Filtration

[NeilP]

I've just read that the filter for an african cichlid tank should turn the water over between 10 - 25 times an hour.

Is that right? It seems a very high turn over of water.

 

[Exiled]

Hi Neil. From your email to me I think we're neck-and-neck in the setting up process.

From what I've read (and none of this is from any first-hand experience with cichlids) but what I've read is that the GPH is really irrrelivant. What matters is the filtermedia effectiveness (pads, biowheel, whatever), and the bioload your tank will have, what's in your water (besides fish) ie: sediments, gunk....and how often you do water changes. It makes sense ...

My HOB filter will only turn my water over at a rate of 6 to 7 times per hour. We'll see if it can keep up. :smb: Not sure how messy little P. Saulosi will be.

What fish are you looking to stock?
Where day are you in the cycling? Seeing Nitrites yet?

--Lee

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Neil

There is no way in hell that I'm going to run 2500 gph of filtration on my tank.

I like to compare filtration to cars. People state that you need to cycle a tank X times per hour.

I have question. My car has 140 horsepower. How fast is it?

You can't answer that because you don't know anything else about it. How much does it weight? How many cylinders is it? Is it standard or Automatic? How many people are in the car at the time?

It's the same with a filter. What kind of filtration are you using? How much media does it hold? Is it a low flow or high flow filter? How heavily is the tank in question stocked? What kind of Africans are they?

Generalizations are bad. Don't do it. If you hear a 'rule of thumb' about keeping fish then I suggest you scratch it and find out the real answer, there are very few rules of thumb that work.

So, if you want to know what I think about your filtration in particular, then you need to let me know the size of tank in quesiton, the type(s) of filter(s) being used, and what you intend to stock in the tank.

 

[NeilP]

Cichlidaddict,

OK - here goes.

Tank is 36" wide x 20" deep x 30" high
= 72 gallons or 327 litres

Filter - it should be an Eheim 2126, but due to them being 'out of stock' (apparantly ) i have been loaned a Fluval +4 to get the cycling going.

If they ( the people i bought the tank from) can't get an Eheim by end of the year, i will cancel that bit of the order and get one, or something else (any suggestions) from somewhere else.

Stocking - I've only got the rock this afternoon, i'm surfing to find out more about the different species - they are all sooo beautifull...and then there are the ones at the lfs.....and then my wife has to like the colours

I know i like PS.Saulosi and Labidochromis Carelus, but am not sure whether they could go together as the female Saulosi and the labs are both yellow.......
PS. Demasoni i have written down here - but can't remember what they look like!
Fronts are nice - but grow too big,

Lucky i have a month to try and decide, but then again, i'll probably change my mind at the last minute...

now, if i got rid of the telly, i could get a 4ft over there ..........
still looking into Peacocks

 

[thecichlidaddict]

The Eheim alone will provide all of the biological filtration you need. You may want to consider something like an Aquaclear 500 as a supplement for mechanical filtration, depending on stocking levels. Eheims are lower flow filters, meaning they accomplish much more filtration with much less flow by a)holding a large amount of media and b)allowing the water to flow over the media slower means more time for bacteria to utilize the oxygen and toxins in the water. The problem with lower flow filters is that they don't move as much water, so are less effective at physically pulling in mulm. This is where the very cheap, yet very effective Aquacear can come in handy.

If they can't get the Eheim 2126, then what about the 2026? And if they can't get that, then perhaps a Filstar will do the Job if they can get those. The Fluval 404 will do the job too, but I'd recommend the other two first.

And don't forget to get intake tube extensions, that's quite a tall tank you have there.

So, nevermind GPH, just think about what the filter is accomplishing and how.

 

[Exiled]

cichlidaddict -- what about my setup? I have a 3 stage HOB filter (330gph) it uses 2 of those filter bags (sort of a floss pad filled with carbon) plus it has what the company calls "biopads" which are just sponges. I'll look for a link to the model I have and edit this post.... but you pretty much know what I'll be stocking... a colony of P Saulosi and a few other fish from another species and maybe also a pleco or two. I plan on doing as many water changes as necessary....So do you think my filtration it will be sufficiant?
Thanks!

 

[thecichlidaddict]

Exiled, I'd need to know the brand of filtration. Chances are that your filter will be fine for a while, but as they grow into more adult sizes you will want to add something else along the way. I need to know what you have to judge a little better.

 

[Exiled]

Don't laugh -- It's a Whisper Power Filter 60. (formerly called the Whisper Power Filter 3)

 

[thecichlidaddict]

No laughing here... just a little snicker

But seriously, for a single filter that will run your 55 gallon without problems look at
the Aquaclear 500, Emperor 400, or any number of canisters.