Concerns with too much filtration?

[AMG_NUT]

Hi All,

I'm new here but have been keeping fish for many years from 5 gallons setups up to 265 gallons, fresh water, saltwater etc .

Since moving a year ago I haven't setup anything till now.
I have now setup a 120 gallon (48×24×24) and just looking for advice regarding filtration.

Currently I have a Fluval Fx5 filtering the tank, my question is that I have another Fx5 just sitting in my basement collecting dust and have been contemplating hooking it up as well.

I have only been considering running dual Fx5 filters as I already have the filter and the fish I will be keeping give off a pretty heavy bio load .

My main concern is that I dont want to turn my tank into a whirlpool and have been looking at different ways to setup the returns so that it's not outputting as much pressure and tossing my fish around.

Are there any other concerns that I should consider turning over the tank this much ?

Thank you for any advice!

Adrian

 

[fishhead0103666]

Well generally you can't over filter a tank. There are ways to cut down the flow though. You could create some kind of barrier that the outtake hits first so it's lost a lot of power before it can mess with your fish.

 

[Backfromthedead]

You can use the valves on the outputs of your fx5 to control the flow rate.

I would run both on about half flow. That way youre getting roughly the same flow as one fx5 but twice the media capacity. Moreover, the filters will run quieter and more efficient when you cut the flow down.

 

[AMG_NUT]

Thanks for the input!

Setup both FX5's and cut down the output using the valves . The water is still a little turbulent but it's not overkill.
I didn't want to close the valves too much as I'm worried about damaging the pump.
I hope that the back preassure from the partially closed valves isn't too hard on the pump itself long term . Valves are closed approximately 50% in order to keep my tank from looking like a jacuzzi.

For the second filter I basically just used the outer corse sponges for mechanical filtration and completely filled all three trays with bio max .

 

[fishhead0103666]

Glad to hear it worked out so far .

 

[Nick Park]

It's easy to build a spraybar for an FX filter using a few pieces of PVC pipe, glue, and a power drill. Drill plenty of holes fairly large so the water isn't shooting out like jets. Then position the spray bar very close to the surface of the water. That will create an oxygenating effect without a huge current flow as the water is being dispersed along the width of the tank. Mine produces a ripple effect on the surface, but very little disturbance underneath.

 

[Backfromthedead]

The fluval pumps are apparently savvy enough to decrease their power when put under back pressure. Im fairly confident this is accurate because my fx6 will get quieter when i cut down the output.

Now the fx5s are an older design but still should be basically the same. I would only worry if the pump is getting louder or whining, grinding when you cut down the output. That would mean the pump is not adjusting to compensate for the pressure.

I cant say for certain since ive only ever had fx6 not fx5.

 

[pops]

just as an FYI, you probably know this, once you have enof filtration to handle the bio load, IE the nitrate cycle. having more filtration will not reduce water changes. I think redundancy is a great thing when it comes to filters and heaters. so if one goes down you are good and covered with the others. other than that I can see no reason to extremely over filter.