How many GPH should be filterd?

[ccg]

Hello

I am curious about how many gallons per hour should be filterd?

Also, if I would like to over stock my tank and increase my numbers slightly how many more GPH should I go?

I hope my question is clear, not quite sure how to explain it.

 

[snar]

A normal tank should be filtered about 10 times an hour. So a ten gallon tank should have a filter of at LEAST 100 gph. 20 gallon tank 200 gph and so on. Hope this answers your question.

 

[nc_nutcase]

Max stocking isn’t a great idea for planning, but sometimes you end up there. While hopefully looking for a way to change the situation maximum filtering is a good route. Typically the high output (GPH) filter would be relied upon for mechanical filtering while (ideally) a smaller slower filter is used to increase biological filtering. Aquarium size will dictate what GPH you use. What I would consider ‘too much’ would be determined by the current it created in the tank. I’ve heard ‘full volume ten times’ as a reference to maximum safe filtration although this would be although with larger aquariums this becomes harder to achieve. Just for reference here is what I filter my aquariums at which I consider strong, but not maximum, filtration:

125 Gal -5.6 times - 700 GPH + sponge filter (biological)
55 Gal - 6 times - 330 GPH
29 Gal - 5.9 times -170 GPH
Under Construction - 550 Gal - 4.3 times - 2,350 GPH + sponge filter (biological)

 

[snar]

Strong filtration may not be the best route if you wish overstock a little. For example my ten gallon is overstocked but I have a power filter that has a gph of 100 and a corner filter that has a gph of 75. The power holds all of the bacteria while the corner filter holds all of the charcoal. But just make sure the current is not too strong and choose harder fish if you choose to overstock.

 

[snar]

foamy is my lord and master

 

[ccg]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Maybe if I tell you guys what I have you can help me out a little more.

First off I have a tank full of barbs, and barbs only. So I am not all that concernd about the current as they usually swim up to the moving water anyhow, so I assume they like it.

The tank is stocked with gold, cherry and tiger barbs, and is pretty much at what a 35 gallon should be as far as fish.

I have recently been given some filters for free and decided to make use of them.

Three Aqua-Clear 200's that are rated at 200gph.

One Aqua-Tech 20-40 that is rated at 160gph.

One sponge filter setup in the corner (no ideawhat it is rated for)

I also use an undergravel filter (again no idea how much this pulls)

Anyhow, the 4 filters hanging on the back bring me up to 760GPH and I just considering the sponge and ug filter to be extra.

Right now I currently have:

6 Golden Barbs
3 Tiger Barbs
6 Cherry Barbs
1 RTBS
1 Very Small Pleco (he hasnt grown in over a year, so I assume he will not get any bigger)

Now the tank appears to be pretty stocked, but does not seem crowded, the caves and drift wood, along with the plants give the fish lots of hiding space along with the swimming room they need.

I planned on adding 2-3 more tiger barbs, and maybe 3 small corys of some sort, but I'm not to sure as I don't want to over do it. It seems like I have gone overkill on the filters but not still not postive if I can house any more fish.

I do 2 water changes every week, aprox 20% each time.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks for your reading, I appreciate all the help.

 

[Paul_MTS]

it's not so much GPH but the media choice and arrangement of the media.

my 210 gallon is turned over aorund 5 times p/h i think with 2 2000lph pumps to power the sump return which hols about 50 litres of media, mainly being biological but having 3 courses of prefilter foams above water level and then a bay of filter floss later on provides sparkling water.

 

[ccg]

With my current setup do you think I can add a few more fish or not?

 

[Crab Paste]

I personally wouldn't reccommend overstocking at all. But, that is only MY opinion for MY tanks and everybody has their own opinion and their own set ups.

I do believe you can overstock and have perfectly healthy fish given the right set up, but I don't think it's ideal in the long run or for the fishes 'happiness', which is in my book, paramount.

Is there such a thing as too much filtration?

 

[ccg]

I do not believe there is such a thing of " too much filtration". If you think about it, its not really possible.

All filtering does is make the water better, its not like the water can be too perfect or anything like that, so no, I don't believe there is such a thing as to much, only too little.