"There's no such thing as too much filtration"...

[AbbeysDad]

How many times have you seen well meaning hobbyist's write the parroted line "there's no such thing as too much filtration" on forums???
Good filtration is about how well we filter water, not how much or how fast we push water through filter media. And filters merely make water look clearer, but not more pure. The Dirty Truth About Filters is that the trapped organics decompose and pollute the water...and more filters or more powerful filters don't change this. And then there's the negative effect of too much tank turbulence with excess filtration. Not long ago on a FB group a member proudly posted a photo of his 55g with three large canister filters underneath. A waste of money and energy with no gain in water quality. See The Very Best Aquarium Filter.
A much better statement might be "There's no such thing as too much fresh, clean water"!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Oops: “An important factor is to never disturb the substrate unless absolutely necessary (like planting/replanting rooted plants). The beneficial creatures that live in the substrate find their preferred depth level, often relative to the oxygen levels in the substrate. Stirring things up only serves to upset the delicate and important balance.”

I just stirred up a ton of sand in my 20g long, after removing all plants to catch Bloodfin Tetras and to rescape. But, I didn’t loose my cycle.

Is that just a precaution to take?

 

[mbsqw1d]

Oops: “An important factor is to never disturb the substrate unless absolutely necessary (like planting/replanting rooted plants). The beneficial creatures that live in the substrate find their preferred depth level, often relative to the oxygen levels in the substrate. Stirring things up only serves to upset the delicate and important balance.”

I just stirred up a ton of sand in my 20g long, after removing all plants to catch Bloodfin Tetras and to rescape. But, I didn’t loose my cycle.

Is that just a precaution to take?

Did you say you'd had a bacterial bloom?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Did you say you'd had a bacterial bloom?

I was wondering if that was the cause of the cloudy water, because the filter has been running nonstop for 2 days and it’s not getting any better. (See this thread for details)

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

I agree, there is such a thing as too much filtration, the key to make as little water changes as possible isn't the number of filters nor the amount of filter media but rather your fish feeding habits, your stocking, your plants, and the surface area for your bacteria.
Just as you said its a waste of money and resources and unless you are going for a white water tank I doubt your fish need those 2000 liters per hour flowing through in the 100 liters tank, also most aquarium species come from slow tributaries, flood plains or lakes with some slight movement and waves or some swamp or bog with mostly stagnant water so the flow will stress them or completely toss them around like a grain of sand in a hurricane.

 

[Utar]

Yes, there is too much filtration, especially for a Betta fish. Bettas like calm warm water, so in Betta Max's 20 gallon long he only has a sponge filter with a small air pump, he is the only one in the tank.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Yes, there is too much filtration, especially for a Betta fish. Bettas like calm warm water, so in Betta Max's 20 gallon long he only has a sponge filter with a small air pump, he is the only one in the tank.

agreed, imagine putting the fish coming from stagnant swamps into a high flow space, surface agitation is especially dangerous since they are a top-water fish that breaths atmospheric oxygen so a lot of movement on the surface will tear its fins up and scare it so it will go for oxygen less frequently.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I just stirred up a ton of sand in my 20g long, after removing all plants to catch Bloodfin Tetras and to rescape. But, I didn’t loose my cycle.

Is that just a precaution to take?

As it applies to deeper gravel and sand beds, the beneficial biology that lives in the substrate makes it's home at a preferred depth, often relative to the available oxygen. Stirring things up disrupts this (worse than if the wife changed the living room around every day or so). Stirring things up also allows organic matter to get down under where it may be decomposed by anaerobic bacteria creating unwanted gases.
Of course, an exception to the above is an inch or two of gravel (or any coarse gravel) where a gravel vacuum is necessary to remove uneaten food and fish/plant waste.
The 'beauty' of finer substrates like sand is that little or nothing gets down under.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hm, ok thank you!

I have about 2 inches in there right now, and it’s moderately-fine.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Different organisms (including bacteria) prefer/require different environments and this is usually down to oxygen and /or light.
Loxodes for example prefer very little o2 and are also sensitive to light. So you'd probably find these in the upper segment of the substrate where o2 and light are lower. At low levels of o2 they oxidise nitrate, turning it into nitrogen (thus completing nitrogen cycle).
All these organisms (algae, diatoms, protists, amoeba, ciliates, euglenoids, cyanobacteria, rotifiers, tardigrades, roundworms, copepods.....) eventually build an ecosystem amongst them, each one keeping another in check by consuming them. For example, Loxodes consumes cyanobacteria.

Stirring all this up throws the ecosystem out of whack and it will need a little time to become re-established. Thats why people often have algae outbreaks after a rescape or doing something to disturb the substrate

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Stirring all this up throws the ecosystem out of whack and it will need a little time to become re-established. Thats why people often have algae outbreaks after a rescape or doing something to disturb the substrate

I’m just jumping for joy right now. I would love to have an algae outbreak. ??

 

[mbsqw1d]

I’m just jumping for joy right now. I would love to have an algae outbreak. ??

You'll be fine