It’s not as simple as saying the bigger the filter the bigger the fish. Nor that powered filtration (in this case powereheads and pumps) is better than none powered (let’s say air driven sponges).
There will be a level of filtration required to keep the tank and its occupants healthy, by keeping the beneficial bacteria healthy first, and anything beyond that level is in reality excessive.
But it also stands to reason that anything beyond that level would be beneficial if the stocking was increased for example, or for certain events like overfeeding or power cuts (if the filtration was by other means than powered).
I know many LFS near me that run all their tanks on air powered filtration and all mine have sponge filters as either primary, secondary or in some cases primary and secondary filters.
Each type of filtration has its pros and cons, its likers and dislikers.
One thing to watch for however is complacency. Don’t put in a massive powered filter and assume that’s job done. They still need maintaining and water changes still need to happen, just maybe slightly less frequently than with an adequate filter, maybe!
There will be a level of filtration required to keep the tank and its occupants healthy, by keeping the beneficial bacteria healthy first, and anything beyond that level is in reality excessive.
But it also stands to reason that anything beyond that level would be beneficial if the stocking was increased for example, or for certain events like overfeeding or power cuts (if the filtration was by other means than powered).
I know many LFS near me that run all their tanks on air powered filtration and all mine have sponge filters as either primary, secondary or in some cases primary and secondary filters.
Each type of filtration has its pros and cons, its likers and dislikers.
One thing to watch for however is complacency. Don’t put in a massive powered filter and assume that’s job done. They still need maintaining and water changes still need to happen, just maybe slightly less frequently than with an adequate filter, maybe!
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