Filter flow and plants

[zig]

Hi

I have a new tank (which i built myself, very proud only finished it today) the tank was made to fit an alcove so the dimensions are a bit odd, it is 30L x 18W x 18H the capacity of the tank is approx 160L, 35 UK gallons or 42 US gallons.

I want this tank to be a planted tank, i have adequate lighting for the moment (i think) but could do with some advice here as well, i am going to use 2 T5 55Watt power compacts which will give 110Watts in total.

But my main question is what flow rate would be best for my tank as i intend to plant the tank quite heavily, or does this make any difference or should i just stick to normal filtration levels (i would normally overfilter) for instance a Fluval 4 Plus will give me 1000L/H output or would this be to much water movement within the tank, as i have heard that to much water movement will dissipate the CO2 faster.

I should add i cant afford an external filter at the moment (car and house insurance due this week, hate that ) but i can afford a decent internal filter.

I will cycle the tank with media from an existing filter i have running in a different tank and will be useing laterite and a home made CO2 system in the new tank, the tank will not be overstocked with fish at any point.

If somebody could reply to this i would really appreciate it and i hope i havnt made the question to long and complicated.

Thanks

 

[kenneth_kpe]

i guess it would be safe for me to answer this question but with planted tanks especially heavily planted tanks you dont need to over filter plants in a way are the best filters you can get hehehe

a good thing to think about with c02 injected planted tanks is to minimize surface agitation to help keep the c02 in i guess the normal filtration would be enough somebody correct me if im wrong

 

[jimboliana]

From what i have read you are right kenneth_kpe

Zig, I have a tank similar size to yours, mine is 33" X 18" X 18" but i have a sump as well, you want to aim for 3/4 to 1 complete turn around of volume of water per hour so for example you want to aim for 120/160 liters per hour, any more than this and you could help start an algae bloom and as you say the CO2 will disperse into the air more easy i think (99% sure) but i'm sure others will let you know

 

[George Farmer]

Actual water turnover rate is relatively unimportant with regards CO2. As long as the water surface is not agitated too much then the CO2 will remain in the water.

I have a Juwel Compact H internal rated at 400 lph and a Fluval 204 external rated at 680 lph giving me a total of 1080 litres per hour in my 125 litre tank (obviously the flow is restricted by filter media etc. so actual flow rate will be less). I just ensure that my outputs are directed accordingly to give a very slow surface water movement.

You could acheive the same effect with an internal by placing it well under the surface.

Your set-up sounds great BTW. The lighting should do well (use reflectors if you haven't already thought of that) - what actual bulbs are you planning on using?

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

 

[zig]

i guess it would be safe for me to answer this question but with planted tanks especially heavily planted tanks you dont need to over filter plants in a way are the best filters you can get hehehe

a good thing to think about with c02 injected planted tanks is to minimize surface agitation to help keep the c02 in i guess the normal filtration would be enough somebody correct me if im wrong

Kenneth_Kpe i really appreciate your reply, i checked my post this morning and saw no replies and was a bit disheartened, but when i checked later i was i had an idea i was sort of correct but needed to confirm it, so thankyou very much for your advice......much appreciated

 

[zig]

From what i have read you are right kenneth_kpe

Zig, I have a tank similar size to yours, mine is 33" X 18" X 18" but i have a sump as well, you want to aim for 3/4 to 1 complete turn around of volume of water per hour so for example you want to aim for 120/160 liters per hour, any more than this and you could help start an algae bloom and as you say the CO2 will disperse into the air more easy i think (99% sure) but i'm sure others will let you know

Jimboliana

Thanks for your reply and advice, i have been following your thread with great interest ( and envy, very nice equipment ) it must be driveing you crazy looking at the empty tank, but you are correct, patience in setting things up will pay off in the months ahead and it looks like a really good job so far.

Our tank sizes are quite similar ( my alcove is smaller, im pretty well squeezing my tank in ) i still have to make the base the tank will sit on and the hood, so a bit to go yet, ill post a couple of pics when i get a bit more sorted and in the meantime will keep an eye on your thread for inspiration, post more pics it really brings it alive.

Thanks again for the reply i really do appreciate it

 

[zig]

Actual water turnover rate is relatively unimportant with regards CO2. As long as the water surface is not agitated too much then the CO2 will remain in the water.

I have a Juwel Compact H internal rated at 400 lph and a Fluval 204 external rated at 680 lph giving me a total of 1080 litres per hour in my 125 litre tank (obviously the flow is restricted by filter media etc. so actual flow rate will be less). I just ensure that my outputs are directed accordingly to give a very slow surface water movement.

You could acheive the same effect with an internal by placing it well under the surface.

Your set-up sounds great BTW. The lighting should do well (use reflectors if you haven't already thought of that) - what actual bulbs are you planning on using?

Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.

Thanks for replying gf225, i was hoping you would, as ive been following your triumpths and tribulations ( algea ) your planted tanks are quite inspirational for me, a very high standard that i would hope to follow but even reading through your threads is an education in itself and ive learnt a lot from following them, ive been keeping fish for a while but havnt tried planting a tank properly and thats why i built the new one with that purpose in mind.

As regards my setup, the lighting i hope to use is the Interpet T5 power compacts, they are 21" long which is not ideal for an even spread of light in the tank, i will probably run them parallel to each other or maybe overlap them going from one end of the tank to the other end, i was going to use a light meter at each corner of the tank and take light readings and try and find the optimum position for the lights before i fit them, to try and achieve the most even spread of light, or i thought if i raised the hood a bit higher i could probably get a more even spread.

They seem to be the best solution for me in my budget, i will use two lamps each at 55Watts, they are the Daylight Plus version, i think these are the most suitable in the interpet T5 range, i will have to check out reflectors i dont know if they make them specially for the T5 range, its either the T5s or run lots of flourescents to make up the wattage, so ill stick to the T5s.

I will be buying all of the equipment from Aquatics Online in the UK, lighting filters etc as they are a lot cheaper than buying them here (nearly half the price)

ill post some pics when i get sorted and thanks for helping me out i appreciate it