How much filtration for a 135 gal?

[Wizardndog]

Hi guys!
I bought an Eheim 2028 canister for my 135 gal freshwater tank (a work in progress). I was discussing filtration with my local Aquarium store and was told I really should get two Eheim 2028's for my 135 gal tank. I intend to plant it. But, do I really need two Eheim 2028 filters?? One is supposed to handle up to 158 gals. Any thoughts??

 

[mgamer20o0]

they are right. they often over rate the filters. on larger tanks its also a great idea to have a back up in case something fails.

 

[Wizardndog]

Great! Thanks for the input!

 

[mgamer20o0]

on a side note it doesnt have to be a 2028. though personally i think 2 of the same filters is nice so you dont have to worry about parts for 2 different filters.

 

[DragonFish71]

I always say you can never over filter. On our 55g I'm running a UGF and 2 Aqua-Tech 60g power filters. Also 2 power heads but that's not really filtering. Eventually I want a Fluval 405. On our 40 we have a Fluval 305 for 70gallons. On our 20L we have a UGF and 2 Aqua-Tech 10g power filters. On our 14hex, UGF and an Aqua Tech 20g. Our 29 we have a UGF and an Aqua-Tech 30g.

 

[InfernoST]

I bought an Eheim 2080 for my 120 FOWLR and is rated for up to a 350 gal tank at 450 GPH and it works just dandy. I agree with mgamer20o0, 2 of the same filters is better than 2 different either way it will work.

 

[BigJim]

Is there a rule of thumb for filters? I'm looking for something like "The filter should turn the tank over X times per hour.", or something like that. The ratings are all over the place. When I bought the power filter for my 29g, one was rated for 10-30g, another for 20-50g, and another for 30-55g, and they all flowed 200gph!

 

[InfernoST]

Is there a rule of thumb for filters? I'm looking for something like "The filter should turn the tank over X times per hour.", or something like that. The ratings are all over the place. When I bought the power filter for my 29g, one was rated for 10-30g, another for 20-50g, and another for 30-55g, and they all flowed 200gph!

The filter media should have been larger (More of) as the filter capacity increased. Filtering is not about GPH it's about how much of the water going through the filter is being filtered by the media and how much is bypassing the media (not being filter). Naturally all filters have some water bypassing the media, some don't allow as much as the others therefore they will do a better job of filtering the water. I personally like a filter to at least turn the volume in the tank over 3 to 4 times an hour. If it's water movement your after then look into putting high volume power heads in the tank. I hope this helps.

 

[Speakerman]

In my 125g freshwater tank, I have 2 rena xp3 canisters, an overflow with 20g heavily planted sump and 400gph pump, and 2 450gph powerheads blowing across lots of "live" rock and driftwood.

With this setup, my water conditions are very stable even with more livestock than you'd expect to hold in a 125g tank. It seems like the more flow, the more surface area and the more plants you can have, the better your water conditions will be and the less you'll have to do water changes and clean filters.