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Viewed: 276 -- Replies: 6 | ||||||||
PM | All Topics | General | Cichlids | Marine | Coldwater | Tanks/Equipment | Diseases | Members | |||||||||
| Posted | external canister filter |
| 29-07-2007 12:13 by smiggy |
i have live rock in my tank and i have a external canister filter ive been reading some replys on here and noticed a few of you suggest removing bio balls out to reduce nitrate levels, i also have ceramics in mine should they be removed aswell, if so what do i replace them with. |
| 29-07-2007 18:33 by darren |
If you have a decent skimmer on your system there is no need for an external filter,infact they are detrimental to the tank as they actually create nitrates,especially with bio-balls in them,
HTH |
| 29-07-2007 18:37 by alan78 |
nitrates are caused by the breakdown of nitrite so i am unsure how ANY filer "creates" nitrate apart from when its "doing its job" if there was no nitrite to deal with there wouldnt be NitrAte. |
| 29-07-2007 18:37 by alan78 |
Edit: sorry wouldnt be EXTRA nitrAte, obviously nitrAte is present anyway in tapwater if your using tap water |
| 29-07-2007 23:18 by robert.pope |
im not into marines however i would think the bio-balls trap particals and this build up would start to rot thus releasing Nitrate?
the live rock within the tank providing its got a strong water flow over it would be kept clear of the clogging |
| 29-07-2007 23:28 by alan78 |
yes i think that seems valid, just had a look about on the net and found this
8. Bio-Balls are nitrate factories. MYTH: Bio-Balls or wet/dry filters create nitrates in a saltwater aquarium. FACT: Bio-Balls and wet/dry filter material can trap detritus and other tank debris which break down and eventually create nitrates. If the Bio-Balls are cleaned regulary, they don't create any more nitrates than a substrate with the same materials in it. There is also quite a bit of talk about these bio balls trapping stuff and it them rotting, but like most externals, wouldn't you have a maintenance regime to counter this? Altho, i know nothing of marine, but its interesting, especially if you relying on 0.0 - 10.0 nitrate readings or something i.e. VERY low |
| 30-07-2007 09:58 by Alan |
The ideal is to remove organics before they breakdown by use of skimming and natural methods such as the use of live rock or deep sand beds or algae scrubbers (miracle mud filters).
By using artificial filtration instead of natural methods you prevent the natrural methods from doing the whole job. Artificial filters are designed to break down waste whilst natural filters use the waste before it breaks down that is why people advise not to use canisters or trickle filters on modern reef tanks as generally they will cause the rapid build up of nitrates by breaking down waste to ammonia and nitrite and then nitrate. Live rock and efficient skimming should remove all waste before it even starts to break down so nitrates are never the end product or at least are minimal. |
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