I have a 55 gallon fish tank, it was a starter kit so it came with a filter, I have an old filter I used for my 20 gallon tank, can I throw it in there too? Or would that be counter productive? I only ask because I bought a 50 gallon tank about a month ago and it was starting to get cloudy and I saw little white fuzz balls floating around. Any advice?
Is it possible to use 2 filters? Any advice helps!
- Thread starter Dsudnick
- Start date
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If your tank is cycled, adding another filter wont make it more cycled. You will still end up with the same amount of nitrate produced by your cycle. But there are plusses to running 2 filters.
The additional filtration will mean your tank can cycle out more ammonia. So, you could stock more heavily with the additional filtration. However more ammonia leads to more nitrate which would mean more water changes.
If one filter isnt sufficient to cycle out all the ammonia then adding another filter will help.
A 2nd filter will help with mechanical filtration, the additional filter should do some work removing particles from the water.
A 2nd filter will give you some capacity for chemical media should you need it.
2 filters gives you redundancy. If one filter fails and you don't notice for some reason, the other will keep running and provide filtration.
Filter maintenance and cleaning can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria responsible for your cycle. 2 filters and alternating maintenance minimises the impact of cleaning and maintenance on your cycle.
The additional filtration will mean your tank can cycle out more ammonia. So, you could stock more heavily with the additional filtration. However more ammonia leads to more nitrate which would mean more water changes.
If one filter isnt sufficient to cycle out all the ammonia then adding another filter will help.
A 2nd filter will help with mechanical filtration, the additional filter should do some work removing particles from the water.
A 2nd filter will give you some capacity for chemical media should you need it.
2 filters gives you redundancy. If one filter fails and you don't notice for some reason, the other will keep running and provide filtration.
Filter maintenance and cleaning can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria responsible for your cycle. 2 filters and alternating maintenance minimises the impact of cleaning and maintenance on your cycle.
m.j.gomez
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hello, I personally like having 2 filters on tanks. I don't separate bio from mechanical. Both have a standard set up for canisters. The advantage is the tank gets filtered from both sides keeping tank cleaner, outputs are fitted one w/ directional nozel for flow, other has spray bar for added oxygen & maintenance is actually easier because waste is spread between the 2 filters. Hopefully this helps!!!!!
Awesome thank you for the reply! Even tho I have a second filter that is made for a 20 gallon tank it won’t hurt right?
Awesome thank you for the reply! Even tho I have a second filter that is made for a 20 gallon tank it won’t hurt right?
m.j.gomez
Aquarium Advice Freak
There shouldn't be a problem. As long as it fits tank. You should be good to go.
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