Is over-filtering bad?

[Fish_Mike]

I'm looking on ebay for some cansiter filters that would suit a 37 gallon, and i came upon one that came at a nice price, but it filters 1200lph, i assume 400gph, and it said 'suitable for tanks 3 feet and up.' This makes me worried about buying it because it makes it seem like that much over-filtering is bad. And, well i dunno, just a wild guess but would over filtering too much actaully kill the beneficial bacteria. (i guess most tanks about my size are over 3ft, but mine's a tall)

If you have any suggestions for filters for my 37 under $100 cad, then post them here and if you are in the toronto region and have one for sale, also, tell me!

 

[rdd1952]

I think the only way overfiltering would be bad is if it created too much water flow and blew your fish and plants around. Generally, with extra filtration, you can push the stocking limits a little but don't take that as an green light to put double the fish in the tank as that definitely won't work.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Nah, no overcrowding for me, i've had enough of that during my first years in the hobby, don't be mad, but i had a black belt, tin foil barbx2, a pacu, a channel cat, a firemouth, and others all in that little 37 gallon. They all survived though as i gave them away

Is 400Gph good for a 37 would you say?

 

[rdd1952]

It should definitely do a great job of mechanically filtering the water. the general rule of thumb is 5 times per hour which for a 37 gallon would be 185 gph. You would have more than twice that.

 

[Fish_Mike]

eek, i think i should try to avoid this filter then because it'll be angels in the tank and they don't like being pushed around.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Hey, can anyone answer me one more question:

I want to change the location of my tank, so if i syphon all of the water out, and replace the aquarium and put in new fresh water, will i have to wait for it to cycle again?

 

[rdd1952]

As long as you do it rather quickly and keep the filter running (maybe in a 5 gallon bucket) or at least wet so that the bacteria don't die off then you shouldn't have any substantial loss of bacteria.

One thing to beware of though is damaging the tank. In asking around about moving my 75 gallon (I was going to do the same thing, just remove water and leave plants and gravel/sand in it) it was pointed out to me that on larger tank (the 37 gallon) you have to be careful when you pick it up and set it back down. The weight of the substrate and water still in the substrate could be enough to crack the bottom of the tank. I am still trying to figure out exactly how to move mine.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Oh no, i'm definately going to remove everything first, i'm actaully probably going to switch it over to sand that same day so it will be empty, but thanks for the tip!

 

[Tolak]

You could use that filter on an angel tank provided you direct the flow down or back towards the inside of the tank. One of my 55s has 4 filters running, total of 570 gallons per hour. That's actual filteration, not pump output.

The tank is being used in an angelfish breeding setup as a growout/pairing tank. If you direct the flow properly you create a lot less turbulance.

Tolak

 

[daddyfish]

I've always heard: YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH FILTRATION...
But Yes you Can have to much Turbulance.
But as said above by Others. As Long as You redirect the Flow away from the Angels like said, Towards the back and Maybe Down if at all possiable, the Angels Should do Just Fine.
Doing that will break up the Flow allowing you to Slow up the turbulance of the Water, But Still allowing You to Keep up the Extra Filtration.
And May I commend you on being SMART ENOUGH to REMOVE everything from your Tank before you Move/Moved it.
I had a Buddy of mine once tell me He moved his tanks all the time, whenever he Changed the Layout of his Livingroom...
All he would do was drain Half the water out and Scoot it unto the arm of a chair that was at about the same height as his Stand and Aquarium. Move it to where ever and then Put it back unto the Stand and Fill it Up.
I told him One Day he'd Pay for his Stupidity, Well Guess What Happened???
The NEXT time he did this He was moving his 55 and just as he was About to Put it Back unto the Stand it Snapped, Water, Fish, Gravel and all went all Over the Floor, His Fish died Every one of them about $250 Worth. Lost his Security Deposit on his Apartment Because of Water damage he was on the Second Floor.
And the NEXT TIME I saw him, He Said You Know What You were Right... I did'nt Drain My Tank and it snapped. {DUH}
I told him I Hate to tell you this But I told You So.
Moral in this Hobby {Fishkeeping} Taking Short Cuts May Save you Time.
But it almost "ALWAYS WILL" Cost You more in The Long Run...
If not in Money, It May Cost You in your Prized Pets Lives...
Congratulations On Making the Smart Choice. Instead of the Quick One.

 

[Squishiebabe]

My aquarium is very overfiltered, and it does fine. My filter is an Aquaclear 200, for up to 50 gallons, on my 10! I'm upgrading asap though, but turbulence isnt too big a problem. If you live near Toronto like you said, try this thing called The Super Shopper. You can buy it at the corner store, or theres one online, and they have an aquarium section. Its people selling to other people lol, kind of like a online garage sale. I found it useful, heres the link: The homepage
Here is the actual page with the Aquarium stuff.Aquariums and accessories

Hope this helps, see ya!