Enough filtration?

seanh

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Feb 27, 2013
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I have a 225g tank and am only running an fx6 and two sponge filters - is this enough?

I have another canister filter that I got given but I'd ideally not have to do maintenance on two large canister filters.

I currently have a eheim bio power 240 running on a little tank I'm going to be closing down soon so I could also add that for some additional filtration.

This is the biggest tank I have owned so far so I'm not sure what's best.
 

junior2

Jack Dempsey
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Jan 28, 2012
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well depends on the type of fish you will be keeping in it really. if you gonna go something like Discus or smaller community fish, then the fx-6 will suffice.

Butif you gonna go larger cichlids or Arowana, Dats, peacock bass. Assuming you will stock it up on the more full side well you deff will want to add the other canister filter as well.

If you have the space you might want to run an overflow sump set-up. This will allow you to get way more bio-media & mechanical filtration.You obviously can still run the canisters mainly cause, larger fish poop wont really float up into the overflow. so the fx-6 intake can extend down into the tank.
 
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junior2

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the main rule of thumb is usually you want the filtration system to cycle your water from 4-6 times, the more the better. the fx-6 can do 900gph but in reality its something more like a little more than half of that
 
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tlindsey

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It depends on the bioload of what the fish waste, left over food. The filters bio-media should be able to keep the parameters stable. You will have to use a test kit to check if the filters have enough beneficial bacteria to keep ammonia, nitrite stable. Also as the fish grow it will increase the bioload. Water changes and aquarium maintenance is important to do as well because your removing waste that will keep Nitrate at a manageable level. The test kit will provide results on how much water will need to be removed weekly or biweekly to keep the nitrate level low.
 

duanes

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It depends on the bioload of what the fish waste, left over food. The filters bio-media should be able to keep the parameters stable. You will have to use a test kit to check if the filters have enough beneficial bacteria to keep ammonia, nitrite stable. Also as the fish grow it will increase the bioload. Water changes and aquarium maintenance is important to do as well because your removing waste that will keep Nitrate at a manageable level. The test kit will provide results on how much water will need to be removed weekly or biweekly to keep the nitrate level low.
Agree with this.
If when you test your tank water, it is ammonia, and nitrite free, and water clarity meets your approval, then filtration is adequate..
Nitrate however, is not reduced by filtration.
So if nitrate concentration rises above your personal goal (mine is 5ppm), you just need to up the frequency, and volume of water changes.
Water flow, is different than filtration, and depends on the species you keep, fish like discus and long finned Bettas don't require lots of flow, and too much is stressful.
Rheophilic species like African Tiger fish, certain riverine cichlids, and barbs, or darters and some gobies require lots of flow and water with a high oxygen content to remain healthy,
 

neutrino

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Agree with posts above. There's no one rule to fit all tanks. Depends on
If when you test your tank water, it is ammonia, and nitrite free, and water clarity meets your approval, then filtration is adequate..
Agree with the posts above, especially the quote above. There are too many variables, including those already mentioned, for one rule to fit all tanks. Potential factors besides stocking and feeding are how you maintain water and filters, how your tank is set up (for example, plants and substrate), what's in your tap water, etc.
 

seanh

Plecostomus
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Feb 27, 2013
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Thanks for the replies.

At the moment the tank is under stocked and only contains a 5 inch convict, a 5 inch grammodes and a 4 inch pike cichlid (which I think is a strigata) so I am confident on the filtration is adequate for now but of course these fish will grow especially the pike if he is a keeper.

I am planning on stocking it with some more community based mid sized CA's so it sounds like the extra canister will be needed in time.

At the moment the readings are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 15ppm nitrates however whilst I haven't tested my local water quality (which I really should) I have never been able to get my nitrates below 15ppm nitrates on any of my tanks regardless of size or stock.

As some of you mention is sounds like I just need to keep testing the water as the fish grow / new fish are added to know what the required maintenance schedule should be
 

Adamson

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Apr 29, 2012
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I have a 225g tank and am only running an fx6 and two sponge filters - is this enough?

I have another canister filter that I got given but I'd ideally not have to do maintenance on two large canister filters.

I currently have a eheim bio power 240 running on a little tank I'm going to be closing down soon so I could also add that for some additional filtration.

This is the biggest tank I have owned so far so I'm not sure what's best.
Bioload-wise you will be fine. However as far as mechanical filtration, you might want more.

mechanical is largely for aesthetics though. Just depends on how picky you are about how clean the tank is. If you’re picky, add an AC110, those are mechanical filtration machines!
 

twentyleagues

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Im purchasing 350 gallon tank (8ftx36inchx24inch) how many canister will I need ?
You should start your own thread. But it will depend on canister size or flow capacity and what is going in the tank. If we are talking fluval 104 series you'll need about 20 of them fx6 probably 2. Also depends on stock.
 
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