Question about filter.

[Whovian10]

ok, So I have a 38 gallon tank. The filter on it is able to adjust how much it filters(i hope that makes sense) Do I need it to be set all the way up? half way? down lower? When i have it up all the way, it seems to pull everything in the tank towards it. I hope what i said made sense. lol

 

[Rocky998]

What brand is that filter and what is the filter size (recommended gallons for the filter to... Well filter lol)?

 

[jaylach]

ok, So I have a 38 gallon tank. The filter on it is able to adjust how much it filters(i hope that makes sense) Do I need it to be set all the way up? half way? down lower? When i have it up all the way, it seems to pull everything in the tank towards it. I hope what i said made sense. lol

What you say does make sense. As a general rule I look for at least 8 water cycles through the filtration per hour. With my dual under gravel filtration and my built in sponge filtration I probably get ~10 water cycles. The built in sponge filter is easy as I know that it pushes 93 gallons per hour of water which equates to 4.65 cycles per hour. Really pretty impossible to know how much water my under gravel is pushing but I would guess at least 3 cycles per filter.

With all the above said the fish population needs to be considered. Do the fish like a fast or slow water flow. As with most things in an aquarium it is largely about balance.

 

[Guyb93]

What’s the stocking of the tank ? I always look for a 4-5x turn over per hour which is possibly a little fast for the fish I keep some fish are from big body’s of water that have slow moving currents and others from smaller faster flowing rivers . I am a true believer of there’s no such thing as over filtration just over water movement

 

[Whovian10]

What brand is that filter and what is the filter size (recommended gallons for the filter to... Well filter lol)?

TBH i cant remember, I got the tank last year, and it came with the tank. After 2 weeks of letting the water filter, We got fish at PetSmart(guppies, mollies) and within 2 weeks they all died. (except for the plecos)
I did a water change, wiped everything down, and filled it back up. Only had the plecos in there. I was really afraid to waste money on more fish. Well, yesterday, we got some more and today i noticed that one has already died. and all the others like to swim at the very top. (I dont know if that means something.) So i didn't know if i need to have more power on the filter, but when i turn it up more, it litterly pulls the plants and everything towards it.

 

[Whovian10]

What you say does make sense. As a general rule I look for at least 8 water cycles through the filtration per hour. With my dual under gravel filtration and my built in sponge filtration I probably get ~10 water cycles. The built in sponge filter is easy as I know that it pushes 93 gallons per hour of water which equates to 4.65 cycles per hour. Really pretty impossible to know how much water my under gravel is pushing but I would guess at least 3 cycles per filter.

With all the above said the fish population needs to be considered. Do the fish like a fast or slow water flow. As with most things in an aquarium it is largely about balance.

I have guppies and mollies and a pleco

 

[Whovian10]

What you say does make sense. As a general rule I look for at least 8 water cycles through the filtration per hour. With my dual under gravel filtration and my built in sponge filtration I probably get ~10 water cycles. The built in sponge filter is easy as I know that it pushes 93 gallons per hour of water which equates to 4.65 cycles per hour. Really pretty impossible to know how much water my under gravel is pushing but I would guess at least 3 cycles per filter.

With all the above said the fish population needs to be considered. Do the fish like a fast or slow water flow. As with most things in an aquarium it is largely about balance.

and how do you know how many water cycles per hour?

 

[Essjay]

The information provided with a filter usually gives the turnover in litres or gallons per hour. Does the filter say anything on it to indicate the model?

Some fish come from slow moving water and need a filter with a low turnover. Other fish come from fast moving water and need a filter with a high turnover.
Guppies, with those long tails, will struggle in fast flowing water.

 

[Whovian10]

The information provided with a filter usually gives the turnover in litres or gallons per hour. Does the filter say anything on it to indicate the model?

Some fish come from slow moving water and need a filter with a low turnover. Other fish come from fast moving water and need a filter with a high turnover.
Guppies, with those long tails, will struggle in fast flowing water.

Top Fin silentstream 40 power filter

Theres a dial to control the filtering, but it doesn't say how much it is(its like taking a guess lol) Like i said, when i have it on the lowest setting, everything seems to stay in place, but when i raise it up, it starts pulling the plants and stuff towards it. I would htink that would be to much then? Sorry for all the questions, i had a 55 gallon tank before, but never had a problem. but this one, being smaller seems to be giving me fits.

 

[Uberhoust]

If your tank is a top fin tank that came with a canopy and filter, then I know which filter you have because I had it too.

The Top Fin filter I had had quite a decent motor and did move a lot of water for its size but I wouldn't say it was too much. You might want to consider placing something in the outflow to diffuse the flow a bit. Sometimes even a large rock or piece of drift wood can limit the flow.

The issue I have with the top fin filters is that they don't have enough space in them to filter well. The plastic insert as the bacteria substrate has hardly any surface area and the filter cartridges are really too small for proper mechanical filtration. Initially I left the filter/carbon insert in to perform the mechanical filtration then placed a number of ceramic rings for biological filtration. Eventually I replaced the filter with an Aquaclear 70, which has been on my 38 gallon tank for the last three years. The aquaclear has a lot more room for filter media.

I have run both filters at less than full flow, I found about 70 to 80% of max worked well for me. I also run them both with either a fluval foam filter or now a fine mesh bag over the filter intake to pre filter the water and prevent young fry from getting sucked in.

Only you will be able to adjust the flow based on how well your fish manage the current and how well the system seems to filter. I wouldn't go below 60% of max flow.

 

[jaylach]

and how do you know how many water cycles per hour?

Really hard to know with under gravel filtration as the flow is going through the air risers. While not all that much popular under gravel is still my preferred method as it gives the largest filtration area as the entire substrate is the filter. It can be tested but is a bit tedious. Since I did my first under gravel in the area of 40 years ago I can tell close enough by sight. However this is not what you are using.

Unless the filter shows flow settings the best that you can do is to remove the filter and use two containers to test. Say that you have two containers of 3 gallons each.. Time how long it takes to move 2 gallons from one container to the other and then do the math to figure out how much water is being moved per hour. Sadly this is cumbersome and a pain.

For me I tend to go mostly by sight. I don't want plants and such 'leaning' in toward the filter yet I don't want them to be still either. I want my flow to be where the plants move a bit but still maintain their basic vertical posture. I also look at the fish. Do they seem to be struggling to swim? If so you can bet that the flow is too strong.

 

[Back in the fold]

It's personal preference as to what kind of current you want. As you watch it over time , you'll know what you want.

 

[jaylach]

It's personal preference as to what kind of current you want. As you watch it over time , you'll know what you want.

True but it also has to be taken in to consideration what kind of flow the fish want.