is there such a thing as too much filtration?

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mattywatty

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 6, 2004
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2
Location
Gig Harbor, Wa
okay here is the question, is there such a thing as over filtration in a planted tank? i have a 20gal with 5 tiger barbs, a red tail, and 2 gold barbs and a handful of plants. right now i have a UGF with air stones that is robbing my plants of CO2, so i want to get a HOB power filter to replace it. petsolutions.com is having a sale right now on AC Power filters. according to the specks from the website the AC mini (100gph) has sufficient capacity for a planted tank, and is only $12. but... the AC 300 (300gph) is only eight dollars more, going for $20. so again the question, would it be bad, or not as good for the tank if i got the AC 300? what would the AC300 do to the system, would it create sufficient water circulation with 15+ revolutions of the tank water?
 
i dont think theres too much filteration but there is so much current that it stresses fish. some fish like it though. if you are make sure you have lots of plants/decs to slow down the current and try and have the other side a little calmer
 
With a planted tank, you want to avoid surface disturbance because, as you seem to already know, it will cause the C02 to diffuse out of the water. I'm not very familiar with the AC filters...haven't had one in years. Does the larger one have a flow control of any kind? If so, I'd probably go with it just because it has larger filters. If not, I'd go with the smaller one. JMHO.
 
im sure its cheaper and im also sure that the 300 means its gph. why dont you get a emperor 280 :)
 
hey krap101,
i dont understand you response. and also wouldnt the emperor 280 outgas CO2 too much? that is why the AC filters interest me, no bio-wheel and a bunch of other people have recommend them. so again the question is, is 300gph worth the extra $8 over having 100gph for my setup?
 
personally for a 20 id go for a 230 gph at most unless you have really messy fish. but since your looking at the 300 thought you might be interested in the 280 as well. and for the outgassing. it has less gph then the AC so it would outgas a lil less but not a whole lot.

im not totally sure of this because ive never used aquaclear but the gph for all filters is the same amount for the gallon.

and another thing. is it a 20 gallon long, regular, or high, because im sure the 300 may not fit unless you get a hood that has those things on the back where you cut them out. because for a popout thing it probally wont fit.

someone else can chip in on this one. since ive never used an aquaclear but im just using the knowledge i have to try and help.

other people can correct me on this one though
 
You can put some floss media in there to slow the current a little and it will pick up some debri as well. The AC 200 might be a better choice for a 20 gallon but the AC 300 would probably be O.K if you could block some of the current with a tall rock or something. You can buy an AC 200 way cheap at Big Als online.

Regards filtration. Most planted folk over filter rather than under. Rex Grigg talked me into a Rena XP2 for my little 26 gallon, just cause it has so much more media capacity which is great. Its way over sized for a 26 gallon tank, but it sure keeps the water clear and healthy for fish like Dwarf Gouramis which need really clean water to stay healthy. The current is so strong I have to point the spraybar toward the back glass to keep from blowing my plants away. But little fish like Hengeli Rasboras love the current and its a joy to see them braving the "surf". I have an AC 200 on my little 18 gallon and it works fine, though I now swear by cannister filters like Rena's XP series. HTH :) Bob
 
IMHO, in a planted tank a canister would be better as you achive high gph yet it dont remove the CO2 as the water never been "aired".

Also the maintainance wise its quit simple and need less attention.

I am using Fluval's 304 for my 25 gal righ now.

HTH
 
IME, the AC mini isn't enough for a 20gallon. Mine just didn't filter enuf. I put an AC 200 on my 20 and it's perfect. I have 2 AC mini's on a 15tall, and they are perfect, and my 29gallon had an AC 300.

AC is the brand I trust, are easy to clean/maintain, and their 'media basket' allows for a lot of variety.
 
mattywatty said:
okay here is the question, is there such a thing as over filtration in a planted tank? i have a 20gal with 5 tiger barbs, a red tail, and 2 gold barbs and a handful of plants. right now i have a UGF with air stones that is robbing my plants of CO2,

Are you using DIY yeast CO2 injection? If not then you can't have a problem with CO2 outgassing. CO2 will remain at equilibrium unless the water is stagnate and the plants remove all the CO2...in this case, (when CO2 isn't being injected) having lots of filtration and water movement will often increase CO2 by insuring that CO2 levels remain at equilibrium with atmospheric CO2.

If you are using DIY yeast CO2 injection then switching from the UGF to an AC 300 should work very well and your CO2 level would certainly increase. Stuff the AC300 with double sponges and cut the flow to the lowest will the sponges are new. Within a couple of weeks you should be able to run the filter full flow as the sponges become seasoned.
 
I have a 5gal tank and a tiny bio wheel eclipse setup. There is little agitation, but I do see a few bubbles coming out of the return portion of teh filter setup. How much is too much?
 
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