The Puffer Forum

I'm thinking about adding an extra, smaller filter to my 20g tall tank just to add a little extra filtration and water flow. Combined they would be 200gph. Couldn't hurt, right?

the rule of thumb for filtration is 10x turn over so you would be right where you need to be

Right on. That's what i was thinking. Thanks!

/thread
=D

A very good choice.

Which two filtration systems would you be running? Another option (to save space) would be to run a single system with a larger output.

For now, since i'll be upgrading tanks in a month or 2, i'm running a Penguin 100 as my main filter and what i just added is an Aqueon 100 gph model that came with an old 10g tank.

Right on, Those two should be enough, assuming the tank isn't overstocked. The 10x filtration is a general rule, but if you have a heavy bioload you could go with more. If you only have 1 GSP in the tank you should be fine though.

It isn't overstocked by any means. I'm actually going to need to rehome my ottos and cory cat soon when i start converting to brackish. =/ The ottos will probably get taken to my LFS but Rita, the cory, will most likely be getting her own tank. She's too pretty to give away. lol

you can never be over filtered but you can be over flowed

Make sure to get your cory catfish some buddies!

I have multiple filters on all tanks >50g.

I also multifilter all tanks and feel it's a good way to go

Ditto on multi-filtering.

But IMNSOHO, any ridiculous one-size fits-all figure such as 10x turn-overs per hour, or any such number is as absurd as the "one inch per gallon rule". Has no one ever heard of efficiency? Believe it or not, "efficiency" applies to filtration every bit as much as it does to automobiles. I have operated tanks at 4x nominal turn-overs per hour, and at almost 40 turnovers per hour. Both of those extremes were appropriately and more than adequately filtered. One size does not ever fit all. It may be a handy crutch or simplification for novices, but it is in fact neither real nor necessarily appropriate tank operation. Manufacturer's estimates of turnover are mythology in any case, just as nominal tank volume or capacity is myth.

Rules of thumb can be very useful and I use some myself, but I do not ever kid myself that the numbers used really mean anything. Judging filtration quality and effectiveness by nominal volume turn-overs per hour is a poor joke.

Biological filtration is load-limited. It is not possible to have more bacterial colonies to oxidize more reduced nitrogen-containing waste than is produced daily in the tank. Fishless cycling is scaled to provide larger than necessary colony sizes, which die back to required levels of operation, and which can respond quickly to shifts in bioload.

Mechanical filtration is open-ended by particle size captured. If you use only one minimum particle size capture medium, that particle size will approximate the smallest that you routinely capture, regardless of nominal turnovers through even 10x the required media volume. If you want clearer water, you must add other, finer particle size capturing media. And all of those media must be equally well maintained individually.

Note that in neither of the filtration types was turn-overs per hour mentioned as limiting or defining characteristic.

Chemical filtration ha its own rules as well, but highly media-specific, so those vary for each capture agent.

So, don't kid yourself or try to kid others that there are magic turn-overs absolutely needed or required for filtration or for current. There are appropriate numbers or adequate numbers, but those are defined by each and every individual tank and its set-up. Rules of thumb are for novices with community tanks, with the hope and anticipation that will outgrow both.

Off soap box, Return to regular programming.

Thank you RTR for the info