Strange Question

[theryzer]

Hey all

So im not exactly a newbie when it comes to fish keeping but i have one question that popped into my head and now i cant get it out, is it possible to have too much filtration? I have a fluval 204 canister and a penguin biowheel 200 (wheel-less) I dont think that is over doing it but would i be better off removing one for some bizarre reason. I dont want anyone to think im not running on all circuits ( if you know what i mean) but i just have to ask! thanks

 

[ZoddyZod]

it's a common question, and not one with a straight answer. The best situation is to find yourself with a well filtered tank, but one that is not too much in terms of flow suitable for the fish you want to keep.

let's take a betta tank as an example. They like very little water flow, so over-filtering that could be a problem. But for a suitably over-stocked Malawi tank - over-filtration is key for managing the waste.

Something else to consider is that the manufacturers statement on litres/gallons per hour does not always match reality, with many filters performing beneath what is stated on the box.

 

[DevotedToDiscus]

I can throw one into the mix also. If you run your filter/filters wide open, so that they have a high water turnover, this will generally produce very good mechanical filtration. So you will remove solids and suspended particles, but because the water is rushing through the media the bio filtration is lessened, because the bacteria has less time to work on the water. The opposite is in effect if you run the filters slowly. So if you run two filters you can have the best of both worlds......One filter running wide open, with the second running at a trickle.

This is purely an opinion, and I am no bio-scientist, and as such I can not be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may on occasion spew from my mouth

 

[theryzer]

Interesting, thank you very much!