i have a 200 liter tank and im moving to an external filter does it matter if the external filter is for a bigger tank stupid question but lol.
help on external filter
- Thread starter jonnybryan
- Start date
Nope. Many commonly run external filters that are "rated" for larger tanks. Rated is in quotes as manufacturers never fully explain how they rate filters. Normally its simply based on how many times a filter turns over a tank, for example a company may rate a filter for a 200l tank if it pumps 1000l per hour (5x) and for a 300l tank if it pumps 1500l per hour (again, 5x). There are many other factors to take into consideration such as how much & what type of filter media the filter has. Finally, and probably most importantly, manufacturers never state how many fish they intend to be housed in the tank. One could house 1 neon tetra or 2000 in a 200l tank, obviously differnet filters would be required to support the fish. On average most tanks are a bit on the heavily stocked side so most people on here probably run filters rated for a tank larger than they have and/or run multiple filters.
You can however run too large a filter if the flow is too high. If the flow from the filter causes the fish & decor to be buffeted around the tank then the flow is probably too high. I have though run tanks with flow (combination of all filters & powerheads) in excess of 20x the volume without noticing seeing negative effects.
You can however run too large a filter if the flow is too high. If the flow from the filter causes the fish & decor to be buffeted around the tank then the flow is probably too high. I have though run tanks with flow (combination of all filters & powerheads) in excess of 20x the volume without noticing seeing negative effects.
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Hi not a stupid question at all
several recent threads have covered this subject,..
http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12023
This one may help you
several recent threads have covered this subject,..
http://www.plecoplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12023
This one may help you
Hi,
Manufacturers tend to test their filters for rating purposes with no head height short pipes and no media inside the filter.
Of course when you use them in a real life situation you'll never actually get the rated flow from them and typically once installed in a cabinet below a tank and filled with media you'll probably be lucky to see 50-60% of the rated flow.
As with everything else in life you get what you pay for. Better filters tend to loose less flow than budget models but none deliver what they state.
Most filters allow the user to turn down the flow rate somehow so in theory at least its not really possible to have one that's to big.
Well not unless your installing an FX5 on a nano cube :lol:.
Chris.
Manufacturers tend to test their filters for rating purposes with no head height short pipes and no media inside the filter.
Of course when you use them in a real life situation you'll never actually get the rated flow from them and typically once installed in a cabinet below a tank and filled with media you'll probably be lucky to see 50-60% of the rated flow.
As with everything else in life you get what you pay for. Better filters tend to loose less flow than budget models but none deliver what they state.
Most filters allow the user to turn down the flow rate somehow so in theory at least its not really possible to have one that's to big.
Well not unless your installing an FX5 on a nano cube :lol:.
Chris.
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I always go with a filter that will do double the tank volume as a rule of thumb...Its never let me down yet.
yup agree, however for the L tanks I prefer 3 x the volume turnover. Just my oponion. cheers jk :thumbup: