dcase Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 A lot of topics discuss filtration for specific requirements (various tank sizes, existing filters, etc) and many different views are expressed on the likes of 2nd filters, pre-filters, fluidised filters, etc. Those views are given by highly knowledgeable fishkeepers with a lot of experience and I respect alll of them. I thought it would be good to encapsulate the different views and have chosen a theoretical 200 litre tank as I think it is a good average size to base an opinion on. So, if you had a new 200 litre tank to setup from scratch, what filtration system would you choose and why? I also know some fish have special requirements so to keep it simple lets make the 200 litre tank a community tank (rather than say, Discus or Cichlids). BTW I have several tanks including a 200 litre. I am always looking to improve my setups which is one of the reasons why I look at the topics on the forum. regards kiln_lane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 1. what fish? 2. what are the tank dimensions? (4ft long or 3ft etc etc) My planted tank (link in signature) is a 200L 4 ft tank or so, with 2x Fluval 405's @1300LPH each and 1x Eheim 2028 @ 1400LPH or something like that. plus the occasional use of a powerhead (600LPH) for non-filtration related secret purposes :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 personally i don't think you can have too much filtration you can have too much flow in the tank though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Agree with LA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 plus the occasional use of a powerhead (600LPH) for non-filtration related secret purposes :lol: :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 :roll: guess who is is trying to breed catfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 guess who is is trying to breed catfish Or disperse a certain DIY gas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I think the best filtration method is very debatable.. Some will say the best is a 3000LPH external, others a big sump or maybe even undergravel filter maybe with reverse power heads on the uplifts.. Personally I would say for most uses a 1200LPH filter would be perfect for the job and more than capable of filtering for a moderately stocked tank. I have a 200L tank with 1 huge 1200LPH hang on the back filter, and one 1200LPH canaster.. But also have a 150L tank heavily stocked with 2 small bubble filters in it that keep the water crystal clear, and have a 200L also running a single bubble filter these seem to do the job really well.. All depends what you like and what suits you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Anything over 200L and below 1000L id use a FX5 everytime now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 after recent events of others i have changed what i thought was a good filtration setup, i thought that the more the better which still isn't bad at all. i used to aim for 10 times the tank volume of filtration per hour & i do still think this is very good, but only for mechanical filtration but now think around 5 times will be fine. taking out the left overs will reduce how much will affect the water parameters eventually so if they are taken out it must be good. i tend to think that most of the biological filtration is done by the tank itself, the bacteria in the substrate IMO does alot more than the stuff in an external filter. when setting up new tanks i have always used existing media in the filters, existing substrate & some water from existing tanks never lost a fish after adding them on the second day, an issue arised when another member did the same except for the substrate & he had issues which makes me think that the substrate does more than i initially thought. so i think, for a 200L tank you should have somewhere near 1200LPH (i have 2200LPH which probably isn't so important) of external filtration & at least an inch cover on the base of substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I have seen many tanks that are heavily planted and lightly stocked with fish and have no filtration at all. They look great and require very little maintenance. The more you filter (and aerate) the more you can (and normally do) overstock. It is all about balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 the key to running your tank is the same for a funambulist all in the balance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 personally i don't think you can have too much filtration you can have too much flow in the tank though So how do you cut down the flow without sacrificing the filteration? I have a cf1000 on a 100ltr tank which makes a fair bit of current. Have turned the spay bar in a direction where the flow is least disruptive but wondering what other methods are available? Also tried slightly shutting off one or both of the taps but this of course will decrease the filteration. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 position driftwood and rocks etc in the tank. with all the filtration i have, flow is not a problem at all. even the smallest fish do perfectly fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 turning the spraybar to face a wall can help disrupt the force of the flow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JK Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 thanks for the quick responses guys. Currently have it facing the wall on a slight angle and seems to be working well enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 turning the spraybar to face a wall can help disrupt the force of the flow i put a cf1000 on a 2 footer as i had the canister spare & thats what i did, it worked sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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