reduces nitrates by up to 50% and just generally a cleaner and healthier environment for fish.
How often do you guys wash filters?
- Thread starter weichen14
- Start date
how does it reduce nitrates? protein in ammonia out yes? how does this reduce nitrate, whats the science behind it i guess I am asking. pro-biotics can be great for breaking down solids and reducing sludge in your filter but show no effect as far as helping with the nitrate cycle far as I know.
The thing that I don't get on any fish keeping forum is that everyone says rinse in tank water. I'm guessing that's due to chlorines and chloramines that will kill off the BB. What if you have neither? Because my home is on a filtration system that keeps my hardness under 200ppm and removes them both.
My filter cleaning practices are relatively easy. I have let my FX go for almost year, I also started to notice my impeller making a little noise and I regret doing that. Could be shear age too because it's 10 years old. Depending on my stock practices are 1-3 months at most. So when it's time to clean my media, I take it out in my driveway, flush my hose first, and then spray down all my media. Only one time have I caused a spike and that's because I had an emergency to take care of. I quickly filled the filter up, set the lid on it and left for about 2 hours. Returned, cleaned and put it back on. I showed a spike that I had <5 ppm ammonia, <10 nitrite, and ~30 nitrate. Did some religious and huge WC's for the next 3 weeks until everything went back to normal. My tank typically doesn't even register on nitrates it's so low. I feed 1-2 times a day 2 pinches of flakes and 1-2 large pinches of cichlid peewee for my fish. Stock is in signature.
Edit: the signature that did not show up lol
" To reach manhood, we are all cast into the fire and purified by pain "
125g - 15 Denison barbs, 3 brilliant rasboras, 4 scissor tail rasboras, 5 red eye tetra's, 4 SAE's, L128 blue phantom pleco, 1 common pleco
34g - Driftwood and gravel
My filter cleaning practices are relatively easy. I have let my FX go for almost year, I also started to notice my impeller making a little noise and I regret doing that. Could be shear age too because it's 10 years old. Depending on my stock practices are 1-3 months at most. So when it's time to clean my media, I take it out in my driveway, flush my hose first, and then spray down all my media. Only one time have I caused a spike and that's because I had an emergency to take care of. I quickly filled the filter up, set the lid on it and left for about 2 hours. Returned, cleaned and put it back on. I showed a spike that I had <5 ppm ammonia, <10 nitrite, and ~30 nitrate. Did some religious and huge WC's for the next 3 weeks until everything went back to normal. My tank typically doesn't even register on nitrates it's so low. I feed 1-2 times a day 2 pinches of flakes and 1-2 large pinches of cichlid peewee for my fish. Stock is in signature.
Edit: the signature that did not show up lol
" To reach manhood, we are all cast into the fire and purified by pain "
125g - 15 Denison barbs, 3 brilliant rasboras, 4 scissor tail rasboras, 5 red eye tetra's, 4 SAE's, L128 blue phantom pleco, 1 common pleco
34g - Driftwood and gravel
Before I bow out of this thread I have one last comment. Nobody has presented an idea that one of us can say is wrong. We all do what we have found works for us over the decades.
If you enjoy looking at the inside of your cannister filters, that's cool. Personally I have found that unnecessary for most of the year.
Sent from my SCH-S960L using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
If you enjoy looking at the inside of your cannister filters, that's cool. Personally I have found that unnecessary for most of the year.
Sent from my SCH-S960L using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
It would be best if you read the thread dedicated to this subject. to post all the info & delve into discussion would takeover this one. but there are bacterial benefits which impact tank health (and therefore fish) which are greater than just being "clean".
Search for bacteria and "competitive exclusion".
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?536736-The-Use-of-Probiotics-in-Aquaculture-(Read!)
see my reply above. but I believe enzymatic action makes a difference.
LOL. yes, I kind of get off on looking. haha.
I have polishing floss right on top of mine & am compulsive about changing that often ;-) I love knowing that @the final stage my water is going through fresh white stuff. I can't put HOBs on my tanks (just for polishing) in their current locations.
Also, I often have a mix of mature and juvies, and therefore feed more. don't have the number of tanks lots of members have.
I am relatively new to canisters as well, & it is important knowing how my various methods are playing out to actually have a healthy environment, not hiding filth.
It's important to factor in peoples' different place in the learning curve, as well as differing in-tank waste etc.
