# Does more filtration necassarily mean less algae?



## Raymond S. (Dec 29, 2012)

Water volume turn over is related to the size/speed of a pump, not the volume of
a sump. Faster current/flow does seem to hinder algae developement. Fast flowing
streems seldom have any algae. And those aquascape tanks/w high lights in such
short tanks shows that rather well.
But you can only increase it so much before the fish, shrimp and if fast enough even the plants won't be able to tolorate it.
Reading some of the threads on the algae section and looking at those which talk/ask about having algae in one of those aquascape type tanks will also let you know that it
gets to be a rather delicate balancing act as well since they can't just crank up the current as much as they would like to.
Limiting the amount of light is a far better deterent to algae than current and much easier to control.


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## jhays79 (Mar 28, 2012)

I get what yiur saying, but does filter media surface area play into at all? Like a sump holds way more media and contact area than the a standard HOB


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

The correlation is indirect.

Biomedia is colonized by N-bacteria, which help break down ammonia before it can fuel algae blooms. In a planted tank, the plants themselves provide the bulk of the biofiltration in a tank, between the leaves and stems also providing a surface for N-bacteria to colonize and their own absorption of ammonia to provide the nitrogen they need for photosynthesis.

One of the reasons I advocate good flow in a tank is to help prevent dead spots. The plants also break up water circulation through a tank, which can lead to even more dead spots than in most non-planted aquariums. Dead spots accumulate debris, and decaying debris building also tends to lead to algae issues.

I usually encourage people to incorporate as much mechanical filtration in their tanks as possible, as in a heavily planted tank the plants themselves can carry the bulk of the biological and chemical filtration. Plants produce TONS of debris though- and lots of mechanical filtration can help reduce the amount of manual cleaning (pruning, siphoning, etc) that it takes us to remove all that debris before it becomes algae food. Just have to clean the filters.


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## jhays79 (Mar 28, 2012)

i hear ya, thanks for the great insight. I'm going to add a couple more smaller powerheads to my 55g to increase the flow a bit more. With it's length, i'm sure there are some dead spots which could use some current.


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## manlyfan76 (Jun 20, 2013)

a rolling stone gathers no moss


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## Charlest (May 24, 2011)

Raymond S. said:


> Water volume turn over is related to the size/speed of a pump, not the volume of
> a sump. Faster current/flow does seem to hinder algae developement. Fast flowing
> streems seldom have any algae. And those aquascape tanks/w high lights in such
> short tanks shows that rather well.
> ...


This is correct and incorrect about the flow you can pump as much out flow as you would like without hindering plants fish or substrate. The bigger your out put is the slower the flow. I once had a 55 with a sump pushing 750 gph but my out take thingamabob was about 7 inches in diameter. That being said I never had a spot of algea once in that tank. My conclusion is organics in the water had no place to hide and a sump takes care of that 90% more effectively than any canister Or hob will ever push. But you end up with another problem the biomedia is so effective the tank can become nutrient deficient quickly if your not monitoring your dosing. Deficiencys also result in algea.

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