A question of filters and substrates

[Sugarbear]

Now, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm really new to the hobby and have never had a tank larger then 10g. I've been reading allot of information for the past week before I set up my new 29 gallon tank.

I'm planning on using sand as a substrate, and use some low light type plants, none of which I've picked out yet I'm still in the developmental stage. Everything I've read says that sand requires more filtration than gravel. There is a stickied thread on this site that I was reading ...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/filtration-guide-for-the-planted-aquarium-53366.html

That says I should have no more than 5x turn over per hour.

My question is this. If I'm using sand in the bottom of my tank, should I forgo the heavier filtration I've read about? I've read double the normal amount for your tank. Go with the 5 times turn over, or should I find some sort of happy medium.

 

[fishfanatic]

In my personal experience the type of substrate doesn't effect your filter needs. Most people here on AA recommend a 10x turn over. On my 20 gallon I have an AC50 (200 gph) and the substrate is sand. I personally think that anywhere from 6-12x is reasonable. Most people will say there is not such thing as too much filter flow. The only thing about sand is that it will 'blow' around if you have too much filter flow, you don't want to make a hurricane for the poor little fish

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I agree with fishfanatic. The reason some people advise more flow with sand is because it compacts more densely than gravel, meaning less oxygenated water will flow through it and the bottom can get anoxic (low oxygen) or even anaerobic (no oxygen). That can be bad news. Higher flow rates forces more oxygenated water to flow into the sand and helps prevent that. I'd aim for the higher 10x turnover rate, though the number of plants or depth of the sand has a big effect on the flow needed as well. You shouldn't need to worry much unless you happen to have really deep sand, way to little flow, and only a few plants.

 

[mohican]

10x turnover IMO is not exact because those of us that have big tanks (100 gal+) would need 3-4 canister filters to achieve that. That's a lot of water movement and money. I believe the 5x rule is safe and you can always do more but there is no magic number of turnover that works.

 

[Reygan2]

I've been running an AquaClear 70 on my 29g for over a year and it offers more that adequate filtration (300gph). I have pool filter sand as substrate. It has a slightly heavier grain and won't get sucked up the filters intake tube if disturbed. IMO AquaClear filters are superior to other HOB's.
I think you are going to love upgrading to the 29g!