# 75g with ac110 enough?



## joe13 (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi, I picked up this tank used in november. I have a ac110 & hydor powerhead 600gph on opposite end, and still can't achieve crystal clear water. This is my first large tank but all my other smaller tanks have been clear. I read a few other responses about pulling the charcoal and running 2 sponges for clear water, currently running that setup now. But with the led's on bright setting a ton off particles is what it seems like floating around, only looks semi nice with low/dark color setting. Any Ideas? Should I add a second filter? a second powerhead? I took a picture but doesn't show up in photo, actually seems half way decent but in person its noticeable.
Thanks


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Is it possible the particles you are seeing are the bubbles from the air stone/wand?

Has your tank been set up since November or is that when you got it?

My opinion is the AC110 isn't sufficient for the number and size of the fish you have in the tank. You can add a 2nd one or consider adding a canister filter. 
You could also try adding some polyester batting or filter floss to the AC110 to catch any fine particles.

The powerhead is simply for water movement.

What size food pellets are you feeding? If they are too large, it's possible the fish are chewing them and spitting out the smaller particles.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

I have a 75 gallon with an ac110 as well as a fluval 406 canister and a Powerhead. I feel that barely is enough and at times consider adding another hob. I would definitely add something else to help turn over that 75 gallons as much as possible. Typically about 8-10 times per hour is what you want to aim for


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## joe13 (Jan 22, 2014)

They are the pellet sticks and yes they do tend to chew a spit some out. Is there a better food alternative? and no airstone, thats just from filter.
I geuss ill start looking for more filtration.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The 110 should be easily sufficient. One of our club members who kept Tropheus, for fun and profit, kept colonies of up to 25 in a 75 with one AC500, which was the 110 minus the bio rings. If you want to polish the water, place a piece of quilt batting between the sponge and the ceramic media. When it gets dirty toss it. The reason I suggest the quilt batting rather than the bulk pillow stuffing is it comes in sheet form so you can cut nice pieces to fit the filter. As well, the 8 to 10 times turnover rate is an arbitrary number someone came up with and is now repeated as fact. Also keep in mind that everyone on fish forums knows more about filtration than the manufacturers of said filters.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

BillD said:


> the 8 to 10 times turnover rate is an arbitrary number someone came up with and is now repeated as fact. Also keep in mind that everyone on fish forums knows more about filtration than the manufacturers of said filters.


You kind of contradicted yourself there imo. You say the 8-10 per hour was made up by someone, (most people that follow that rule are on forums, not the manufacturers) and that that baseline is not true. But then say that people on forums know more than the manufacturers.

What it comes down to is the more filtration the better. Trust me when I say if all you had was a single 110 on a 75, you would have countless dead spots where leftover food and droppings would gather. That's not something I enjoy looking at. Get another filter, you won't regret it.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am pretty sure that the last sentence in BillD's response was a tongue-in-cheek comment so I didn't see it as a contradiction. :wink:

It is often cited that 7 - 10 x/hour is the recommended filter turnover rate for an aquarium but it is just a generalization but is often quoted as a 'fact' and I am also guilty of using that recommendation. What I think it really comes down to is having sufficient filtration for the stocking level of the tank.


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## dwl0222 (Mar 6, 2011)

Now that you say that and I re read it, you are right. I saw it wrong the first time, my apologies. While he was being sarcastic, I actually believe that too be true. I don't think that manufacturers REALLY know what's best. For instance, they still insist the use of carbon even though it's almost useless besides for removing medications. It would be much more beneficial to use extra bio media in place of carbon...Info found on forums like these are typically more likely to lead you in the right direction than info on the back of a box. Imo anyways...I also agree that the 8-10 times an hour is not a "must". More of a guideline or something to aim for kinda thing


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## lp85253 (Sep 27, 2011)

My suggestion would be to remove some gravel...you have a bunch,,,,I don't think your problem is titration related , my guess is with that much gravel &rock it gets trapped in the substrate


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

IMO a 110 is not enough for a 75G. I had a 90G with 2 110s and a 2217.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

I am glad to see that people are expressing their opinions here, and noting them as such. I have seen the Tropheus tanks I mentioned. They have worked nicely for many years, with only one AC500. Tropheus are are known to be sensitive to water quality ( it seems to be generally accepted). I also recall when Lee Finney (has a few articles in the library here) spoke at our club social, he showed his Satanaperca set up, a 180, with I believe 6 large adults, and I saw only 1 AC500/110 on it. There was a weekly 80% or so water change, but that wouldn't negate the filter not being sufficient. Another of our members, runs all of his 30+ tanks using air driven mattenfilters, including a 350 gallon tank. The target flow for a mattenfilter is 1 to 1.5 times per hour. So, clearly, there is more than one way to run a tank safely and efficiently, and you don't "have" to have a cannister on a tank of 75 gals or more, which I see stated often in forums. For manufacturers, it must be frustrating on the one hand to spend time and money on research,only to have aquarists believe the numbers don't work. The upside to this, for the manufacturers, is that hobbyists sell their products for them, by insisting you need 2 or 3 of the products since one is insufficient.
The reality is that if you have a sufficient filter and add a second, your numbers will stay the same as the filters will split the work. Ditto for adding a third or fourth. As well, anything sitting in the filter is still in the tank. Not being able to see it doesn't mean it is gone.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

With sufficient water changes the proper filtration is that which keeps your water parameters in balance.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

smitty814 said:


> With sufficient water changes the proper filtration is that which keeps your water parameters in balance.


In a nut shell. If the ammonia and nitrite are at 0 you have enough filtration. Water changes control the nitrates, and the rate of rise of nitrates determine how large and how often water changes need to be done.


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## mclaren880 (May 20, 2012)

If you're looking for crytal clear water, i'd go with an extra filter. An AC110 is probably just fine for keeping healthy fish, but if you're looking for really clear looking water under bright lights, I think another one would help. You could probably pick up an emperor for cheap on craigslist. I do like AC110s more, but you can pick up used emperors at a good price.

Those numbers from manufactures are very general and must depend on your stocking level. If you have a planted tank with a few little fish swimming around then you can probably get by with even less than that. But cichlids are big active fish who like to eat.

As with everything in this hobby, this is just my 2 cents. We all feel the way we do things is the best way. The fun is in learning and figuring out your own way. I do think a 2nd filter is always wise, however. I'd rather buy one off amazon than have to go pay 2x as much as petco when you're in a bind because you're broke down.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Emperors. Bleh. Can't stand those noisy inefficient monstrosities. 
2 AC110s minimum for a 75G tank, IMO. And honestly, I'd say 2 AC 110s and a small to medium canister is better.


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## mclaren880 (May 20, 2012)

pablo111 said:


> Emperors. Bleh. Can't stand those noisy inefficient monstrosities.
> 2 AC110s minimum for a 75G tank, IMO. And honestly, I'd say 2 AC 110s and a small to medium canister is better.


I hear ya! I was just trying to give some cheaper alternatives. I'm actually currently trying to get rid of my Emperors and replace them with aquaclear 110s. They're so much quieter, move more water, and easier to do routine maintenance.


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

I made one of these to polish the water column.


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## joe13 (Jan 22, 2014)

I bit the bullet and bought another ac110 looking better already. Now some along the posts says no carbon? So I should just run sponge and bio media?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The stock sponge should be fine, you can add a bag of bio-media if you want. Carbon does have it's place, it is often used to remove any medications and/or to improve the clarity of the water.


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