If you multiply this 500watt by the number of people out there overfiltering then it can have an adverse effect on the environment. I highly doubt every is overfiltering and burning all their change on the electric. We all want to save up on our allowance so we can buy nice fish.Mystix212;1328103; said:
over filtration is a good thing
- Thread starter weareou
- Start date
i was actually just wondering about this obviously divided issue. i was going to use my HOB and have their output run through a type of w/d sump/plant filter (still in dream mode granted) and was wondering if there was enough interaction to keep levels low did i actually need 10x. i was also thinking of having some excess down flow funneled into a down tube to run a small sponge filter. so in a way one HOB would be running 3 filters, so would that mean its gph would be about tripled? just a thought
oregonian;1328414; said:
10X turnover rate does more for water clarity, and creating enough flow to get rid of solid contaminants than for bio. Granted, if your water is running through your bio 10x an hour, ammonia spikes caused by feeding or other events during the day (esp if you keep something like rays, who produce a ton of ammonia) will be dealt with faster. 10X doesn't really keep your average water chemistry any better though.
a 700gph FX5 is "adequate" for a 200+ gal tank on it's own (at reasonable stocking levels with non-messy inhabitants) and that is only 3.5x per hour.
FishGoneWild;1328160; said:
Show me a filter that requires 500 watts please, for a normal sized tank.
Like I said above though, it's on the same order of magnitude of making toast in the morning, or keeping your beer in a fridge. Add up all the energy being consumed in the world keeping beer cold (never mind the power consumed baking the bread, or brewing the beer) and it will outweigh the power consumption on aquarium hobbyist filters 10x or more. You gonna stop eating toast or using a fridge because of that?
I know it's a bit of a side rant, but this whole "power smart" "fuel economy" craze pisses me off. Not many people really and truly understand how insignificant the contribution of even an old, smoky 6+ liter V8, or a large air conditioner reaally is. Anyone know how much energy it takes to launch a large airliner? more fuel than most cars use in a year. Or the cost of energy to manufacture the glass you love to look at your fish through? How about the giant cost of energy to manufacture "environmentally friendly" cars? google "dust to dust" an environmental friendliness study done on modern vehicles. A Hummer is more environmentally friendly than a Prius. Anyways... there are better things you can do for the environment than getting rid of your auxiliary fish tank filter. If you want to really save the environment, start thinking about how much energy you use indirectly by buying things that require enormous energy investments to make.
rallysman;1329018; said:I just don't over filter because I'm cheap
Lol, well fair enough
To be really fair, with my large, high volume sump not running right now, I'm rather enjoying the quiet in my fish room. As soon as I fix/rebuild it though it'll be back in service
CV, I agree with you. Nobody run a 500watt filter unless you put your fish in your swimming pool.
I think using extra filtration to support an overpopulated tank is a bad thing unless you have dependable backups. Then the fish are so dependent on the filtration they keel over dead in a short time with a power outtage.
If the over filtration is used to extend the time between water changes or provide high current conditions for certain fish, it can be a good thing.
Reading further on this thread, the environmental aspects of using extra power for extra filtration could be a valid concern. Though I agree there is worse out there.
On that same issue, some people purchase expensive, fancy computers and then only use them for email and web browsing. Big waste of energy.
If the over filtration is used to extend the time between water changes or provide high current conditions for certain fish, it can be a good thing.
Reading further on this thread, the environmental aspects of using extra power for extra filtration could be a valid concern. Though I agree there is worse out there.
On that same issue, some people purchase expensive, fancy computers and then only use them for email and web browsing. Big waste of energy.
