Overfiltering.

[Infinity]

I have a 50 gallon Fish only with Live rock. About 9 inches of fish and about 30 lbs of Live Rock. I believe I'm overfiltering. I have a Emp 400 and Mag 350 pro connected to it right now. The guy at LFS tells me overfiltering is bad and promotes algae growth. Is it true? Is it good or bad to over filter?

 

[loganj]

Overfiltering? That's a new one on me. Possibly what he was talking about was the nitrates that will be added to the water due to the biological filtration from the filters? That is possible I suppose. Are you running Bio Wheels on the Mag 350? If so, you might remove them and just use the 350 for circulation. If you could add some more rock, you could probably do away with the bio wheels altogether.
Are you having an algae problem?
Have you checked the nitrate levels?
Are you using RO/DI water and, if not, have you checked for phosphate?
You're about maxed out on the fish load so it may require some extra effort to keep these levels in check.

 

[Infinity]

No, I don't use the Bio wheel as it doesn't fit. Since I have the protein skimmer, emp 400 etc etc. No room left. When I upgrade later next year to a 125 gallon, I'll use the bio wheel. The Emp 400's Biowheels and the LR are doing all the biological filtering. I have the magnum setup with nitrate and phospate sponge, also the extra cartridges in the emp contain the nitrate sponge stuff. No I'm not using RO/DI water. I just treat the water to neaturalize the chlorine and other chemicals. I have yet to invest in a RO unit...since this whole hobby is taking quite a toll on my bank account. The Ammonia, Nitrites are at 0. PH is 8.3, Nitrates are at a 15-20ppm. It has a little calcium and I haven't tested for phosphates. However, I am having a slight algae problem. Perhaps it's due to the fact that I had lost power a few days ago due to hurricane isabel an the tank didn't have power for about 3 days. The water was dirty so I did a 20% water change and put in the water polishing cartridge into the magnum when power returned. But I do have a slight algae problem. I have this dark green algae covering the LR. It's pretty much like a flat except has tiny hairs sticking off and moving in the current. THe substrate does too. However the glass doesn't have algae on it at all.

 

[loganj]

Hmm...I'd probably try to scrub the algae off the rock first. Take the rocks out and do it in a rubbermaid container if you can. Then try to get the nitrates down to 10 or less if possible and keep them there. Depending on what kind of fish you have, you might also be able to add some herbivorous inverts...snails, hermits, ect...