Question: Overfiltering?

Elliriyanna

Elliriyanna

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
742
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Country
United States
I have a 40 breeder and plan to get a canister rated for a 75 or 100 gallon with a spray bar to control output ... now I know with fish you can not over filter , but axolotls are a whole other ball game with their water flow sensitivities.

Do you think this will be too much? I would assume the spray bar would control the outflow and I could baffle the intake.

No other filter I have has met my expectations ... I have tried aquaclear Hobs and now internals ... nothing has kept it like I would like even with water changes.
 
The filter should have rating that states how many gallons per hour the filter will process. This is how much flow will be generated. The problem with a filter over-rated for your tank is that it is likely to have a higher volume per hour.

Some filters can be adjusted to some extent. You also might be able to use a dimmer controller on the power to control flow. That would likely defeat the purpose of the larger filter though. If you find out after installing that the flow it too high it might be a way to adjust the flow though.

I have a turtle clean 501 canister filter from zoomed. it is on a 20 gallon tank and is rated for up to 30 gallon. The big plus is that the filter is only an 80 gal per hour flow which my axolotls actually hang out under and play in.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Well I know all about gph ... what kind of turnover am I looking at? Yours is 4 times an hour if I want about 5 times an hour I only need a 200 gph ....

Does this sound right?
 
I don't think you can over filter but more gph equals more water flow. Getting a Ton of anacharis and duckweed would really help a heavily stocked tank like you are planning.
 
The only thing that will be in this tank for the next 6 months is 'atsu lol

Its looking like I will have 5 lotls total but I have more tanks :)

I kill plants ... even anacharis and duckweed so me and silk plants are friends.

I know that more gph means more flow ... the more water its moving in the same amount of time will cause more flow what I am trying to find out is how many times I want my tank fully turned over each hour. A rough number would be great :)
 
Bio media is more important than flow rate. You don't want to strong of current. You can baffle, spray , or shoot water to the side. I would go with something rated for the size tank you have and stuff as much biomedia in it as you can. Some of my larger tanks use minireef filters or hang on cascade filters and big air driven sponge filters. I run the minireefs slow.

It also depends on how aesthetically pleasing you want your tank to look. For aesthetics I'd go with canister or minireef, drift wood, fake plants or caves. I'd avoid live plants and floor substrate that would gunk up the tank.

The only way I would have much floor substrate in a breeder axolotl tank would be with a reverse flow undergravel filter.
 
The plan is just enough sand to cover the bottom ... not anynore than needed. And true I could get a small canister and stuff it with cermic media and bioballs for surface area :)

Thanks :) I will let you know when we get the filter. I would like a canister I think.
 
I am using a cascade canister filter rated for a 70 gallon tank on a 20 long! (though Im waiting to upgrade to a 40 gallon breeder once I build a stand.) the input and output flow are adjustable and at first I had the flow turned down, I got the idea do wrap a couple plastic plants around the inlet and spray bay outlet to both baffle the spray bar and disguise it. it works great and my lotl loves playing around on it(I can take some pictures if you want.maybe someone can tell me what kind of plant it is because id like to know)
 
I'm currently using a canister rated 350gph on a 20gallon long. I built myself a spray bar that extends the length of the tank and an intake bar that can be positioned near the bottom. I added ball valves to both the intake and output so I have complete control over the flow. The spray bar faces the glass and keeps the water flow very low, despite the high turnover rate. The tank is temporary until I move but I find that axolotls are going to be messy regardless. Most filters would still house the same amount of bacteria for your bioload so its usually planned accordingly. I hate maintaining my canister and find that compared to the fish I've kept in the past, axolotls produce more waste that gunks up the filter no matter how many poops I take out daily. Like said before its best to utilize a canister for bio filtration, and its more important to maintain water quality with water changes. Its really about what you want out of the canister.
 
I just want clear water and of course good biological filtration.

I will be looking at filters more when my tax return gets here but her little intank filter is just sad ... and she is alone in a 40 breeder ...
 
Elliriyanna said:
I just want clear water and of course good biological filtration.

I will be looking at filters more when my tax return gets here but her little intank filter is just sad ... and she is alone in a 40 breeder ...
Click to expand...

If you really feel her filter is that bad then the last thing you should do is add more animals to the tank. A canister provides powerful mechanical filtration but the bio filtration is no better than a sponge filter. From my experience a canister can become an axolotl poop vacuum, and it can build up fast if you do not maintain it. How often do you do water changes with the one in the tank?
 
A sponge filter was never mentioned and I never said any more animals would be added until the problem was fixed. In fact ... my babies are 4 inches she is 11 ... which means they can not be added for at least 6 months ... please do not assume things. Water changes are performed twice weekly but as I do not want to disturb the cycle they total only 30% weekly

I should mention I keep cana or bridgesii snails in all my tanks as a water quality monitor ... snails are very sensitive to water quality and the moment they start hanging around the top you do an immediate water change ... before things get bad. Natsu has one in her tank and according to the snail water quality is fine ... so maybe its just not visually appealing ... my water is not crystal clear , could that be the simple fact I don't use charcoal?
 
Last edited:
I think that you are incredibly rude Elliriyanna. Everyone is trying to help you, and share their opinions with you.
When you post on a forum you must expect to have others who disagree with you and who have other view points, as well as have others interpret things differently to the way in which you mean them.

There are ways of getting your point across nicely to people, the blatant rudeness isn't needed.

And you do not have to worry, I won't comment on your thread again either.
 
I have a hard time communicating esp via cellphone when it won't let me read what I wrote.

I just do not like that people assume I will throw more animals in my tank when I am clearly unhappy with the water. People can disagree that's how we end up with information but I just don't think assumptions are helpful :) I would rather that people ask me

Also I state things plainly which many take as rude. I can not help this
 
Just my experience with aquarium filters. Activated carbon/charcoal filtration is great for removing odors/medication/toxins and discoloration from the water, however it only lasts about 2 weeks at most and needs to be replaced to maintain its effects. Its really isn't worth it unless you know you have meds or toxins in the water because discoloration and odors should be controlled with water changes.
 
My problem is solely discoloration ... no matter the water changes its never crystal clear ... I guess as long as the quality is fine I will just learn to live with it :) maybe even put a background on it
 
If it is a discoloration issue that seems to not go away you need to try to figure out what may be causing it. Is there anything in the tank that could be leaching colors or contaminants? Is your axolotls dropping staying in too long before being removed? Are nitrates at an elevated level? Is there too much light? Basically discoloration could be harmless or a sign that something needs to be changed. Try to find the source.
 
It could be her droppings as I do not always find them. But water chemistry was fine last time I checked, I will be getting a new kit asap ...

The water is slightly yellowish but free from debris etc ... pretty sure terra cotta pots can not leech color lol.

Its nearish I window but we never open the curtains.

I am very careful about what goes in her tank ... I no longer even use live plants as I am horrible about killing them which causing water quality to decrease quickly

In case you are wondering ...Natsu eats well, poops fine, has nice fluffy gills ... no sign at all of distress in her.

If I had driftwood in my tank I would not even be worried about the tank color ... its not THAT dark of course.
 
Charcoal filtration is also excellent for Algae,
Is it just your water that is yellowish? or can you also see like grimy stuff on the glass?
 
Its just the water the glass is fine. No signs of algae in any of my tanks. None of them have lights or get direct sunlight though.

Also I don't know if I mentioned it, natsus water has no foul odor like you would expect from a dirty tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top