Many Many Filters

J

joeshmoe

AC Members
Jan 2, 2007
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First I'd like to say this is a great forum. I recently got my first tank, a 46 gal, and I've found a ton of great info on here. I've been reading up on the many different tank set-ups people have on here and one question pops out. I'm trying to figure out my own tank set-up and I'd like to get a quiet canister filter for my tank. The reason being I'd like to keep the filter out of sight and it would allow me to put my tank as close to the wall as possible. I've read about some set-ups that not only have a canister filter, but also have HOB/HOT filters as well. Is there a point to having multiple filters on a tank? One user recently posted that he was using an eheim classic running on a 55 gal tank along with an emperor 400 and an AC 50. Why is all that filtering needed? Is there something I'm not understanding about filtering? Don't most canister filters provide all the filtering needed (mechanical, bio, and chem if needed) by themselves? Thanks for the help.

If anyone can give me any set-up recommendations, I'd be much obliged.

Happy New Year

- Joe
 
Well, it is said a lot that you can never "over filter" your tank... The more the better. It would be much better for your fish to have the water turn over 10-15 times an hour than, say, 4 times an hour.
 
One user recently posted that he was using an eheim classic running on a 55 gal tank along with an emperor 400 and an AC 50. Why is all that filtering needed?
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it's not. the cannister - or - the emp 400 - or - AC 500 would do the job quite well. if the tank is VERY heavily stocked, you might consider additional filtration but the reality is your tank should not be so heavily stocked that you need three filters to run it.

moreover, the media in one filter or three filters can only be colonized by that concentration of bacteria as there is ammonia to feed them. no, you cannot 'over filter' a tank but you certainly can spend far more money on filters than is necessary to support the bioload of a tank.

if you want more current, it's far cheaper to set up a pump in a corner away from the filter than it is to set up an entire filter.
 
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There can be a number of reasons for using multiple filters.

1- Current- more filters = more current. Not all fish like current though. Two smaller filters will make less strong current than a single bigger one.
2- Better circulation= more filters provide more circulation. This helps spread heat better and also collect debris from more than one place.
3- Fail safe= a filter failure is less disasterous when it is not the only filter. (This applies to heaters as well.)
4- Media volume= more filters = more media. Many filters have a flow control so bigger filters running at a reduced flow rate can provide excess media volume w/o increasing current. It also means more diverse media may be used.

I run 15 tanks- only 3 have a single filter and they are a 5.5 and 2 x 10 gals.
 
OK thanks. I think I got it. It just depends on the individual preference, population of the tank, desire flow, etc. I just thought I may have been missing something during my search for info.

So running multiple filters, do you run them in series with one connected to another or are each of them stand alone?
 
as others stated there is so many reasons why people use multiple filters. for me its knowing i have a back up just in case something brakes. another reason i didnt see someone add is a extra filter for a qt tank. being able to have a cycled filter ready to go if something grows wrong can be life or death.

if they are all connected if one fails they all fail. having each one set up on its own gives you a better chance of them not failing all at once.
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
as others stated there is so many reasons why people use multiple filters. for me its knowing i have a back up just in case something brakes. another reason i didnt see someone add is a extra filter for a qt tank. being able to have a cycled filter ready to go if something grows wrong can be life or death.

if they are all connected if one fails they all fail. having each one set up on its own gives you a better chance of them not failing all at once.
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Beat me to it. :)
 
There are also a lot of reasons NOT to over filter:

If you are using a huge filter or multiple ones to get away with overcrowding a tank, you are begging for trouble. Even a short power outage can cause a disaster. If you're out of the house at the time, you can lose all the fish in the tank very quickly and come home to a stinking mess.

If you're not cleaning out detritus on a regular basis, it will actually foul the water more with a current rushing through it than it would sitting in an inert heap on the bottom.

Some of the best fish breeders I've talked to use air-driven sponge filters almost exclusively!
 
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