC mini filters. There are a lot of plants and structures, so I need 2 filters to avoid dead spots. I guess on avg, all of my tanks turn at least 10x per hour.
Some fish (pleco) would like it. I just put together a 40g tank for my pleco with two AC50's. That's 15x water turnover per hour.... + a 340gph powerhead. My 10g tank has about 200gph turnover, but its divided between two AC mini filters. There are a lot of plants and structures, so I need 2 filters to avoid dead spots. I guess on avg, all of my tanks turn at least 10x per hour.
a direct answer... no specific amount of filteration is too much.... its the current of the intake/outake mechanism that puts the check on the upper limits.
you can cut down flow in the meantime with some sponges on the intake. it will cut down the flow a little and give you a filter seeder for new filters.... i rarely completlely cycle a tank anymore, as i stick older AquaClear sponges on at least one running filter... they make great fry feeders too.
cut a slit in the sponge and stick it on the tube.
you can cut down flow in the meantime with some sponges on the intake. it will cut down the flow a little and give you a filter seeder for new filters.... i rarely completlely cycle a tank anymore, as i stick older AquaClear sponges on at least one running filter... they make great fry feeders too.
cut a slit in the sponge and stick it on the tube.
As already stated - no you cant overfilter a tank (in most cases). But if the filter is too big it could cause too much current in the tank for the inhabitants. This is where the cutting of flow rates comes in. If you cant with the existing hardware on your filter, you can use the sponge method (I do this for AC Minis on betta tanks) or you can fabriacate an adjustable output nozzle.
My $ 0.02
Aries
My $ 0.02
Aries