How much filtration is enough?
- Thread starter TomatoandEgg
- Start date
According to the fluval specifications for the filter, it is more than enough for your tank. If you have plants in there too, it can only help. I don't keep plants in my tank, I never manage to keep them alive and healthy. So I double the needed filtration in my tanks.
The more you have , the better, I would say.
The more you have , the better, I would say.
Tom...
If you're a water change fanatic like I am, you don't need high end filtration or to over filter your tank. The companies that make these fancy gizmos are betting that most tank keepers won't change the tank water very often and will need a lot of fancy filters to even come close to keeping the water tolerable for their fish. The truth of the matter is, filters simply take in polluted water and return the water a little less polluted. My point is, just remove and replace most of the tank water every few days and you can use a simpler and less expensive means of filtering the tank water. I keep large tanks and because of my aggressive water change routine, I can filter my tanks with just a couple of dual sponge filters at a cost of about $20.00.
TTG
I was under the impression from my forum browsing that water changes can be potentially disastrous to the snakehead relationships. Appparently they hate it and a change in water can wreck relationships and result in fights between paired fish?
I was expecting a once or twice a year change haha
I was expecting a once or twice a year change haha
Tom...
I've been in the "Water Keeping" hobby for a number of years and never have I heard of an aquatic animal dying of too much clean water. If your tank inhabitants have become accustomed to water with higher levels of nitrogen from living in polluted water, you will have to gradually work up to the point you remove and replace most of the water every week. A sudden change in the water chemistry from a large water change could create a tank problem. Go easy.
TTG
B.
Welcome to this forum. I have adopted your philosophy regarding water management. Since then my tanks have never looked more healthy. I'm in complete agreement that mechanical filtration devices are secondary requirements as compared to regular, larger WC's.
Welcome to this forum. I have adopted your philosophy regarding water management. Since then my tanks have never looked more healthy. I'm in complete agreement that mechanical filtration devices are secondary requirements as compared to regular, larger WC's.
I got a 450 gallon tank and I change at least half the water every week.
That's awesome. I'm sure your attention to water quality is paying off with a crystal clear tank and very healthy fish.
Chana aurantimaculata will do better with minimal water changes.
The people replying this so far are not considering the specific species involved .
Dispote what’s been said more water changes is not always better & In this case less is better ! With channa water changes should only be preformed if needed to maintain water quality and if/ when doing them with Channa it’s best to stick with smaller amounts removing as little aged water as possible to achieve suitable living conditions .
This is even more important when dealing with pairs or groups as water changes can trigger breeding responses out of season/ without proper cycling that trigger death matches !
Ideally channa should have minimal flow from filtration and should be heavily planted with at least 50% of the surface covered with floating plant life this will not only make the Channa more comfortable but will help naturally remove the nitrates produced via biological filtration further reducing the need for water changes .
To successfully house a pair of channa long term the frequency of wc’s should vary to follow the natural seasonal changes in unison with temperature and feeding changes.
There are dozens of posts many I’ve written out myself explaining exactly what aurantimaculata needs in more detail . I know in several occasions I’ve given details discriptiona my my annual water change routines that I used to successfully breed this species for several years ! Might take a bit of searching but my posts are informative !
Cheers
-DC-
The people replying this so far are not considering the specific species involved .
Dispote what’s been said more water changes is not always better & In this case less is better ! With channa water changes should only be preformed if needed to maintain water quality and if/ when doing them with Channa it’s best to stick with smaller amounts removing as little aged water as possible to achieve suitable living conditions .
This is even more important when dealing with pairs or groups as water changes can trigger breeding responses out of season/ without proper cycling that trigger death matches !
Ideally channa should have minimal flow from filtration and should be heavily planted with at least 50% of the surface covered with floating plant life this will not only make the Channa more comfortable but will help naturally remove the nitrates produced via biological filtration further reducing the need for water changes .
To successfully house a pair of channa long term the frequency of wc’s should vary to follow the natural seasonal changes in unison with temperature and feeding changes.
There are dozens of posts many I’ve written out myself explaining exactly what aurantimaculata needs in more detail . I know in several occasions I’ve given details discriptiona my my annual water change routines that I used to successfully breed this species for several years ! Might take a bit of searching but my posts are informative !
Cheers
-DC-
