Opinions please: such a thing as too much filter?

[gd007]

background:
A neighbor donated his 55gal tank to me this past week. It had been sitting in his basement for the past several years and offered it up on facebook to friends. I took it. I am now in the process of getting it setup to do a fishless cycle.

I noticed that the siphon hose he also gave me had mold in it - so i threw it out an bought a new one.

I have turned my attention to the MarineLand Emporer 400 filter it came with. I have washed it up, works fine, but started to think about the bio-wheels. If the hose had mold, do these? I do not see any mold on them. They do have a 'musty' small but I attributed that to them being, well, old bacteria filled dryed out bio-wheels.

My lfs has this same Emporer 400 system for sale today (Black Friday) and I figured I buy myself a whole new set - better be safe than sorry, right? I also noted (upon some online research) that the filter was missing a few things (extended intake tube, mechanical media tray) so again, why not get this well rated filter brand new for my brand new tank.

I then thought - well, how's about I just buy bio-wheel replacements (online only) for the 'old' Emporer 400. That would solve my 'maybe there is mold' concerns....


situation:
I could very well end up with TWO fully functioning Emporer 400 filters - one with brand new bio-wheels (later today) and one with new bio-wheels after they arrive from being purchase online.

I am set on buying the new filter system. My questions are:
- agree with the mold concern? am i just being paranoid?
- if i order the online replacement bio-wheels, should I setup TWO Emporer filter 400 systems on my 55 gal tank? Is there such a thing as too much filtration?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Nimo]

In my opinion no there is no such thing as over or too much filtration. Remember we are trying to create close to a natural environment in a glass box. The better the filtration the healthier your fish will be. All of my tanks are filtered for alot more that the volume of the tank. For instance when I had a 55 set up it had a pinguin biowheel rated for 70 gallons and an emporer biowheel rated for 90 gallons. Water was always clear and fish always healthy.. the only reason I dont have the 55 anymore is that it got upgraded to a 110 with a sump.

 

[gd007]

Thank you. On a related note - which of the two filters did you like best?

 

[gd007]

I ask because the Emperor is ~$50 and the Penguin 350 is $25....

 

[Nimo]

I personaly like the pinguin better its easier to clean. The emporer has a spray bar that helps keep the wheels turning but I found that those spray bars are a headache to clean. With regular maintenance on the pinguin it will do a great job and its easy to take apart and clean up.

 

[gd007]

Thanks - I bought the Penguin 350. Actually I bought two of them. Would you believe they were on sale for $25 EACH! After a $10 mail in rebate - brings it down to $15 each!! An absolute steal in my mind. I'm pleased.

I will be throwing away the Emperor 400.

 

[Nimo]

Thanks - I bought the Penguin 350. Actually I bought two of them. Would you believe they were on sale for $25 EACH! After a $10 mail in rebate - brings it down to $15 each!! An absolute steal in my mind. I'm pleased.

I will be throwing away the Emperor 400.

Wow what a deal. Glad you are happy with them

 

[gd007]

Just wanted to say thanks to those that have been helping me. I am very excited to share that my first group of fish should arrive today (from thatfishplace.com). I purchased the 5 Boesemani Raindows and the 6 Panda Corys.

 

[josh7]

I have both the penguin 350s and emperor 400s honestly there is no difference I see with noise. Just that 20 gallon more filtration difference with the emperor 400. Honestly for a 55 I would get 2 penguin 350s just because its cheaper and it really does give you plenty of filtration for that size of tank.

 

[flitabout]

No you can't in my opinion have to much unless you have a type of fish that doesn't like it. Right now I am running 2 topfin 40 HOBs which do 200gph each and a c-220 canister that runs 220gph and in my 37g tank which gives me a bit more than 18 x an hour turn over. My fish are happy and very healthy and my tank is clear like glass.

 

[sixtyfou]

I wondered about too much filtration two. I have too HOB filters rated for 30 gallon tanks in a 20 gallon. The fish seem to stay on the side of the tank were the filters aren't.

 

[Fresh2o]

I'm running two AC50s in a 20 gallon long (@200 gph each ~ 20x turnover). The output is pretty spread out and directed along the surface. Lots of surface movement but not a lot of surface disruption if that makes any sense. Despite the high volume, plants and fish do not appear to be affected by the current.

 

[Masha]

Not so much too much filtration, as too much flow!
I put an aquaclear 70 in my 90 litre and the fish stayed on the side away from the filter, even with the flow turned down. Then I put a bottle baffle on the filter outflow and shazam! It killed the velocity of the flow, while still having the same amount of water going through the filter. Magic. Fish are much happier.

 

[Masha]

I do wonder if a slower flow might be better for the BB though.

 

[gd007]

Just wanted to say thanks to those that have been helping me. I am very excited to share that my first group of fish should arrive today (from thatfishplace.com). I purchased the 5 Boesemani Raindows and the 6 Panda Corys.

Pictures will be loaded here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-to-arrive-drip-setup-290072.html#post2760004

 

[Fresh2o]

I do wonder if a slower flow might be better for the BB though.

Masha - that's a whole thread unto itself. Would be an interesting discussion though. You've got contact time vs available O2 and nutrients. Hmmm....

 

[Paul1792]

Thanks - I bought the Penguin 350. Actually I bought two of them. Would you believe they were on sale for $25 EACH! After a $10 mail in rebate - brings it down to $15 each!! An absolute steal in my mind. I'm pleased.

I will be throwing away the Emperor 400.

*********
At that price you could not go wrong. By the time you get tired of them or they wear out, you'll learn that the gold standard of HOB Filters are made by Fluval. Either the AquaClear or the Fluval C series. As it relates to your water quality, the quality of the filter media as it relates to beneficial bacteria and debris removal is as or more important than the flow rate.

That being said, you can customize your media to get your water not just clear but crystal clear and polished (fish floating in air look).

Usually HOB filter media cartridges are expensivre and ineffective compared to customized media. Try using a sponge or homemade pre-filter, "cut to fit" reusable debris filtering media, micron polishing pads, floss, seachem Matrix or equivalent and seachem purigen.

Good luck as you go forward. For more on the steps to take to get the best biological & mechanical filtration, I suggest you see:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/cloudy-water-help-287548.html

and

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-any-suggestion-pictures-inside-286420-3.html

and follow the many links contained therein, too.

 

[Caliban07]

Don't throw away your old filter. It would make a good back up filter if the others go faulty.

 

[Old Scales]

Rather than throw the old filter away, soak the parts in a 50:50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water for a couple of hours, rinse, dry and store as a back up. H2O2 oxidizes all organic compounds so any molds will be destroyed. The great thing about having two filters running is you can rotate cleaning. That way your nitrification never suffers.
The cut to fit filter pad mtl. or pillow batting is a great, very cheap way to go also. OS.