is this enough filtration? opinions please

MikefromNH

MikefromNH

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Nov 21, 2004
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I have a 90 gal with a XP-3 and a small powerhead (AC 301, I think)with a micron filter cartrige attached to it. It is a non-planted tank and there are about 30 fish in there. 5 angels, 6 gouramis, 2 rosy barbs, 6 serpae, 2 swordtails, 1 clown pleco, 4 platys and a few other smaller odds and ends.

Is this enough filtration? Rena claims the XP-3 will handle up to 175 gal aquarium. This is a 380% turnover per hour. I know a lot of people suggest having a 600% turnover, or more, per hour.

I dont want any HOB's or biowheels. If I add another filter it'll be another canister of some type. I really don't want to spend the $$ on another filter nor do I want to look at more plumbing but if it's necessary........

What do you guys think? Are there any downsides to overfiltering? I'm looking for "what is necessary" not "the ultimate overkill in filtration".
 
If you turn the water over a minimum of 3 times per hour you should be good. That also depends on if you over feed, do you have more than 1 inch of fish per gallon etc.? If so then you should filter more than 3 times per hour. Also try changing your water more often. If you change it every week increase the amount you change out. I dont know how new you are, but dont clean your biological filter. Sorry if that is an insult too you.
 
I don't know. Seems to me that most people on this forum have overkill filtration compared to me. The 50g has about 400% turnover with a single homemade wet/dry filter... I have another filter set up that runs a lot more but don't find I need it. Saving it for the 330litre tank when I get it... Once the bacteria colonies have settled well in the biomedia the tank will be clean with that amount of filtration. But if the biological isn't right yet then it seems that no amount of mechanical filtering will really clean the tank properly...
 
response to amosf

In response to amosf saying that most people on this site have "overkill filtration", I would like to say that I might be one of the users here lumped in that category and I am happy I am. I have been in this hobby for years and have been in the minimal filtration boat, was in the middle filtration boat, and am now in the "overkill filtration" boat, and I am glad I overfilter for one primary reason: there is more room for error. If I knew I would have the time or lack of laziness to do vacuuming and water changes more often, I would be fine with less filtration, but I like having a larger comfort zone and more room for error. You can use less filtration, but be prepared to do water changes more frequently.
 
I don't think overkill filtration is a bad thing, by the way :) Sorry if it sounds that way. It wasn't the intention. I just know that Mike has been having cloudiness problems, but I don't think it's a filter problem as such. At least I think the filtration he has is adequate.

Most of the 25 years I've been doing this in the past I have been underfiltering, at least by my current standards - ie maybe turning over 50% of the water per hour!!! Tanks will run like this, but it makes things harder. I consider, by past standards, that even turning over water at 500% through sufficient media (and the media type may be an important factor) is overfiltering, which is never a bad thing. If you want to go to 1000% it's not likely to do any harm either...

Likewise I want plenty of overhead as it's difficult to vacuum the gravel completely and there's always overfeeding with multiple people in the house and there tends to be overstocking from time to time...
 
amosf and Visualeyes2, IMO you both have good points.

But if the biological isn't right yet then it seems that no amount of mechanical filtering will really clean the tank properly...
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I am glad I overfilter for one primary reason: there is more room for error. If I knew I would have the time or lack of laziness to do vacuuming and water changes more often, I would be fine with less filtration, but I like having a larger comfort zone and more room for error. You can use less filtration, but be prepared to do water changes more frequently.
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I guess I have at least the bare minimum for filtration, so that's not an issue. According to the responses thus far, I must ask myself.....Would I rather be lazier or wealthier :rolleyes: . Hmmmm :D

Thanks for the responses so far. More are welcome ;)

BTW, I am having a problem with cloudy water, as amosf pointed out. It turned out to be an algae bloom. I now understand this has nothing to do with my filter. However, I am asking in general if my filter setup is adequate for my bioload.
 
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I'd say yes, you're fine - I've got a FilStar XP2 on my 65g; it has a 300 gph flow rate, which means (if my math is right) it's turning over the tank volume 4.6 times an hour (and I doubt it's that much - they never have the flow rate listed on the box once they're full of media, mulm, etc.). It's rated for up to 75g so I'm pretty much maxing it out, and it's doing a great job.
It also depends what you've got in the filter - if you have lots of media designed for biological filtration (the little 'stars' made by Rena or bio-max, etc.) one XP3 should be fine for your tank even if it's a bit overstocked.
 
forgive my hijacking and lack of math skills, but how do I calculate water turnover?

thanks! :O
 
Indigo said:
forgive my hijacking and lack of math skills, but how do I calculate water turnover?

thanks! :O
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Well it's just the water flow of the filter divided by the volume of the tank. So if the filter is rated at 200gph and you have a 50g tank then your water turnover is 4 times or 400%.

Of course there is the rated flow of the filter and the REAL flow of the filter. With some filters the REAL flow might be only 50% of the rated flow. To work out the real flow you can fill a container with the filter and time how long it takes to fill, but this is easier with some filters than others.

And I'm in a metric country, so I will fill a 500ml measuring jug with the filter outflow, say, and time how long it takes. So if that takes 5 seconds for example then I know it takes 10 seconds to pump a litre. That's 6 litres per minute and 360litres per hour, and so forth... It's not necessarily all that accurate, but gives you a good idea.
 
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