pond pumps

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mrwinkle

Candiru
MFK Member
Dec 17, 2009
786
7
48
South Georgia
Is there a such thing as over filtering i have a pond filter in my 100gal tank with a pump that is rate at 1750 gph. the water is ultra clear and the fish seem to love it ( very lively)?
 
nope no such thing as over filtering unless theres so much current that the fish have no where to escape/rest from the current then thats a problem but can be remedied by adding a few decorations
 
thanks a bunch
 
Zander_The_RBP;3722136; said:
nope no such thing as over filtering unless theres so much current that the fish have no where to escape/rest from the current then thats a problem but can be remedied by adding a few decorations

I disagree contact time needs to be taken into account for the bio filtration section of a wet dry. this is why on salt water tanks they pump the water through a micron sock for mechanical filtration as fast as they want but the fug(sp?) section or bio filtration section is separate so the flow can be slowed down and the water has more contact time with the bio filtration. this concept it the same on fresh water wet/dry filters or UV lights. There is a reason why UV lights are not meant to have water pumped through them as fast as possible.

I am running a 20 gallon tank DIY wet/dry with a sponge/ mechanical section and a pot scrubbie/biological section and 1 sponge filter on my 180 gallon tank at 800GPH.(I do have a power head for flow but do not use it for filtration at all) I am a firm believer that it is quality not quantity.

If I run it at 1600GPH I am getting 1/2 the contact time but 2X the water flow. So why buy a $200 pump that pumps 1600GPH when I believe that i am getting the same filtration with a $50 pump that flows 800GPH.

I will add that i am not saying it is unnecessary i am just saying I do not see it as any better to have 1000+ GPH on a tank under 265 gallons.
 
it is not a wet/dry but an intank filter
 
mrwinkle;3722110; said:
Is there a such thing as over filtering i have a pond filter in my 100gal tank with a pump that is rate at 1750 gph. the water is ultra clear and the fish seem to love it ( very lively)?

There is no such thing as over filtering. Are you sure your pump is pumping 1750 gph? My sump pump is pushing 1200 gph to my 125 gal tank and there was so much current. I had to turn my return line ball valve about a quarter of a turn to slow the flow down. Even with the adjustment there is still plenty of current in my tank.
 
Bee0912;3722162; said:
I disagree contact time needs to be taken into account for the bio filtration section of a wet dry. this is why on salt water tanks they pump the water through a micron sock for mechanical filtration as fast as they want but the fug(sp?) section or bio filtration section is separate so the flow can be slowed down and the water has more contact time with the bio filtration. this concept it the same on fresh water wet/dry filters or UV lights. There is a reason why UV lights are not meant to have water pumped through them as fast as possible.

I am running a 20 gallon tank DIY wet/dry with a sponge/ mechanical section and a pot scrubbie/biological section and 1 sponge filter on my 180 gallon tank at 800GPH.(I do have a power head for flow but do not use it for filtration at all) I am a firm believer that it is quality not quantity.

If I run it at 1600GPH I am getting 1/2 the contact time but 2X the water flow. So why buy a $200 pump that pumps 1600GPH when I believe that i am getting the same filtration with a $50 pump that flows 800GPH.

I will add that i am not saying it is unnecessary i am just saying I do not see it as any better to have 1000+ GPH on a tank under 265 gallons.
even for a wet/dry im sure with commonly available pumps its impossible to have 0 contact time with the bacteria remeber if your turning water over more it passes through the filter more often so contact time remains the same regardless. contact time is determined by the size of your bio media area not by the turn over of the tank


the comparison to UV lights is meaningless UV lights require a certain amount of contact time for the UV to actualy kill organisms. the bacteria absorb ammonia and nitrite through osmosis which happens instantly(or close enough to instantly to be irrelevant) whether the water is moving fast or not
 
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