Too much filtration?

[sarah5775]

I have a question.

I have a fifty-five gallon tank with about eighteen African Cichlids, all under two inches. They are half red zebras and yellow labs with about three or four different kinds of gray striped ones. I got them all for 20 dollars, the whole tank of them, when a pet store was going out of business, and I had to take them all.

My question is- I am running an Aqua Clear 110 on the tank as well as an Aqua Clear 75. I had another Aqua Clear 75 lying arouind, and I just hooked it up. So that's 3 filters, all of them meant for a bigger tank than a 55.

Is this too much filtration? I mean, I have always heard that the more filtration you have the better- but this is a lot. I want to keep an extra filter running anyway because I have an empty twenty gallon and another empty 29 gallon and if the filters stay (or get) cycled they can go on those new tanks when and if I decide to set them up.

I also have a Whisper 10-60. it too is just sitting there not hooked up to anything. Can I hook that one up too? That would make four....

Is the current going to be too much for these fish? They seem to be swimming around ok so far, but is there any risk to having so much filtration? And if I set up the 10-60 (a total of four filters) would that be insane?

I had the one Aqua Clear 75 and the fish store owner just up and gave me the other three, so they were sitting around. I thought, why not hook them up? But is there a limit at which there is too much filtration? Will it hurt my fish?

 

[mfdrookie516]

never can have too much filtration, especially with messy fish like mbuna The only problem i see is that you have too many fish in too small of a tank... just be prepared to get a bigger tank or separate the fish...

 

[happygirl65]

The filtration is fine as long as the fish don't have trouble swimming around.
I would caution you as well on the number of fish you have in that tank. I know it doesn't seem overstocked while they are still small but at maturity you will have overstock as well as aggression issues. Just be prepared to rehome some of them whether you get more tanks or give them away.
On the plus side you get to observe them for a while and see which ones you like best.
Good luck to you!

 

[sarah5775]

I moved one of the 75's into my 20 gallon goldfish tank. I will be running the other 75 and 110 and eventually the 10-60 on the big tank. How long do you think I have before I have to start rehoming fish, and how many CAN I keep in a 55?

BTW, the 20 gallon long tank has three common goldfish in it, all around 3 inches (one at just about 4) I had always believed that goldfish would be fine in a tank that size, being told that they "grow to the size of the tank they are in" and having had a sister who kept a fancy goldfish (her beloved Pete) in a five gallon tank for seven years.

However, I have read that they will be stunted and live unhappy lives in a 20 gallon. I am having a hard time believing this, as it flies in the face of everything I have ever thought and experienced with these fish via my sister. I am really attached to these guys, I watched them grow from tiny little feeders....but I want to do the right thing. My parent's neighbors have a pond, and I suppose eventually I can see if they will take them....I will be very sad to see them go if I have to get rid of them- I love goldfish, I never dreamed 20 gallons would be too small.......I live in an apartment so a pond is out of the question....no way I can keep them? Really?
And yes, I know this should be in the cold water section.

Anyway this is a round about way of saying that I will be running the 3 filters on the 55 gallon- will the over filtratin allow me to keep more fish than I could have otherwise?

 

[mfdrookie516]

i would try and get it down to around 12...