How much filtration/GPH?

[Loach23]

I used miracle grow with laterite and clay for my tank. But you can see how beneficial it is to mineralize. But I didn't do it either, their are more than one way to do it. I went the fast way just because I'm impatient lol.

 

[Mr.Micro]

I use primarly sponge filters in my tanks. the reason is cost and the need for only one small air pump that uses 18 watts of electricity to run 14 filters. I can pretty much guarantee that these tanks don't have 10 times turnover, or probably not even 3 times per hour, but they are all functioning just the same.

It all becomes a matter of preference or necessity.... So for a small/med freshwater planted tank or even fish only tank... if your load is small enough a sponge filter may be all you need... If i still bred Beta's ... I'd have a 10gal tank with a sponge filter and no substrate. However... to try that with a larger saltwater tank would be suicide... Try a sponge filter with sloppy eating triggers or puffers and see how far that gets you.... The needs then change....

I do agree if your filter is keeping your numbers @ 0ppm... then you DO have adequate filtration...

Maintenance should be another concern too... Keep in mind the larger the surface area of the filter, the longer the filter will last...

 

[BillD]

This thread is with regard to fresh water, possibly planted. Sorry, I don't see how sloppy fish would negate using a sponge filter, unless you want a filter to suck up stuff and hide it from view. My point with this is there seems to be a trend to really large filtration, far exceeding what is necessary. That in itself is fine, but, it creates the impression that a larger filter needs less maintenance, whereas, what defines the amount/intervals of maintenance a tank needs it's is the bioload.
Hiding a lot of detritus in a cannister, gives the impression the tank is clean, but, everything in the filter needs to be considered to be still in the tank. As a far as the efficicy of a sponge, if you consider Hamburg style filters as sponge filters, they easily filter large tanks, with very little maintenance, as rarely as yearly. A friend is using air powered Hamburg filtration on his 350 gal tank (actually all his 34 tanks). Again, I doubt he has 1 turnover, even though his homemade airlifts move a lot of water.

 

[Mr.Micro]

The Hamburg filtration method has it's place i guess... As i stated earlier.. This topic will ALWAYS be a matter of preference..

I think the important thing to remember in any tank is no matter what, maintenance will always be important.

Now while I do not depend on sponge filtration for my tanks.. I make no mistake in realizing that trapped particulate in the filter is still considered to be in my tank... however... I prefer my wet/dry & sump configuration due to the versatility and the large bio-bed that is created... Not because of the mechanical (particulate) filtration... any filter can do that.

J

 

[BillD]

Wet drys are great, but they take up a lot of space and cost as much as another tank setup. My preference would be for another tank in that space. You, Mr Micro are in the minority, as far as considering that what is in the filter is still in the tank. Regardless, my point is that turnover is not a big deal as long as the filter does it's job.