Equipment Review and Discussion :: can 2 Filters, give Twice Action?

[Ace]

like i said in the subject, might be a very dumb question but still need to now for sure. recently i order an aquaclear 500 (for up to 110gal) for a 75gal tank, now i'm planning on building a 100gal tank, and according to the infos i've read that the filtration system has to be 3 time greater than your tank capacity. so the question is, could i buy another Aqua 500 and use both filters? will they actually be filtering 200 gal capacity? or do i need to get ONe filter that meet does needs (300gal)???

[Muirner]

You could run the both and probably be ok. The only thing is the water might get dirty quicker. But if that is the case just upgrade the filter.

And yes 2 filters will = the total rated capacity of both, say they are both good for 100gal then you will have 2 that will be good for 200gal

[Kallistos]

The 3 times greater than the tank capacity is for optimal conditions. 2x the capacity is fine, it'll keep the water clear for quite some time. It's just thet more powerful the filter, the less cleaning that needs to be done.

[steve]

I think 2 filters will provide better circulation than one but will obviously require more cleaning. My 2nd filter in my setup is an AquaClear 110 and its very easy to clean.

[Muirner]

steve do you set up your fliters on the same end, or on opposite ends? I'm just trying to think of a "current flow"

[marisa]

I would make the second filter a canister. Aquaclears are OK, especially for mechanical filtration, but they have nowhere near the biomedia capacity of a good canister. A good canister filter would be much better for a 100-gallon tank (use the Aquaclear as a supplementary filter in an area that gets less filtration).

[steve]

They are on opposite ends. The other filter is an XP3 canister. I have a flap on my AquaClear, so the water flows straight down and isn't as effective in circulating water. It does oxygenate the water pretty well and has some room for bio media.

[Jessica313]

i also use 2 filters. i use a waterfall-type filter on one end, and a fully submergable filter on the other end. in this case.. 2 is definantly better than 1. it works out quite nicely

[Ace]

thanks for the info!