10X Filter

[Dr_Shakalu]

I was wondering, who decided that the fliter for goldfish has to be 10 times the gallon of tank.?

[Cynders]

It's a general rule to keep the water as clean as possible. They're not like tropicals since they produce so much waste. You want as much turnover as possible to get the water running through the media pads so that the beneficial bacteria can process the wastes in the water as much as possible. This way if you have x10 or more, your fish will be healthier due to the high turnover rate, and it's easier for you and your fish. (Only weekly water maintenence)

[koko]

I dont think it was one person, it was a collection of minds that help come up with a general rule for them and has been working for many years now

[blackteles]

That being said just stay with at least 10x filtration and you'll be in the safe zone. Disregarding the rule of thumb will lead to disaster. 'Nuff said!

[austinado16]

I'm only at 340 gallons per hour in my 70G with a Fluval 405 and a full width spray bar. The water is crystal clear and the Ammonia & Nitrites stay at zero, but it only takes about a week for the Nitrates to get up over 20ppm....but I also have 50lbs of gravel. I'm running 3lbs of bio max cylinders to try and compensate for my lack of gpm.

[Sakura]

Yes, with canister filters you can normally get away with decreased gallons per hour simply because the canister filters hold SO MUCH media.

But if you don't have canisters... definitely stick to the 10x rule!

[austinado16]

Yeah, I guess so. I was actually scheduled to do a w/c yesterday and didn't have time. Checked the params today and they were 0/0/10 (it's been 8 days since the last w/c). I'll do it tomorrow, but it was nice to see the numbers holding up. We (I mean they) celebrated with some garlic, and then I hung a couple of lemon slices into the tank......can you say "shark attack"?)