i have a RENA XP3 canister filter and a AC802 power head in my 100 gallon tank. is this enough flow/current?. is it fine that the surface water is very still? just wondering because it seems to be collecting a lot of dust particulates and a sort of oily film. thanks
FLOW
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Wheter it's enough current depends on the fish you have in your tank - you forgot to mention which ones you have...kyle_5rb said:
As far as filtration goes: it's probably more than enough (given the fact the filter is rated for tanks almost twice the size of yours), but again, the bioload it needs to deal with depends on what fish you have, how many, and what size.
G
Guest
·Yeah deffoFilo said:
The waters surface wants to be moving to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. When the surface is still the molecules form a bond a bit like a solid. This stops the co2 escaping and oxygen entering. Unless you are well planted with plants that are alive and well.
G
Guest
·Only to agitate the surface yes. As you can see, the bubbles are the air rising popping and leaving the tank. So the bubble stone doesn't oxygenate the water as such. Although it will increase the amount of oxygen between the waters surface and your condensation tray if you have one. Making it a little beneficial. But they are not necessary as long as the surface is moving. They can look pretty though :laugh:
Oxygen gets in the water at the surface, where CO2 in the water is replaced by oxygen (surface gas exchange).kyle_5rb said:
The reason agitated water enhances gas exchange is because it - as stated before - breaks up the fine layer of molecules, and it enlarges the surface area, making more gas exchange possible.
If your fish are healthy, and act normal (no excessive air gulping at the surface), it's safe to say that you have enough oxygenation.
Personally I prefer positioning a filter outlet at surface height, so it moves the top water layer.
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10,561 Posts
Honestly, I don't think an XP3 is quite adequate for a 100 gallon tank, not by a good margin either. What a company says their filter is rated for rarely correlates with how well it will work in reality. Case in point is the penguin 170 on my 20 gallon, it's rated for a 50 gallon tank but truth be told it's only adequate on the tank it is on, I wouldn't dream about putting it on a 50.
The fact that you've got five piranhas in that tank means you've got a pretty heavy bioload as well, not that you're overstocked, but it's five big fish, producing a big amount of waste who eat a big amount of food. While the rule of thumb that you need ten times turnover is... well crazy you really should aim at 4-5 times turnover bare minimum to have a healthy tank. Not to imply that 4-5 times turnover is just enough to get by on, but that's the point where any less is inadequate filtration in my opinion.
There's no need to spend a ton of money here though, just scrape together 20-30 dollars for an AC300 and you should be good to go. The extra surface agitation will also really help as it sounds like you need it.
The fact that you've got five piranhas in that tank means you've got a pretty heavy bioload as well, not that you're overstocked, but it's five big fish, producing a big amount of waste who eat a big amount of food. While the rule of thumb that you need ten times turnover is... well crazy you really should aim at 4-5 times turnover bare minimum to have a healthy tank. Not to imply that 4-5 times turnover is just enough to get by on, but that's the point where any less is inadequate filtration in my opinion.
There's no need to spend a ton of money here though, just scrape together 20-30 dollars for an AC300 and you should be good to go. The extra surface agitation will also really help as it sounds like you need it.
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