The Puffer Forum

Been a while since I posted, I have a 26gallons bowfront tank, SG at 1.004, with one figure 8 puffer. I wash the aquarium once a week with 50% water change.

I have access to another filter module for a 30 gallon tank, from somebody getting rid of it, if I'd be to add it to my aquarium, what would be the benefit, if any really?? Would doubling the filtration mean I could clean the tank once every 2 weeks or would it not change anything in that manner???

Doubling filtration won't do any harm unless there's too much water flow pushing the fish around the tank. However, it's not done so you can perform fewer water changes. Double filtration is often used to compensate for species that create a lot of waste, as puffers do.

It's true that a second filter is a second location for good aquarium bacteria to grow, so in that sense they can reduce water changes. However, you still need to do regular water quality testing to tell you when the water needs to be changed. Don't fall into the trap of assuming that if you have two filters you don't have to change the water as often.

I had a canister and HOB filter running simultaneously on my F8's tank for years. No ill effects, but, like TwistOfF8 mentioned above; it will not alter your water change schedule a bit. It does however give a nice water flow and increases the filtration of water dramatically.