Bio/Mech Filtration Questions

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fish-boy13

Feeder Fish
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Jun 10, 2008
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Hey guys i would just like some things cleared up about these two types of filtration, bio/mech.

Now from my own knowledge mech filt. is for getting rid of the larger dirt that floats around your tank, hence cleaning your mech filt. bi-weekly. Now is there any pros/cons in having too much of this btw?

As for the bio filt. dont really know much about this other than it is use to house bacteria that is needed to establish a tank. Meaning good bacteria that your fish needs in order to survive. Also this is something that you do not clean, now i have heard of people not touching there bio filt for years, so when do you ever clean this? Also any pros/cons in having too much of this?

Also if someone can elaborate more on what i just said in what these filtration does in general that would be great.

Also my bio load for my 135 Gal tank consist of 436 pot scrubbies now its about 30-35 gal i think, as for my mech filt. probably 1"-2" thickness of some kind of fiber/floss, its white..and will be laid out to about a 20Lx26W container well thats how much area it will cover...So ya now that will be my filtration setup. Thought i would add this to see if it can filtrate my tank well if not over. I plan on stocking CA/SA fish about 4 decent size ones around 12" in ave. Maybe a really good cleaning crew to add as well that can act as dither fish, dont know yet which ones though. :( (Trickle filter system / wet/dry system is what im doing btw, this sump is about 60 gal in size)
 
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2004exrider

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Dec 24, 2007
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You can never have to much mechanical or bio filter. The more mechanical the more clear your tank is. Yes, you don't really want clean your bio material to much for the fact that you can disturb the bacteria, but if you do because its getting nasty looking only clean it with old tank water when doing a water change. Dont use tap water because the chlorine will kill it and your tank will go through a mini cycle.

Jimmy
 
Pharaoh

Pharaoh

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1. The only thing too much mechanical filtration will do is slow down water flow. If you are OK with the water flow, then the more the merrier.

2. Bio filtration is necessary to eliminate the ammonia and nitrites in you tank. Nitrates are eliminated by water changes. ( might be mixed up on the nitrate/nitrite) Anyhow, you can and should clean your bio filtration every now and then, you just want to make sure to clean it with tank water. i.e. water you have removed from the tank during water changes. Washing it straight fromthe faucet will kill the bacteria(Chlorine).

3. The sump that you are planning should be more than enough for your 135. Sounds like you have it covered. What type of pump are you using. With housing big, messy CA, I would look for a high turnover rate. As close to 10X as you can afford or your system can handle(Depends on pipe size, overflow size, etc).
 
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fish-boy13

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Thanks guys for the input, im thinking of using a mag 24/36 for the pump. So im sure turn over rate will be enough, im looking at 1700GPH if i buy the mag24 if the 36 i think close to 2700GPH.

Was thinking of making more mech, to decrease the amount of dirt within the tank by doubling the amount i mentioned above, would you guys recommend it or no?

Another questions guys i forgot to mention, its carbon. From what i know this is used to polish water chemicals, hence making your water super clear. Now would it be bad to put a lot of this in a setup? Also was wondering if there is anything that can chemically polish your water so that it is crystal clear?
 
Pharaoh

Pharaoh

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Unless you have a way of directing the dirt out of the tank (i.e undergravel jets) you are still going to have debris inside the tank. The mechanical filtration will still improve the situation. Go for it if you have the pump to do it.

Carbon is for removing chemical sucha s medications. You really don't need to use it unless you are specifically trying to remove something from the tanks.
 
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fish-boy13

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Hmm well i can easily get a pump to the job of a decent RUGF, but not sure whether it is enough for a mag 24 to do so along with a spray bar, or if i would need to get a mag 36 to run a spray bar along with the RUGF.

Also i thought carbon was also used as a water polishing, and it helps remove impurities within the water. Also can activated carbon be bought in bulk, cuz i had used some before and the bottle that i got from my LFS says to replace every 2-4weeks the thing isnt even much for $8, so im thinking this is expensive for something that needs to be replaced? Also how well does this really help in polishing your water? Any other replacement for a water polishing material?

People with experience in using RUGF, how much would you say in terms of flow GPH does a RUGF need to work efficiently without stirring my whole tank along with the play sand substrate ill be using. Also my tank will be 135 Gal long so 72Lx24Hx18W and my plan was possibly 4-5 rows of pvc running back and forth across my tank.
 
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cchhcc

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May 31, 2006
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fish-boy13;2078265; said:
Hmm well i can easily get a pump to the job of a decent RUGF, but not sure whether it is enough for a mag 24 to do so along with a spray bar, or if i would need to get a mag 36 to run a spray bar along with the RUGF.

Also i thought carbon was also used as a water polishing, and it helps remove impurities within the water. Also can activated carbon be bought in bulk, cuz i had used some before and the bottle that i got from my LFS says to replace every 2-4weeks the thing isnt even much for $8, so im thinking this is expensive for something that needs to be replaced? Also how well does this really help in polishing your water? Any other replacement for a water polishing material?

People with experience in using RUGF, how much would you say in terms of flow GPH does a RUGF need to work efficiently without stirring my whole tank along with the play sand substrate ill be using. Also my tank will be 135 Gal long so 72Lx24Hx18W and my plan was possibly 4-5 rows of pvc running back and forth across my tank.
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If you are changing enough water, carbon becomes totally unnecessary. Chemical filtration (like carbon, etc.) is really only worthwhile when removing specific things (medications) or when water changes are difficult (marine tanks). The best part of freshwater fishkeeping is the ease of water changes.

Regarding water flow, it is possible to configure your setup so that particulate waste is suspended for easy removal by your filter with any remaining bits collecting in one spot for easy removal during water changes. I just use wide flow powerheads in the tank to keep the flow up. I don't use undergravel jets at all anymore. It's just easier for me to siphon out leftovers from one corner of the tank.
 
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fish-boy13

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Well i have been seeing a lot of RUGF being made lately especially on larger freshwater tanks, so was wondering if someone can chime in and help me out a bit on it.
 
S

Steve_Henderson

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Jun 24, 2008
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Pharaoh;2073078; said:
2. Bio filtration is necessary to eliminate the ammonia and nitrites in you tank. Nitrates are eliminated by water changes. ( might be mixed up on the nitrate/nitrite) Anyhow, you can and should clean your bio filtration every now and then, you just want to make sure to clean it with tank water. i.e. water you have removed from the tank during water changes. Washing it straight fromthe faucet will kill the bacteria(Chlorine).
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I had a question about this. First, I think you did mix them up (according to my mom that's a pro at this ha), the nitrites are eliminated by water changes or by plants in the tank(again, according to her). But anyway, my question: I planned on making a large wet/dry filter or two to filter my tanks. My only concern that's arisen from mentioning it to my mom is the nitrites. I'm assuming that the w/d filter converts the nitrates to nitrites, and like said above, only plants or water changes remove them from the tank. So, people with w/d set ups; have you ever had any problems with high nitrite levels in your tank? Can you just counter this by having a planted tank? Or maybe include some plants somewhere in the sump to help minimize the nitrites?
 
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