How to tell youve outgrown your filter?

[islandmisfit]

I agree that water changes are the key to keeping fish healthy. Every tank and species is slightly different. I am of the school that likes to over filter mostly for increased bio. It is however pointless to filter a tank if filters are not cleaned regularly and water is not changed frequently. Many folks use nitrates as an indicator of when to do water changes. I like to keep nitrates below 10 but many say 20 others braver then me use 40. Nitrates are one pollutant but not the only one...it is however a decent indicator. There are many tricks to make water/filter changes easier or prolong time between. Such as : drip systems, prefilters on canisters or even using plants such as pothos. I use all 3 and each has its place. Also it should be noted that everyone has a favorite brand of filter and there definitely is ups and downs to each type/brand. I used fluvals for years but in the last couple years have jumped on the eheim bandwagon. The goal should be to maintain consisten water quality .

 

[Laiken]

Im sure it will take some trial and error to get my tank into a regular routine. Im going to just monitor the water daily and try and pick up on clues from fish behavior. It soumds like a prefilter on the fluval is an easy add on. Any particular one recommended?

 

[islandmisfit]

You can make one out of any piece of foam. I have made them out of the foam inserts for aquaclears. Any foam will work really. At them moment i am using eheim prefters on my discus tank and it greatly extends filter cleaning intervals. I clean the prefilter every water change and clean the actual filters every few weeks instead of before i used prefilters i was doing it weekly. Just makes it really easy to ring them out in the sink vs disconnecting , cleaning foam in canister and dumping water out.

 

[Matteus]

Hey there. Welcome. Pro tip- buy filter media in bulk, the prefilter can be cut to size from a big piece of polyester either from a lfs or a crafts store. Also buy activated carbon or other chemical filter media in bulk, that is what the bag is for. You don’t need to stay within the confines of the (fluval) brand media. Also check out diy king videos on you tube for ideas on how to save money regarding media.

With the current size of your fish/tank/ filter, you should be ok for a few months at least. Just keep an eye out on local kijiji or craigslist, amazon etc. For a good deal on another filter that can back up and add to what you will need for your 6-8” is oscars in roughly 6 months. They are super dirty and will require more filtration than typical fish. Also do not neglect the previous posts about water changes etc.

O’s are a pain in the @&& but they are a lot of fun and have great personality. Lots of fun and worth the investment. Hope it all goes well for you

 

[Laiken]

Thanks for the input. Ive been reading and reading the forum. Lots to take in. As with most other forums there are conflicting opinions. Lol. Im going today to find some kind of pre filter. Should i remove the large intake screen and replace it with the pre filter or could i put the pre filter material inside of the intake screen?

 

[J. H.]

Your substrate counts as a really big bio filter. The canisters are really only for mech and water movement IMO.

 

[Nick Park]

I run two filters on each of my tanks. If one malfunctions, I know the other one will prevent any disasters. Also, if you want to start up a new tank you can switch an existing filter over and have instant cycling.

 

[Jhay3513]

If you test your water regularly i would saybthat you’d know if you needed better filtration if you couldn’t keep your ammonia and nitrite under control. If you are experiencing spikes in either, you probably need more surface area for your beneficial bacteria colonies to grow on to combat the spikes

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Im new to the hobby and am looking for general knowledge. What signs should i be able to recognize that tell me my filtration is inadequate? Right now i have a 125 gallon with a fx4. Tank currently has 2 oscars and 4 SA cichlids all 2-2.5 in. From doing some reading on the forum it appears quite a few people are running MUCH more filtration either larger or simply multiple. Sometime both. Just looking for some education on the subject. Thank you

I'd say you're way underfiltered and overstocked for what you have. You're ok right now, but once your fish get larger, and assuming those aren't dwarf SA cichlids you're going to want to upgrade your filtration.

I like to aim for a minimum of 5x turnover an hour, 10x is more ideal. Plus powerheads for more current. You're just over 5.

I have the same size tank as you, with an FX5 and a CF1200. That's about 10x turnover, plus a 2100 GPH powerhead for another 15X. I don't have any big guys like Oscars. I have 3 severums, a couple plecs and some other odds and ends. And I think my tank is underfiltered.

 

[Jhay3513]

I'd say you're way underfiltered and overstocked for what you have. You're ok right now, but once your fish get larger, and assuming those aren't dwarf SA cichlids you're going to want to upgrade your filtration.

I like to aim for a minimum of 5x turnover an hour, 10x is more ideal. Plus powerheads for more current. You're just over 5.

I have the same size tank as you, with an FX5 and a CF1200. That's about 10x turnover, plus a 2100 GPH powerhead for another 15X. I don't have any big guys like Oscars. I have 3 severums, a couple plecs and some other odds and ends. And I think my tank is underfiltered.

Are you testing your water regularly between water changes? You might find that your filtration is adequate after all