Filtration

[MHDevelopments]

This is a very interesting subject.

I am a hands on Fishkeeper, with little spare time but I always squeeze in my daily water change of 10% or a bit more - I think it should be more like 20% but current plumbing on system won't allow, I won't bore with the details.
Seeing Ray faeces is enough to get me worrying about water quality (I'd do daily wc even if I didn't see waste of course) so I siphon them out religiously. Water is replenished via HMA.

I have my system set up for a drip, over flow in place etc. But just haven't got it going yet. I know that with the drip running I would still do daily faeces removal water changes, perhaps not 10% but nonetheless I'd still be performing a physical wc alongside the drip. Best of both worlds, I don't know.

In defence of the drip system, indirectly speaking, Jim Barry produces fantastic pups so his system must be clean and healthy.

How do people running just a drip get on with removing the crap the rays produce? I have plenty of flow in my tank but it doesn't force the crap up and into my sump return. I actually prefer knowing I've removed the solids using a siphon rather then have it enter the filter and rapidly clog the media one way or another.

 

[CANAMONSTER]

I think in order to have a drip work as efficient as a Manual you would have to drip and drain huge percent.

So if you did 2 - 50 percent WC a week the drip equivalent would be ( just pulling numbers out of my ass) say 300 to 400 percent of drip dilution per week. I know there is an exact formula to compare this is just an example.

Would like to hear Jim chime in

 

[DIDYSIS]

Manual water changes are a serious no go over here, but I have multiple tanks and a ton of water and ill just keep adding more as time goes on so it would get worse and worse, plus my stock would make it horrible, it soon becomes a non labor of love and a hated many hours of everyday of your life. A drip system is as hand on as anything else, the time planning and effort to make a good system that works and does the job well is super hands on and you need to be smart about doing it. No matter what everyone should be looking at their tank everyday multiple times a day for problems or concerns to address down the road. Drip system 100 percent here, if I ever did anything else I would think about pumping water in and out of the tank on timers or through my apex, keep everything as simple as possible and also makes it so when you go on vacation you don't have to worry about it at all just let it keep doing what its doing.

Just because some people are not doing drips does not make it wrong or same with manual water changes.

FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT - Know yourself.
What you like to do and don't and understand the requirements needed to do that.
SECOND- Understand what the needs are for your system !!
Sometimes that will force a change and make you go a different way than you originally planned or would prefer but some restraint makes it so you can't.


As I said for myself I can't keep up with manual water changes. I dislike doing them, they take up a huge amount of time and effort, and my system would suffer badly.
Also fyi- I drip with no pre filter on my water, strait from the water pipes into my tank, no nothing, others do it as well with both chemical water types. To each his own and what he feels he needs to do, Rule one- know yourself and what you like or want or makes you feel happy about the situation.

 

[jim barry]

Thanks for the kind words MHDevelopments. To be honest i do absoultely nothing about ray poo, I just leave it be and it disolves, although some is also eaten by the tin foils. It's the drip that keeps my tank in check, nothing else. I am lazy regards maintanence and have my once per year sump clean out due in July (not looking forward to that!)

 

[MHDevelopments]

Thanks for the kind words MHDevelopments. To be honest i do absoultely nothing about ray poo, I just leave it be and it disolves, although some is also eaten by the tin foils. It's the drip that keeps my tank in check, nothing else. I am lazy regards maintanence and have my once per year sump clean out due in July (not looking forward to that!)

Credit where credit is due sir.

Can't get over how laid back you are over the crap in the tank and maintenance in general, clearly, judging by your breeding success, less is sometimes more

I'm keen to have my drip running, so that when we shoot off for a weekend away or similar, I don't have to worry quite so much on the water quality, safe, I hope, in the knowledge that even tho I'm not doing a manual wc at least water is still being changed

 

[john C]

I like what DIDYSIS said know your self.... I think both is fine what works for one may not work for others that's what makes the hobby great. I use to drip then I dripped and did w/c and know I do manual w/c. If I end up with another tank witch I plan on doing ,probably go back to drip. It takes a really long time to fill all my tanks lol