Filtration on my 55 gallon

[04rwon]

We just picked up our 55 gallon tank today. Thankfully all our fish are still small and getting along so we are in no hurry to set it up. We are planning on running our aquaclear 70 from our current 29 gallon AND an aqueon 55/70. I want to run 2 filters because our current setups are doing so well being overfiltered. The 29 gallon is running the aquaclear 70 and the 20 is running an aqueon 50. Both stay crystal clear and water parameters seem to keep stable. I know that also has to do with the bio load of the fish but the issues we were having with our original 10, things are much better.

So am i on the right track? Would i be overfiltering(if thats possible)? Will running those 2 together cause any issues? I dont think either is going to cause an issue with water current by sucking fish to the intake. I wasnt sure if the 2 would counteract each other or if 1 would interrupt the flow of the other.

 

[jonclark96]

You are on the right track in my opinion. I always try to over filter my tanks. For example, on my 55, I have an AC110, an Aequeon 55, a Eheim 2217 canister and a sponge filter. I do it in case something breaks, or I want to set up a new tank, I always have a running filter ready to go.

If you are in the market to purchase a new filter, stick with the Aquaclears. They are far superior in performance and cost over the lifetime of the filter. No media cartridges, no excessive water by-pass, easy to clean.

 

[Avatar]

So am i on the right track? Would i be overfiltering(if thats possible)? Will running those 2 together cause any issues? I dont think either is going to cause an issue with water current by sucking fish to the intake.

I run a pair of AC 110s on one 55, two Eheim canisters on another - over-filterng is not an issue/hardly possible. I believe you'll be fine with what you have if you put foam/sponge pre-filters over your intakes. The type made for pond apps work pretty well if you can't find anything else like old/used reverse flow powerhead sponges, Eheim pre-filters or a vintage seat cushion that can be hewn into shape - almost anything will work provided it does not impede water flow or get clogged too quickly.

 

[mchambers]

Agreed. Overfiltering is a problem only if it creates too much flow for your fish. If your fish are okay with the flow, don't worry about having too much filtration.

 

[Owens]

Always overfilter if you can! I think the general rule of thumb is to aim for 10x turnover rate in your tank per hour and to make sure you have enough media to handle your bio load.

 

[04rwon]

Sweet. Today ill be taking the filter we got with the thank to exchange it. I would prefernto have another aquaclear, hopefully they have one for the right price.


Also, ive heard run 2 sponges in the aquaclears instead of the sponge and 2 other baggies. Is this true and if so, which baggie do we take out?

 

[b considine]

The carbon.

Blaise

 

[jonclark96]

+1 on not running carbon on a regular basis. I usually stack 2 sponges then throw a bag of bio media on top.

 

[04rwon]

Perfect thanks guys. Well get another sponge.


I was only able to swap out the aqueon 50 for the bigger 55/75. Cost me 2 bux difference, so im not going to complain.


150 watt heater is good enough for a 55gallon tank right? We have the aqueon pro, the unbreakable one supposedly.