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Q re: running two fluvals.


petermc

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Hey all.

Just bought a 2nd fluval 405 for my tank(450L)

I know i should have a intake now at each end of the tank but what about the outlets?Both at one end?wouldnt you get a bit of funny water movement with a outlet at seperate ends?

And do you think two 405s are enough for a tank this size once all my fish are at adult size? (4 angels,10 colombian tetra,1 gold severum,1 large elephant nose,4 ltil albino catfish and a gold nugget pleco) or should a get a desent internal as well?

Thanks for any replies

Pete

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i have two filters running on one tank, i have an outlet at either end & the water returns in the centre at the back of the tank. it works well & sucks up virtually all waste. my substarte is crushed white marble so it shows any left overs. to reduce current, if you need to, aim the spraybar or what ever it has toward the back of the tank.

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hi pete, I too have 2 405's on my 4ft 200L tank :o and they work a charm! :bounce:

the water inlets are in different places, as are the outlets. one outlet just enters the water from the RHS of the tank at the back, and the other is attached to the out-flow pipe attachment thing that creates a lot of water current.

HTH. (the filters will work well either way, as you are turning over more than enough water_)

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How far under the water do you have your outlets?

I have mine approx 2 inches under the surface,that ok?

It has been the last week or so i have noticed abit of bits and pieces in the water,just not keeping as clean as it used to :(

So fingers crossed this second filter will do it.

One more question...what media would you reccomend?

I have the media that came with the filter and i put in a pouch of chem zorb i think its called as the drift wood was tainting the water but that sorted it out so same sort of setup in the second one minus the cham zorb?

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i have my outlets about 2 inches below the surface which i don't know if it makes any difference how far down it is. I aim the water flow toward the surface to create agitation for airation so i don't need to have an air stone.

How often do you clean it? Maybe something is clogged stopping it work as well as it was.

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Because of it being pretty stocked now and only running the one 405 lately ive been doing daily water changes of 10% and i feel like im fighting a losing battle.

Im constantly vacuming the sand.

Could it be a water flow thing? Could a powerhead b a option just to stir things up abit and get the dirty stuff toward the inlets?

The tank is 700mm deep....im guessing thats making life abit harder for me also..

Any tips appreciated,ild prefer to spend a ltil $ and have it sorted.

Pete

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just had a look at the flow rate of a 405 & they are 900lph? with two thats 1800lph for a 450L tank so a ratio of 4 times per hour. I aim for a ratio of 10 so personally i think it is under-filtrated. flow is important, if there is no flow waste will fall to the bottom & not be sucked up but saying that you can have too much flow so its a game of trial & error. with a ratio like you have i would keep stocking smaller, say 30 fish or something like that. I have 30 fish in my 200L with a filtration ratio of 10.5 .

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and my 405's are positioned as such:

1 filters intake is toward the center bottom of the tank, and its output is to the left hand side of the tank, and it throws water from the LHS to the RHS across the rear wall.

Filter 2's intake is on the LHS side wall and its out pipe is on the extreme RHS, top corner of the tank, and it just pumps the water back into the tank. the out pipe is about an inch under the water.

Hope that makes sense.

The Fluval 405 is rated for 400L tanks. that is about 1300 LPH. that's what my box says.

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Yeh they are rated at 300lph so that gives me a ratio of nearly 6.

Its only stocked with 20 fish(listed in first post) but if its getting to much for the filter now i can only imagine what it will be like when they get to adult size.

So if i get this second 405 running and a power head in to stir things up abit and still not enough then what would my next step be? a third 405?haha.Or another option should i invest in a large size internal(i think fluval do a model with media also) instead of the powerhead giving me two 405s and the internal?

Appreciate the replies...really fustrating when you put so much work into a tank and you can see it slipping

Phoneix 44 Your outlet on the right hand back corner,is it pumping toward the front glass?

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