Over filter on my 20.

[Marconis]

My 20 gallon really hasn't been able to stay clean with just an AC30 HOB on it, which is kind of surprising since it's rated for up to 30 gallons. I am going to Petsmart to buy another HOB tonight. I want a Whisper because they are cheap and I hear they are pretty good. Sine I already have a filter on the tank, should I just buy the Whisper 20 Economy, or go up to the 30 triad just to keep it safe?

 

[Zagz]

I'd go with the 30, better to overfilter IMO.

 

[papa_bear_21]

You can never over filter IMHO, I currently have 80 gallons of filtration on my 55, soon to be adding another 75 gallons...

I'd rather have too much than not enough...

 

[WaterPond]

i have 180 gallons of filtration on my 60gallon... always good to overfilter... but im not sure if this is something overfiltering will cure.

 

[papa_bear_21]

I reckon you might have a point...


When you say it doesnt stay clean, what exactly do you mean?

 

[Marconis]

I just have tons of particles, ranging small-medium in size floating in my water. There is also dirt like stuff floating in as well. I had put filter floss in two days ago but have not noticed a difference. I put it on top of the bio stuff in the AC30. Maybe this is the wrong place to put it for it to work effectively? Where do you all with aqua clears put the floss?

 

[papa_bear_21]

When I ran the filter floss in my AC30, I had it before the bio filter pack, and it worked good. The Rena I have now uses the floss at the end of the cycle, right before the water is discharged.

Given that you have particles in the water, I would say that a second filter would likely help clear it up, I might honestly recommend a filter larger than the 30 tho, maybe a 50 gallon filter? I honestly feel that the more water you move in the tank, the better the filtration achieved is. Again, thats only my personal thoughts, the more water moved through filtration, the better the water quality.

 

[Marconis]

Ok I will try putting the floss before the bio pack. I too use floss in my Rena XP2, and my water is crystal clear. The AC30 barely causes any water movement, so could that be the problem maybe?

 

[papa_bear_21]

I had the AC30 on my 29 gallon tank, and it kept that one clear. I dont remember, is this one planted, or no? If it is planted, you may need extra filtration, but that is not my area as I dont have a planted tank. I know my bottom dwellers kick up a lot of debris into the water, and my 2 filters before the RenaXP2 was added, the water got a bit dirty towards the end. This could be due in part to the mini cycle at the moment, but I felt better to add a third filter to keep the trash to a min anyway. The AC3 is a good filter, and moves water efficiently with little disturbance to the fish, the AC50 moves a good amount of water but has a rather strong return current. The AC50 was moving stuff on the bottom of my 29 gallon tank at full strength. The filter floss will catch the particles your sponge wont, but will also clog easier and faster, as you likely know running it in the rena.

 

[Marconis]

Yeah, on my Rena I change it once a month when I do my media rinsing. I can see the floss on the AC30 is already turning brown. I am going to go down now and place the floss under the bio pack. Thank you very much for your help papabear.

*Oh, and no this tank is not planted.

 

[papa_bear_21]

dont mention it, only trying to give back to the board what has been given to me. Glad I could help