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Old 19-12-2010, 05:13 PM   #70
Spakase
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My 6 x2.5x 2.5 with 4 feet sump tank. Current is running 2 eheim 1264. Is the flow rate too strong with my setup.]
Tank has 850 litres. Flow rate (total) is 9,000 litres per hour?

Turnover = 10.6 times

The disadvantage of having too high a flow rate is that the contact time with the media is lowered, secondly, poo gets dissolved into the tank water faster (I think that was Atom's argument). Nevertheless, the gains outweigh the negative aspects because you get faster return of the tank water into the sump. This kind of flow rate would be good for super high bioload and high feeding schedules as ammonia spikes peak at feeding. But you do need to ensure that the sump has good filter media that allows a lot more nitrifying bacteria to build up.
If you keep few fishes and feed them sparingly, 10 time TO is way too high! It's just a matter of electricity cost, is it necessary to spend with no additional benefit. If you are okay with the cost, then it's not really an issue!