Filter size question!

[Justme68]

I just received a 29 gal. Will an aquaclear 50 filter be good for it?...
200/50 Filter: for 20-50 gallon tanks

• Maximum Output: 757 L/hr (200 U.S. Gal./hr)
• Full Flow Control: 250 L/hr (66 U.S. Gal./hr)
• Power Consumption: 6 W
• Maximum Aquarium Capacity: 189 L (50 U.S. Gal.)

Thanks for your help!!

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Ya that would work pretty well, but i like to over filter so i have an aquaclear 70 on my 30. Its only like 10 bucks more.

 

[Justme68]

I'll check into the bigger one then! What are the advantages of a bigger filter?...Sorry its a stupid question

 

[LyndaB]

How are you planning on stocking this tank?

The larger the bioload of the species, the larger filter capacity you would need.

Many people just like using twice the capacity for the stock they have.

 

[blackmolly]

bigger filters mean more efficient waste removal, therefore you get a lottle bit more wiggle room when it comes to overstocking. i have 2 AC50's on my 29.

 

[Justme68]

@Lynda, I'm still trying to decide what I want to stock. Going to be cycling in a couple weeks and I just cant decide, too many choices....LOL. I'm thinking maybe a couple different schools of tetra (there are a LOT that I like) definately some corys and in the future when its well established I'd like to do some shrimp!

 

[blackmolly]

if you're planning to breed shrimp you may need to consider placing either sponge or pantyhose over the filter intake to help filter out shrimp babies. if you don't want to do that... just be sure to check your filter every week or so... shrimp are bad to actually grow up in your filter lol.

 

[BBradbury]

Filtering Your Tank

I just received a 29 gal. Will an aquaclear 50 filter be good for it?...



200/50 Filter: for 20-50 gallon tanks

• Maximum Output: 757 L/hr (200 U.S. Gal./hr)
• Full Flow Control: 250 L/hr (66 U.S. Gal./hr)
• Power Consumption: 6 W
• Maximum Aquarium Capacity: 189 L (50 U.S. Gal.)

Thanks for your help!!

Hello Just...

I'm a huge fan of large and frequent water changes, so IMO, an AC 50 is plenty of filtration for a small, 29 G tank. Tank filtration is important, but it can't take the place of large, weekly water changes.

Filter equipment just takes in very toxic water and replaces it with water that's a little less toxic. So don't make the mistake of believing a lot of filtration will keep the water pure, only large, weekly water changes will guarantee that.

Just a thought.

B

 

[fishman3]

IMO aquaclear filters are one, if the best brand of filters out there.an Aquaclear 50 is a very good choice

 

[Justme68]

Thanks for the tip blackmolly,I'm gonna remember that one! @ B, so as long as I keep a great schedule of water changes then a 50 should be OK? It was mentioned earlier that with the bigger filters that sometimes people push their stocking limits...couldn't you do the same as long as your water changes are large enough and very frequent?

 

[blackmolly]

yup! that should be fine.

 

[fishman3]

if you wanted to,you could run another filter with it to get more flow. I run the aquaclear 50 and the aqueon 30 on my 29 gallon tank.

 

[Ceej]

if you're planning to breed shrimp you may need to consider placing either sponge or pantyhose over the filter intake to help filter out shrimp babies. if you don't want to do that... just be sure to check your filter every week or so... shrimp are bad to actually grow up in your filter lol.

Very true statement! I've had 3 shrimp and 1 snail die in a matter of a few days because they "explored" the inlet tube. Definitely cover in up or place a sponge in it at the very bottom to keep them out. If you wrap a pantyhose or likewise around it, you'll have to rinse it out on PWC days because food and waste will stick to the outside of the material. At least in ny case it has.

 

[Lady_Alia]

A good rule of thumb that I use is that you want to turn your water 10x an hour. If you have a 29 gallon tank you want a filter that'll filter 290 gallons an hour. Along with pwc's.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

A good rule of thumb that I use is that you want to turn your water 10x an hour. If you have a 29 gallon tank you want a filter that'll filter 290 gallons an hour. Along with pwc's.

That is true with a cichlid or a goldfish tank but with a typical tropical setup 2-3 times an hour is sufficient IMO.

 

[BBradbury]

Filtration

Thanks for the tip blackmolly,I'm gonna remember that one! @ B, so as long as I keep a great schedule of water changes then a 50 should be OK? It was mentioned earlier that with the bigger filters that sometimes people push their stocking limits...couldn't you do the same as long as your water changes are large enough and very frequent?

Hello again Just...

Large, frequent water changes are the most important thing for your fish and plants. In short, they guarantee water stability. I keep several, large planted tanks and remove and replace 60 to 70 percent of the water in them every 6 to 7 days, even more often sometimes. The more water you change and the more often you change it, the better, and the healthier your fish and plants will be.

Here's the real "skinny" on filtration. Some is absolutely needed, no argument there. But, by flushing large amounts of pure, treated water through your tank weekly, your filter equipment is just filtering water that's already pure. So, there's no need to have a large, expensive filter in a small tank. A filter with a gallon per hour rating (gph) approximately 6 times the volume of your tank is plenty.

B

 

[Freshie In Disguise]

I'm also very big on frequent PWC's and I think your filter is more than adequate. I've pretty much only ever had bettas, and I find that they prefer very little water movement, so I always used filters rated for the exact amount of gallons in the tank (or close to it, anywho). I had a 15g long serority tank with a 20g filter on it and while it kept the water crystal clear anyway, I did 50% PWC's on it EVERY DAY because there's no such thing as too-clean water. Yep. Because your BB are mainly concentrated on surfaces, you're not hurting anything by performing large, frequent water changes, so long as you're sensible about it. I'm an avid believer in daily PWC's anyway, nomatter how small.

 

[Justme68]

Thanks B and Freshie for the help, it is so appreciated!! My 29 came as a kit and I've always heard the filters included were not sufficient so I was gonna go with a 70 but I'll just get a 50 cuz you all say that will be good with frequent wc.....I can use the money difference towards something else

 

[Saltair]

My 30 came as a Aqueon Kit so it had one of there Quiet FLow 20's with it. I added an AquaClear 30 and run them both. I had to cut out the back of the canopy to make room for the second filter. I have since moved the QF20 to a 15gal in my sons room and am running a QF10 with the AquaClear on the 30gal. I like running two filters. I have a 10gal QT and if I want I can put the filter media from the one of the running filters into the filter on the QT and have a pretty well cycled QT almost instantly.