Mscott19833 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Is a 1000L/P external filter sufficient enough for a 240lt cichlid tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckmeister Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 If you fill your canister up properly then you shouldn't have any problems. Be careful not to stock/overstock your tank too quickly or you'll come across cycling issues/ stress etc. You can never over filter an aquarium so if you think you are going to run into problems then maybe put another filter on or upgrade to a larger capacity one. There are a few more things to look at when talking about flow rate. While you do need a reasonable flow rate (2-3+ times), filter media is equally important if not more so. But on top of that is also filter volume (how much does it hold) and also things like head height (the distance from the canister to the top of the tank. The higher you go the more resistance is encountered reducing flow. Sometimes cheaper filters have not so good head height. They may claim 1000lph out of the pump directly but once you put it in the tank may reduce that flow rate considerably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mscott19833 Posted February 7, 2016 Author Share Posted February 7, 2016 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question chuckmeister. I'm new to the world of cichlids and external filters so any tips and information is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPete86 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 If you're going to run 2 filters I like using 1 as a bacteria house with a slowish flow rate for more contact time of water with bacteria to consume ammonia & nitrite. Fill with ceramic like marine pure, ceramic rings etc. bacteria housing. The other as a mechanical filter with a higher flow rate to stir up poo & particles. Fill with 2-3 grades of sponge, coarse to fine as the flow goes, then easy to clean sponges without worry of killing your main bacteria colony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simy696 Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 agree with pete second filters the go can also alternate when you doo your cleaning that way too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link2Hell Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 as Pete said slower flow is better for bio have a look at Eheim that is how they are designed as Chuck said there is flow rate and there is head height and you can loose a lot with head height on some of the cheaper filters the other thing is the fish you keep large fish especially Central Americans and Pleco create more bioload than small fish and most African species Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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