Filtration Question For Large Aquarium Owners

[prelovedfurnishings]

Just a quick one, i have a 800L tank (7x2x2), although with a 3d background and sand this volume will reduce.
If i stocked accordingly, could i run a filter for a 600L aquarium?

Stocking plans are a shoal of silver dollars (perhaps 8), a couple pairs of angel fish (perhaps 4 fish), shoal of cory cats (perhaps 10-12). And maybe allow for some endlers and maybe even a few pim pictus cats. The silver dollars and angel fish are obviously slim bodied fish, the cory's and endlers are small.

I know there is no hard and fast rule, and i dont want to hear any '1" per gallon rubbish'. But what are peoples opinion on my stocking with this filter that is rated for aquarium up to 600l, although mine is larger. Cant put my background up until i know what filter i'll be using.

Thanks.

P.S also for your reference, just presume i dont have the option of buying a bigger filter (i.e fx5) easily. If i did, i wouldnt be asking this question and just be buying a bigger filter. Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[robertsskippyj]

Just a quick one, i have a 800L tank (7x2x2), although with a 3d background and sand this volume will reduce.
If i stocked accordingly, could i run a filter for a 600L aquarium?

Stocking plans are a shoal of silver dollars (perhaps 8), a couple pairs of angel fish (perhaps 4 fish), shoal of cory cats (perhaps 10-12). And maybe allow for some endlers and maybe even a few pim pictus cats. The silver dollars and angel fish are obviously slim bodied fish, the cory's and endlers are small.

I know there is no hard and fast rule, and i dont want to hear any '1" per gallon rubbish'. But what are peoples opinion on my stocking with this filter that is rated for aquarium up to 600l, although mine is larger. Cant put my background up until i know what filter i'll be using.

Thanks.

P.S also for your reference, just presume i dont have the option of buying a bigger filter (i.e fx5) easily. If i did, i wouldnt be asking this question and just be buying a bigger filter. Thanks in advance for your advice.

What's the output on the filter you are looking to use?

 

[elmo666]

Filtration is one of those areas where there can't be any hard and fast rules, there are too many variables. One thing that is often over looked is th height of the tank. The greater the distance between the top of the filter and the surface of the water, the more the reduction in the stated flow rate of the manufacturer. This can be key, as there stated lph is a max in ideal conditions. Some fish favour fast water movement, some slower, this is easier to control, but again the use of a spraybar will reduce lph. I would say you are undersized for your tank, definitely. This is because ideally you should be turnining it's volume over 3 to 5 times an hour. Ideally you shhould be looking at a filter with 800lph turnover. You could also look at replacing some of the standard media that comes with it with one giving greater surface area, this effetively gives you a "bigger" filter.

 

[prelovedfurnishings]

I believe it is 1050 lph

 

[robertsskippyj]

I believe it is 1050 lph

I would have to say that leaves you underfiltered. As even if you manage to loose 200 litres to the decor etc you wouldn't have enough hourly turn over. At 600 litres you should be looking at 1800 to 3000 litres per hour turn over.
It would be far safer if you worked on 800 litres volume as then you are also more likely to get away with the minimum amount of turn over, ie 3 x 800 = 2400 litres per hour.

 

[prelovedfurnishings]

Hmm ok, can any suggest a filter then? Something affordable please, i dont have £200 for a fx5 (plus cost of media) atm, and second hand ones are still hard to come by (or certainly not selling too cheapily).

 

[robertsskippyj]

Hmm ok, can any suggest a filter then? Something affordable please, i dont have £200 for a fx5 (plus cost of media) atm, and second hand ones are still hard to come by (or certainly not selling too cheapily).

Well if you added a tetratec EX1200 to your existing you'd be around 2200 liters per hour which you may well get away with. They appear quite often on ebay second hand. When I bought mine new I think it was £95 and they come jammed full of media.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

All Pond Solution 2000EFs are an option to filter this tank cheaply, but be warned, their real life turnover is well below 2000lph... 1000-1200lph is more likely and that is if you only use none or just one spraybar module of the possible three.

I used a 2000EF alone to filter a 48x12x15 (140l) tank for fish that appreciate some current, these fish and the filter have recently moved to a 48x17x22 (~290l) so I now use a Bioflow BF-2200 powerhead/mechanical filter (with upto 2200lph) to supplement it.

In my 5x2x2, I use another 2000EF alongside a Fluval FX5 for filtration (~3300lph real world) and an Aqua Medic Nanoprop 5000 powerhead for African riverine fish that appreciate flow.

In your 7x2x2 (~790l), you should be looking at ~3500lph of real world water movement from two external filters at a minimum if it houses fish from calm waters, but if you were looking at a "Congo rapids" setup then real world flow would need to be ~8000-16000lph (eg. 2x 2000EF and a Hydor Magnum 8 powerhead).

 

[Tizer]

what a waste of a 7 foot tank get some proper fish

 

[prelovedfurnishings]

what a waste of a 7 foot tank get some proper fish

Such as?

Big fish squashed into aquariums don't do it for me.

 

[Tizer]

But putting Endlers into a tank with Angels that will eat them is?

 

[Aquascaper]

Would make a lovely marine puddle

I would stick with the actual volume if the tank not the proposed volume with decor, etc. to calculate your filtration to x3- x4.

I have to mention though if you can afford to setup and run a 7 foot tank buying filters for it should not be an issue. Surely the cost of filtration should have been accounted for when making the decision to get it. If it is purely cashflow then my advice would be to wait until you can afford the correct filtration rather than trying to work something out to allow you to fill the tank at the moment.

Just my opinion.

 

[elmo666]

For any set-up it is easy to rush into setting it up only to have to sort out problems further down the line. So, how to move forward?........sort out the best filtration you can but at least ensure it is the minimum, turning it over min 3x per hour but 5x is preferable. Lighting? How are you planning to set the tank up? Planted will require decent lighting, wood isn't cheap. These are all cosiderations to be made and unforetunately they each place a strain on your finances. As for what you stock, well, thats entirely up to you. It isn't up to anyone else to say what this tank is worthy of. Above all else, enjoy it mate, and if you can, wait until you can set it up right from the off.

 

[prelovedfurnishings]

Thanks for all the lovely advice people. This is not my first tank, i've been in the hobby for a number of years in fact. But this is by far my biggest,having only kept a 4 foot before. I was just trying to kid myself into saving on the filtration - having spent so much on the setup already, and as rightly put - trying to rush the set up. Think i need to save for a proper filter from the start.

 

[snazy]

Yeah, the filters are the most important thing in a tank this size. You need not only filters that can filter well, but also provide enough flow in a tank this size. You can't run a filter with output 1050L/H. I've got one of these plus and extra smaller filter that is rated 800L/H(probably works less than that) in an overstocked(just a little) 120 litre tank and no one is pushed around,so an 800L tank would require way more filtration.

I won't recommend my APS 2000 EX UV one but without the spraybar in my 80-90G tank is working perfect and as a cheaper option two of them will do, but if you have the extra money, I'd go for better filters.
Reading comments and recommendations on this forum about filters, you may be looking into and FX5 and Tetratec 1200EX together the minimum. This will give you 3600L/H rated by manufacturers water flow. The FX5 is rated for up to 1500L tanks and the Tetratec for up to 600L tanks, but between fiddling with spraybars, media, the backup of having a second one in case one breaks or stops, I'd get the two if I were you

Edit: And then never worry what you stock your tank with.