Couple More Questions

[Hamsnacks]

In the process of moving to a 120Gallon from a 60 Gallon, just thought of a few more questions:


1) I purchased a FX6, which produces about 7x the circulation for the tank. I was told I should try for about 10x. I was planning to get an Aquaclear 110, just less maintenance than another canister filter and don't need to worry about leaks. Or should I instead of the extra filter, buy a wavemaker or power head? I seen a lot of people have those in their planted tanks. OR


2) Should I have a wavemaker with the second filter regardless. It's going to be filled with Tetras so I don't want to disturb them too much, especially since the FX6 is a beast anyways.


3) In the current tank I have 2 Aquaclear 70 filters, if I wanted to do a same day switch over to the new tank, can I just run the Aquaclear 70s on the new tank along side the new stuff for a week until the new filters have grown bacteria?


Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

Filtering a tank 10 times per hour is usually for marine or tanks with a very alkaline pH. The high turnover is to help remove any ammonia asap so it is not an issue to the fish due to the high pH.

Most freshwater tanks are fine with 4-5 times per hour. Some filters overstate the turnover so going for 7 times per hour might mean a real turnover of 5 times and that should be fine.

If you have 2 established Aquaclear 70 HOB filters, set up the 120 gallon tank and simply move the Aquaclears onto it once the tank is full and has the fish in it. The new filter will take about 4-5 weeks to develop its own colonies of beneficial filter bacteria so you should keep at least 1 of the Aquaclears on the tank during that time.

If you want to set both tanks up (the 60g & 120g), leave 1 Aquaclear on the 60 gallon and move the other Aquaclear and the external canister onto the 120 gallon.

I would not have a wave maker in a tetra tank.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

If you’re looking to grow plants then 10x turnover is recommended.

Mine is a 75 gallon and I’ve used a wave maker in the past to increase the circulation which is vital for live plants.

If you’ve got 7x at the moment then you could use a wave maker to get extra circulation. It would be cheaper than another filter and you can then use it to direct the current around your tank as you see fit.

 

[Colin_T]

If you’re looking to grow plants then 10x turnover is recommended.

Why do you want so much filtration for plants?

I normally have less filtration in planted tanks so the plants get more time to use the ammonia.