60G Tank, Fluval 306 - Is that good enough?

[Sykadelic 21]

Title says it all really. Is a Fluval 306 going to be good enough for a 60G tank? It'll have 3 or 4 fish. If it makes a difference it'll be a ryukin, red cap oranda, a comet and possibly a black moor.

It's on sale right now and I could get it shipped for free for $115.

Thanks in advance!

[Sykadelic 21]

Ugh. My husband doesn't understand why I need to spend "hundreds of dollars" on this stuff when "they're just fish"... his family used to have several fish in a smaller tank and they survived for years without filtration or water changes, just an air stone so of course all "this stuff" isn't necessary.

I've tried to explain it to him. He knows they're important to me, but he just doesn't get it... and I can't liken it to something he likes that costs a lot of money (and I don't care about or understand) because he'll stop doing it to prove a point and I'll just feel guilty.

I'll get a filter anyway. He just doesn't care for me to explain it or rationalise the 306 over 406 which sucks when there's no-one else to discuss this stuff with!

[Pearlscaleperfect 3,561]

I run two 306s (well actually a 306 and a 206) on my 55. I would say running just one on a 60 would be underfiltering quite a bit.

[dnalex 13,633]

I run two 306s (well actually a 306 and a 206) on my 55. I would say running just one on a 60 would be underfiltering quite a bit.

I agree. Perhaps if your budget is clearly delineated, you could get an HOB to go with the canister? An AC70 is a good choice.

[Sykadelic 21]

Even though the 306 is for "up to 70Gs"?

I have a HOB but it's from my 20g so only an Aqueon quiet flow 20

Still not enough?

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What about of I got a 406? I could wait a bit still. August is my deadline.

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[Pearlscaleperfect 3,561]

you want to do 10x the volume of the tank. So for a 60 you want a filter that does 600gph or two filters at 300gph. A 306 does 300gph, so you would need two to provide adequate filtration. The advertised "up to x gallons" is typically for lighter stocking with tropicals and such, not the heavy waste outputs of goldfish.

[Sykadelic 21]

Thank you.

Okay. Looks like it will all have to wait a while.

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[Daniel 5,668]

You could buy one 306 now whilst it is on sale and get something in addition later on down the road.

Just noticed Alex's post said the same thing.

Edited April 14, 2014 by dan in aus

[Sykadelic 21]

So, just so I have this right.

The 10x filtration is because the water needs to be processed faster through the good bacteria in the filters to remove the bad stuff.

It's not just about sucking up all the poop but about the bad stuff not staying in the water long.

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[Sykadelic 21]

And yeah. I'm thinking get the one for now and start it running on my current tank so I have some decent good bacteria in there.

I know it's possible to seed a new filter but this might make my life easier later for the transition.

Thanks for all the advice!

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[Daniel 5,668]

I'm sure someone could put this much more eloquently and with greater technical detail, but basically it is because goldfish are messy. It's about biological and mechanical filtration. The more filtration you have, the more water you have passing through media and over beneficial bacteria. The more water you have passing through your filter(s), the more frequent debris removed, water polished and bacteria fed.

[dnalex 13,633]

Even though the 306 is for "up to 70Gs"?

I have no idea what fish the manufacturers are thinking we would have in the tanks, but they are calculating this for very light bio-loads, I believe.

If you think about it, filters really need to be designed with bioload capacity in mind, and no so much volume, since a 70 gallon containing one full grown pleco, or an oscar, or 2-3 goldfish, will have very different loads from a tank with tetras and guppies, etc.

For goldfish, it is my experience that whatever the filter is rated for, divide it in half, and you are getting the more accurate assessment.

I have a 100 gallon that has the following filters: a Fluval 306 canister, an AquaClear 110, and two AC70s. That much filtration is rated for a combined 320 gallons. Even with that much, I HAVE to clean the media every two weeks, or crud will build up.

[SweetMamaKaty 2,788]

I don't have any filtration advice, but just wanted to say great job trying so hard to do the right thing for your pets, even faced with opposition!

You wouldn't even have to point out his exact expenditures necessarily, you could just approach it like, hey this is my hobby and I want to go all-in, it's fun and I want to do a great job!

[pawsplus 253]

Title says it all really. Is a Fluval 306 going to be good enough for a 60G tank? It'll have 3 or 4 fish. If it makes a difference it'll be a ryukin, red cap oranda, a comet and possibly a black moor.

4 fish in a 60 is overstocked. 3 fish would be OK. You want to allow 20 gal per goldfish. That will keep your waste down enough for your filter to deal with it between large weekly water changes. It's always better to have 2 filters no matter what--in case one dies, you are not dealing with an emergency when the stores are all closed.

Edited April 14, 2014 by pawsplus