Removing bio-media from filter?
- Thread starter pelena
- Start date
trainfever
Active Member
bio media-out, mechanical media-in
mudplayerx
Active Member
You can turn your biomedia into mechanical filtration simply by rinsing it out completely every day.
T
tuningvis
Guest
i removed my sponge (nitrate factory) and only use carbon once a month over night
this is in my 10 though so it might be diff. depending on your other types of filtration you have and the amount of LR
this is in my 10 though so it might be diff. depending on your other types of filtration you have and the amount of LR
lizzard
Member
You do not need to remove your filter media, sponges or any thing else your using. You need to clean them from time to time. Rinse out your sponge in the water that you remove when you do water changes then place it back into your filter. It should be replaced with a new one about once a month. Your carbon needs replacing about every 2 weeks. There is no reason you should stop using them, just maintain them.
trainfever
Active Member
Pelena, just so you don't misunderstand me. I am not talking about the sponges or the fliter cartridges. Even though they are somewhat bio-media, they are still considered mechancial filters. Those I would keep and clean just as suggested. What I am referring to is, some people put addition bio-media into their filters, things such as bio-balls and ceramic rings. Those are the things I would remove. They do no mechanical filtering, only biological. That is why I would remove them. Hope I explained myself better.
ophiura
Active Member
This is my take on it:
Filter pads - don't even need to be run all the time. Primarily mechanical and chemical filtration, many people use it only temporarily and choose not to run carbon 24/7. Hang on filters are commonly used for circulation only. You can rinse a filter, IMO, with regular water...it contributes very little to biological filtration but can trap detritus. So I would rinse it frequently even in tap water...rinsing is more important, IMO, than keeping an biological capacity in the filter pad.
Biowheels/sponge - toss up. IMO, in a tank with LR and LS it is not your primary biological filter. It doesn't hurt usually. Enough with the nitrate factory!!!!! If it is gunked up, rinse with tank water...and address your feeding. In many cases, it can be removed entirely.
Filter pads - don't even need to be run all the time. Primarily mechanical and chemical filtration, many people use it only temporarily and choose not to run carbon 24/7. Hang on filters are commonly used for circulation only. You can rinse a filter, IMO, with regular water...it contributes very little to biological filtration but can trap detritus. So I would rinse it frequently even in tap water...rinsing is more important, IMO, than keeping an biological capacity in the filter pad.
Biowheels/sponge - toss up. IMO, in a tank with LR and LS it is not your primary biological filter. It doesn't hurt usually. Enough with the nitrate factory!!!!! If it is gunked up, rinse with tank water...and address your feeding. In many cases, it can be removed entirely.
mudplayerx
Active Member
Personally, I do not have any sponges or filter cartridges, etc. I most definately do not have a wet/dry filter.
I use live rock, protein skimming and two 330gph hob filters with filled with live sand (in a nylon stocking).
The only mechanical filtration I use is the sponge over the intake for the protein skimmer, and I have no choice on that.
Mechanical filtration quickly becomes biological filtration if not cleaned at least daily.
Utilizing the high water flow (25x), the protein skimmer, and an abundance of live rock, my water parameters are always immaculate (listed below). You can see that the Berlin Reef system works quite well.
Temp: 80-84 (never fluctuates more than 2 in a day)
PH: 8.0
Specific Gravity: 1.024
Ammonia: 0.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 0.0
Phosphate: 0.0
Calcium: 640 (Its high I know, I've stopped the kalkwasser for now)
ps- bioballs are the
(my opinion)
I use live rock, protein skimming and two 330gph hob filters with filled with live sand (in a nylon stocking).
The only mechanical filtration I use is the sponge over the intake for the protein skimmer, and I have no choice on that.
Mechanical filtration quickly becomes biological filtration if not cleaned at least daily.
Utilizing the high water flow (25x), the protein skimmer, and an abundance of live rock, my water parameters are always immaculate (listed below). You can see that the Berlin Reef system works quite well.
Temp: 80-84 (never fluctuates more than 2 in a day)
PH: 8.0
Specific Gravity: 1.024
Ammonia: 0.0
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 0.0
Phosphate: 0.0
Calcium: 640 (Its high I know, I've stopped the kalkwasser for now)
ps- bioballs are the