Flurval sp6

[Shawn]

Dear All,

need some advise on my return pump.
I am currently having 5ft by 2ft by 2.5ft tank running with a 3ft sump.
high bioload that why considering a higher flow to filter the water faster.

Is it advisable to use Flurval SP6 or Ehiem 1264 will do?
All comment and solution is much appreciated.

thanks.

[shermie]

what kind of issues are u facing currently? detectable ammonia/nitrites, or cloudy water etc? u need to determine if u need more mech or bio filtration, or both.

improving turnover rate is one thing, but it also depends on your media type and capacity. 3ft sump is a bit small for a high bioload 5ft. and the cheaper / lousier media will have comparatively less total surface area than more porous media. 5x2.5x2 tank is roughly 700 litres. eheim 1264 is 4500l/h. tats around 6 x turnover rate per hour which is enough for most tanks so if u're having water issues u might want to consider upgrading media as well.

sp6 has around 12000/h, but in order to utilise that flowrate u need sufficient media capacity to begin with.

personally i'll go for high flowrate, especially if there's rays in the tank.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by shermie

what kind of issues are u facing currently? detectable ammonia/nitrites, or cloudy water etc? u need to determine if u need more mech or bio filtration, or both.

improving turnover rate is one thing, but it also depends on your media type and capacity. 3ft sump is a bit small for a high bioload 5ft. and the cheaper / lousier media will have comparatively less total surface area than more porous media. 5x2.5x2 tank is roughly 700 litres. eheim 1264 is 4500l/h. tats around 6 x turnover rate per hour which is enough for most tanks so if u're having water issues u might want to consider upgrading media as well.

sp6 has around 12000/h, but in order to utilise that flowrate u need sufficient media capacity to begin with.

personally i'll go for high flowrate, especially if there's rays in the tank.

Thanks bro for your valuable input. I do not have any water problem issue on my current set up with 1264 pump, just thinking if higher flow will have a better filtration without causing stress to the fishes.

I do agree with 3ft sump abit small to support my 5ft tank, that why I pack my sump with only Biohomme plus and Marine Pure media.
Currently ammonia and nitrite level are both at zero (or undetectable level with API test kit).

So I am considering a higher flow rate of SP6 to Ehiem 1264. I had never use such high flow rate before I not sure if it is suitable for a 5ft tank.
Will the flow cause strong movement water that will stress the livestock in tank?
I have 1 Aro, 2 Rays and 6 ITs.

[shermie]

if ammonia n nitrites are 0 at all times including right after heavy feeding i dont see a need to change anything. unless u want better mech filtration.

flow wise shouldnt be an issue. it's not like a wavemaker blowing directly into the fish.

if anything your fish will prefer the higher flow. rays especially.

[Shawn]

Thanks for your input will considered a higher flow rate for my tank to have a better flow rate (hopefully better quality water and happier fish)
Cheers...
Have a good day ahead

[Ralliart_Ray]

Since you have Ehiem 1264 already, i will stick with it.

and sp6 has around 12000/h, your existing piping diameter, drill hole etc have to be able to coup with this turn, else also bottleneck.

[Squid]

ive read slower flow rate better for Biological filter ,
faster flow rate is better for mechanical .

[shermie]

Originally Posted by Ralliart_Ray

Since you have Ehiem 1264 already, i will stick with it.

and sp6 has around 12000/h, your existing piping diameter, drill hole etc have to be able to coup with this turn, else also bottleneck.

as long as ur overflow piping leading to sump is 25mm there wont be any issues with running a sp6. although i did try running 2 x sp6 and one 25mm hole definately couldnt cope. max i could utilise for ONE overflow pipe/hole 25mm was a fluval sp6 + eheim compact 5k = ~17000l/hr.

Originally Posted by Squid

ive read slower flow rate better for Biological filter ,
faster flow rate is better for mechanical .

it's all relative. total surface area, total contact time, flow rate, bioload etc all goes hand in hand. even if u have a ton of good media, but with high bioload and low turnover, u wont have enough water passing through your media to have it work at full efficiency. on the other hand if there's already 0 ammonia and nitrites, increasing flow wouldnt do anything in the biological filtration department, but will still help for mechanical.