Eaglebarret Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 How much is a good amount of filtration for a 4ft by 2ft tall by 18 inch wide aquarium. at the moment it gets filtered 5 times in the hour. Is this enough for an african cichlid tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emp1re Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 5 times the water volume is usually what people aim for. just make sure, your calculation of water circulation is NOT based on Manufacture info. because their measure output of cannister is based on NIL resistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebarret Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 If i were to get another filter. What would be an ideal number of cycles to aim for? I was looking at getting a Aqua one CF2400 when it comes out, to put with my cf1200. Currently i have a CF500 and CF1200 on the tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Hi Eaglebarret, I have two tanks the same size as yours. Both have been working really well for over 5 years with just an Aquaclear 500 and undergravel filtration. I don't know how many times they turn the water over but it's enough I don't like canister filters, they can be absolute nightmares to clean. Aquaclears just go forever and are the easiest to clean (every 6 weeks, whether they need it or not ). I also like UG filters but not the plate type, they just collect rubbish Just a few alternative ideas that work for me. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebarret Posted January 18, 2005 Author Share Posted January 18, 2005 Thanks lee for your input, but isn't the more filtration the better or is extra as stated in my last post unnecessary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishie4me Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 i agree with Lee, aquaclears are great, how many times the filter filters your water is important but then again you have to judge for yourself if your filter is enough, maybe a filter that only goes cycles the tank 3 times is enough then its OK. also aquaclears has a VERY LOW wattage which will save you $$$$$ when you power bill comes. this is just IMO. hope it helps though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Hi Eaglebarret, An Aquaclear 500 filters more than 1800 litres per hour. A 4’ x 24” x 18” tank holds approximately 300 litres. Therefore, the Aquaclear will cycle the water in your tank 6 times per hour. In my tanks I also have undergravel filtration, and I’ve got no idea what turnover that produces. As I said, I believe that the filtration I have on these tanks is more than adequate. Whilst I agree that more filtration is better, you get to a point where the additional costs, both capital outlay and running costs, cannot be justified. Cheers, Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlabxr Posted January 18, 2005 Share Posted January 18, 2005 Lee, I also like UG filters but not the plate type, they just collect rubbish What type of undergravel filter do you use? I only know of the plate type. Thanks Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Hi Martin, I use a ‘pipe’ type undergravel filter that I first saw made by St George Aquariums. The pipe is either 15 or 20mm white PVC that sits on the bottom of the tank and is covered with gravel. The underside of the pipe has hacksaw cuts about a third of the way through the pipe at about 20mm spacing. The pipe sort of zig-zags its way over the bottom of the tank and uses 90 degree elbow connectors. There is a vertical riser in the two back corners of the tank with an airline feed at the bottom and another 90 degree elbow at the top. How this works is that the air going up the riser draws water with it. The water flows down through the gravel, up through the hacksaw cuts, up the riser and is discharged, with the air, through the 90 degree elbow level with the surface of the water in the tank. This has the added advantage of aerating the water by breaking the surface tension. I vacuum the gravel every three weeks and don’t get the build-up of gunk that you get with the plate type UGFs. Does any of that make sense? I hope so. Cheers, Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlabxr Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Hi Lee, Yes makes great sense. Thanks Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebarret Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 How do i know if there is not a filtration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.d.m Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 lee , that filter was developed about 20 years ago dy the dude that owned everyones aquarium at padstow (now long gone) if you connect a cannister filters outlet pipe to the airlift so you have reverse flow they are absolutely brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Hi Eaglebarret, Sorry, but I don't understand the question. Hi Reddevilman, Thanks for the info (or should I say ancient history). 20 years ago? Mate, you must be nearly as old as me! Cheers, Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eaglebarret Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 sorry lee, what i meant is, what are the signs that there is not enough filtration? How do i know if there is enough filtration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 G'day, This article that i wrote explains the concept behind filtration and turnover: http://www.cichlids-aust.com/articles.html The article is down the bottom labled The Nitrogen Cycle Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 How do i know if there is enough filtration Happy healthy fish There can never be a set forumula based on tank size. A tank like yours could have just a couple of small fish in it, or it could have 50 large fish in it. I dont recommend either combination, but this is an example of different filtration needs. The first tank would have very little waste being produced by the fish, and turning the water over a couple of times an hour might be ok. The second tank, apart from being a disaster waiting to happen, would have bucketloads of waste being created, therefore would need massive filtration to keep these fish alive. Also remember that high turnover is useless unless it is matched with high media levels too. There's no point turning the water over 8 times an hour if your media is not big enough to filter all the water which is coming through it. You're then just simply talking about circulation of the water, not filtration of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Miller Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Hi Eaglebarret, There are many factors in determining whether or not you have adequate filtration. Number size and type of fish is probably the number one consideration. I currently have 42 mbuna @ approximately 7cm each growing up in one of my 4’ x 24” x 18” tanks. With the Aquaclear 500 and UGF I’m not having any problems but I probably would be if I had 3 or 4 adult Oscars (poo machines). As a guide you can’t really go too far wrong if you follow the filter manufacturer’s recommendations for filter/tank size. For example Aquaclear recommends a maximum tank size of 560 litres for their ‘500’ model. So on my 300 litre tanks I’m somewhere near a safety factor of 2. Not enough filtration? The most obvious signs will be dirty water and unhappy (stressed) fish. But you shouldn’t get to that stage if you size things right initially. HTH. Cheers, Lee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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