Is it possible to overfilter a saltwater tank?

Pete · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

I am setting up my first saltwater tank. (converted from freshwater)

It is 38 gal

I have 3/4 of the tank with undergravel filter with crushed coral on
top. Using a 145 gph power head

I also have an emperor 280 hang on filter.
I think this is 280 gph ??

I also have a large protein skimmer for a 90gal tank.

I plan on small fish, and hopefully some live rock.

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>marine>misc

Greg Bunch · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 13

Pete,

IMO, I don't think you can overfilter a SW tank. A big skimmer will pull out
some trace elements along with the bad stuff, but that's part of running a
skimmer.

Lots of people will advise you to lose the undergravel filter. They're not
usually recommended for SW.

Personally, I don't think you have a great deal of filtration on that tank.
I have a 29-gallon fish-only, with a 10-gallon DIY wet-dry/sump. I'm using a
Mag 7 for a return, so at about 4' head, I'm pushing around 480 GPH.

For reef tanks, many advocate a flow rate of 10 times the water volume!

Take a look at the many superb aquaria forums on the web. You'll get a lot
of great information.

Hope this helps!

--

To see how I cycled a brand-new 5-gallon tank using household ammonia, take
a look at: http://members.cox.net/gbundersea/aquaria/5gallon/cycling.htm

Also see my Jensalt sump horror story site:
http://members.cox.net/~gbundersea/aquaria/badsumps/badsumps.htm

Greg Bunch
gbundersea AT cox DOT net
http://www.gbundersea.com
Creator of the Digital Lens Dock,
MXTENDER Optical Strobe Cable System
for the Sea&Sea MX-10, and the Save-A-Lens Kit
for MX-10 and Motormarine

"Pete" wrote in message@4ax.com...
> I am setting up my first saltwater tank. (converted from freshwater)
>
> It is 38 gal
>
> I have 3/4 of the tank with undergravel filter with crushed coral on
> top. Using a 145 gph power head
>
> I also have an emperor 280 hang on filter.
> I think this is 280 gph ??
>
> I also have a large protein skimmer for a 90gal tank.
>
> I plan on small fish, and hopefully some live rock.
>
>

richard reynolds · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 113

> I am setting up my first saltwater tank. (converted from freshwater)
> It is 38 gal
> I have 3/4 of the tank with undergravel filter with crushed coral on
> top. Using a 145 gph power head

for a reef this would be over filtration nothing would be able to complete the nitrogen
cycle with the bio mass(not sure thats 100% correct wording) of a UGF they are too
efficient at nitrification in a FW tank thats a good thing, in a SW tank, generallly its a
bad thing, there also more prone to failures in SW tanks. old tank syndrom hits sooner, LR
piles have crushed them ocasionally(ok ive herd of it 3 times now)

> I also have an emperor 280 hang on filter.
> I think this is 280 gph ??

this would also be over filtration for a reef. also because its too efficient at
nitrification, it however isnt too much for a FO or even a FOWLR depending on how they are
stocked, it might not be enough.

> I also have a large protein skimmer for a 90gal tank.

this isnt even close to over filtration

> I plan on small fish, and hopefully some live rock.

that makes the HOB a good thing, the UGF still remains a bad thing

another note, any mechanical filtration is generally considered a bad thing on a reef, not
so on a FO or FOWLR but for a reef, removal of plankton is more harmfull than the gain of
removing floating fish poooo, which some of the small critters eat anyways.

HTH

--
richard reynolds
richard.reynolds@usa.net

plaguebeast · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 39

do you have your mag 7 in your sump under water ? I have mine in a 5 gallon
sump and it seems to get pretty warm and heats the water. Do you know if it
can be safely run without being submerged in water ?

"Greg Bunch" wrote in message$o86.77422@news1.central.cox.net...
> Pete,
>
> IMO, I don't think you can overfilter a SW tank. A big skimmer will pull
out
> some trace elements along with the bad stuff, but that's part of running a
> skimmer.
>
> Lots of people will advise you to lose the undergravel filter. They're not
> usually recommended for SW.
>
> Personally, I don't think you have a great deal of filtration on that
tank.
> I have a 29-gallon fish-only, with a 10-gallon DIY wet-dry/sump. I'm using
a
> Mag 7 for a return, so at about 4' head, I'm pushing around 480 GPH.
>
> For reef tanks, many advocate a flow rate of 10 times the water volume!
>
> Take a look at the many superb aquaria forums on the web. You'll get a lot
> of great information.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> --
>
> To see how I cycled a brand-new 5-gallon tank using household ammonia,
take
> a look at: http://members.cox.net/gbundersea/aquaria/5gallon/cycling.htm
>
> Also see my Jensalt sump horror story site:
> http://members.cox.net/~gbundersea/aquaria/badsumps/badsumps.htm
>
> Greg Bunch
> gbundersea AT cox DOT net
> http://www.gbundersea.com
> Creator of the Digital Lens Dock,
> MXTENDER Optical Strobe Cable System
> for the Sea&Sea MX-10, and the Save-A-Lens Kit
> for MX-10 and Motormarine
>
>
>
> "Pete" wrote in message
> @4ax.com...
> > I am setting up my first saltwater tank. (converted from freshwater)
> >
> > It is 38 gal
> >
> > I have 3/4 of the tank with undergravel filter with crushed coral on
> > top. Using a 145 gph power head
> >
> > I also have an emperor 280 hang on filter.
> > I think this is 280 gph ??
> >
> > I also have a large protein skimmer for a 90gal tank.
> >
> > I plan on small fish, and hopefully some live rock.
> >
> >
>
>

Dragon Slayer · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 440

"plaguebeast" wrote in message$3I1.14@fe03.atl2.webusenet.com...
> do you have your mag 7 in your sump under water ? I have mine in a 5
gallon
> sump and it seems to get pretty warm and heats the water. Do you know if
it
> can be safely run without being submerged in water ?
>

yes they can, but they still add a good amount of heat to the water. I have
a Mag 12 external and it heats the tank (29 gallon) from 76 up to 82 with
just the pump running closed loop.

kc

Greg Bunch · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 13

"plaguebeast" wrote in message$3I1.14@fe03.atl2.webusenet.com...
> do you have your mag 7 in your sump under water ? I have mine in a 5
gallon
> sump and it seems to get pretty warm and heats the water. Do you know if
it
> can be safely run without being submerged in water ?

My Mag 7 is in the sump, submerged. I have a fan over the sump, which keeps
the temperature tolerable.

Mag pumps are used externally (inline) mostly with success. Some have
reported leakage problems, but mostly they've worked well, from what I've
read. Check out the reefs.org and reefcentral.com forums. Do a search for
"Mag AND external" and you'll get lots of info.

--

To see how I cycled a brand-new 5-gallon tank using household ammonia, take
a look at: http://members.cox.net/gbundersea/aquaria/5gallon/cycling.htm

Also see my Jensalt sump horror story site:
http://members.cox.net/~gbundersea/aquaria/badsumps/badsumps.htm

Greg Bunch
gbundersea AT cox DOT net
http://www.gbundersea.com
Creator of the Digital Lens Dock,
MXTENDER Optical Strobe Cable System
for the Sea&Sea MX-10, and the Save-A-Lens Kit
for MX-10 and Motormarine