Discussion about Over Filtration

[morpheus]

i dont think there really is "over-filtering"....fish dont seem to swim around going "this water is too clean!"

like has been said before in this thread, filter based on your stock. i typically understock my tanks so most only have one or two HOBs and all my params are fine. still have some canisters i need to hook up to replace the HOBs....been lazy about it

[ptran]

i dont think there really is "over-filtering"....fish dont seem to swim around going "this water is too clean!"

Lol who knows...

[jughead]

Size the filter correctly for the bio load of the aquarium.anything extra is a waste of time and $ imo.

[troy tucker]

As some one who keeps Angel fish. I know that they can not handle over filtration. After a few hours of swimming for their lives they would be sucked up on the overflow, dead. Some fish love the high flow and do very well. So it's about the type of fish you have and what they like.

[troy tucker]

I don't know!

[ptran]

As some one who keeps Angel fish. I know that they can not handle over filtration. After a few hours of swimming for their lives they would be sucked up on the overflow, dead. Some fish love the high flow and do very well. So it's about the type of fish you have and what they like.

I made a stupid mistake to put 2~AC70 on a 20G long tank for my newly acquired Kilesa group to over-filtering it. (It is a beautiful group of fish. I will try to post some pictures when they have settled in and start to do the dance.) Next morning I discovered 3 of them dead on the sand for no reason. I was thinking about all the possible causes that could kill them and finally decided to remove 1~AC70. Well, they are doing okay now, but the damage was done. I guess they didn't like too much flow in the tank like you said.

[SunnyHouTX]

Over-filtration and flow don't always mean the same thing... FYI.

[ptran]

Over-filtration and flow don't always mean the same thing... FYI.

You are correct sir, but it usually come hand in hand. For example, most people use canisters for filtration. Therefore to achieve over-filtration, you have to add more canisters, and as a result produce more flow in the tank.

[SunnyHouTX]

Not really, because most canisters have valves which allow you to reduce flow.

To explain further, hooking up an Eheim 2260 to a 20 gallon will be over-filtering but running it wide open also allows too much flow. But you don't need to run it wide open.

[rage]

Not really, because most canisters have valves which allow you to reduce flow.

To explain further, hooking up an Eheim 2260 to a 20 gallon will be over-filtering but running it wide open also allows too much flow. But you don't need to run it wide open.

If you turn it down, would it defeat the purpose of over filtration in the 1st place?

[SunnyHouTX]

No. The biological capacity is not diminished.

[SunnyHouTX]

But it also illustrates why over-filtration in the "popular" sense isn't the best way to go

[mnemenoi]

and in that example, the 2262 has far more volume in the filter then if compared to a 2217 or what would likely be a 2211 for a 20 gallon.

[ptran]

haha.. I think that is another subject. Sure you could adjust the valves to reduce the flow as you wish, but doing that would also reduce the longevity of the pump because of the flow restriction.

Since the pump won't slow down when you close the valve, there will be back pressure on the pump and it has to work harder to maintain the efficiency. Totally not recommended!

[SunnyHouTX]

That's another myth. Read on how electric motors work. They're not anywhere close to fossil fuel motors in how they handle load.

Just remember to only use the output valve.

PS: efficiency is not a static parameter for a motor.