Fish tank-Grow bed ratio question

[Brooks Lindner]

I am sizing things a little backwards according to Sylvia's materials because I acquired a very nice fish tank first before getting anything else. My question is: With a 100 gallon fish tank, obviously you will not be filling it to the very top, so you won't actually be using 100 gallons of water, so how much do you need to account for this in the sizing of your grow bed?

[Jonathan Kadish NYC AA Chair]

Just as you won't be filling up your fish tank to the top nor will you be filling up your growbed to the top. The conventional wisdom of 1:1 applies so a 100 gallon growbed will give you adequate filtration for your 100 gallon fish tank.

[Brooks Lindner]

Wow. (I feel like saying "duh" to myself.) Such a simple answer. Thank you, I appreciate it.

Jonathan Kadish said:

Just as you won't be filling up your fish tank to the top nor will you be filling up your growbed to the top. The conventional wisdom of 1:1 applies so a 100 gallon growbed will give you adequate filtration for your 100 gallon fish tank.

[TCLynx]

Got it in 1

[RupertofOZ]

A 1:1 configuration is the most commonly accepted minimum... but other configurations can also work...

If... and this is the central point.... you stock your system to the level of filtration acheived through grow bed capacity...

 

A 1:1 system will provide adequate filtration... if it's stocked approapriately... but would fall over if it was not stocked accordingly...

 

Stock to the level of your filtration capacity... not your tank volume.... expanding your filtration capacity... allows you to stock more fish... and grow more plants...