How long can my loaches live in my tank?

[jclyde13]

You're fine, stick with 3 loaches, for probably a year, then move them into the 125. They'll hide from the bigger fish...

As for the filtration debate, too much isn't an issue. As i said in other threads, the bacteria that colonizes our filters only grow proportionately to the Bioload in the tank. So, maybe 1/30 of tank total volume is fine, if you have non-messy eating fish. If you have, say puffers, double the volume is perfect.

Sorry for this off-topic post, but I never said too much was an issue, I just said it's very unnecessary. I have owned some of the messiest fish in the hobby (oscars, pacu, large plecos, large goldfish, etc.) and have never needed anything even close to double the tank's size for filtration. And as evidence of my experience with messy fish, click on "My Tank Setup" and look at the stock for my 225 gallon (which is obviously pretty overstocked); I am filtering that with one FX5, and one XP4... that's probably about 8 gallons of filtration, which is only ~3.5% of the tank's volume, and that amount of filtration gets the job done fine.

 

[kdrun76]

I have a feeling he has a filter rated for a 40 gallon tank, not a 40 gallon filter. Just a guess.

 

[jclyde13]

I have a feeling he has a filter rated for a 40 gallon tank, not a 40 gallon filter. Just a guess.

Oh, yeah that would make a lot more sense (don't know why I didn't think about that before).

 

[devder1]

I have a feeling he has a filter rated for a 40 gallon tank, not a 40 gallon filter. Just a guess.

lol yes not a 40 gallon sump

 

[BooshWacka]

lol yes not a 40 gallon sump

yea im not that crazy

 

[vr6fan]

Well after having fish for 12 years, I've always been fine with around 1/30 of the tank's volume for filtration, lol. Oh well, at least you must have very clean water!

bro a 40 gallon capacity filter on a 20 gallon tank is surprising to you??? WTF 99 percent of the people on this forum overfilter more then that? I have an xp4, 405, and ac110 on a 125 does that make me crazy? overfilter all the way! shoot put a ac110 on there

 

[jclyde13]

bro a 40 gallon capacity filter on a 20 gallon tank is surprising to you??? WTF 99 percent of the people on this forum overfilter more then that? I have an xp4, 405, and ac110 on a 125 does that make me crazy? overfilter all the way! shoot put a ac110 on there

I was under the impression that he meant a 40g sump (which would be pretty insane), not a filter rated for 40 gallons.


I feel stupid now.