Enough Filtration

[Mako Man111]

My 20 gallon tank has 6 tigers barbs, and will soon have 6 ottos. Is an aquaclear 30 with 150gph, giving me a turnover of 7.5 times an hour sufficient for my stocking? I do around 30% water changes each week, and that my be stretched to around 2 weeks in the summer, but it is a low tech planted tank so it will take up some nitrates.

 

[Mako Man111]

Any ideas?

 

[ox5477]

The rule is to have atleast 4x filtration to be sufficient so obviously your almost double what you need.

If you have a enough plants then you might be able to stretch your water change to once every two weeks. But just feel it out. Go about a week without doing a water change and then check your water stats. If everything is still good after a week (NH3 = 0, NO2 = 0, NO3 <50 ppm) then you can go a little while longer without a water change. Test everyday after that until your nitrates reach 50 ppm if they do at all. Then do a water change. You can probably start doing water changes on that schedule of so many days now.

But just be careful not to let go too far because then water chemistry can get out of control. Cut a few days off of how long you waited if you want to be on the safe side.

 

[Griz]

I think that your filter is more than adequte for your tank. With the stocking you have, 30% every week or two sounds about right also.

For comparison, I have the same filter on my 15 gal shelldweller tank which would have about the same bio load as yours, more or less. I'm doing a 30% change about every 10 days. The Aquaclear 150 (now called the 30) is rated for a 30 gal tank so I think you are well within it's capabilities. In my Aquaclear filters I usually run 2 sponge inserts and no charcoal or other media.

 

[Mako Man111]

I think that your filter is more than adequte for your tank. With the stocking you have, 30% every week or two sounds about right also.

For comparison, I have the same filter on my 15 gal shelldweller tank which would have about the same bio load as yours, more or less. I'm doing a 30% change about every 10 days. The Aquaclear 150 (now called the 30) is rated for a 30 gal tank so I think you are well within it's capabilities. In my Aquaclear filters I usually run 2 sponge inserts and no charcoal or other media.

Yeah in my Aquaclears, I run two sponges and biomax on top. It seems to be a good combo. I also find that putting a cut out filter sponge on the intake will keep it from sucking up dead plant matter, and it also gives a little more bio filtration.