Actual cost of simple sump for 20gal?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
extra oxygen they provide? You mean just from spilling water into the tank? Wouldn't your filter do that with or without the biowheel? The biowheels are designed for maximum biological filtration...are you just using them in your specific application in another way? I just can't see how rinsing them helps anything at all....I suppose if you have clear water and good parameters then you aren't hurting anything, but I can't see any benefit to rinsing them (or to bleaching your micron cartridge, for that matter) but I can see some detrimental effects that it might have.

JMO.
 
The instability of these processes boggles the mind
You could just add chlorine to the tank to keep it clean
That's wat they do with swimming pools amirite
 
Bleaching the micron filter from filters like the HOT Magnum and other Marineland canisters is the only way to really clean them after they've been used and start to get clogged.

Rinsing a bio-wheel will destroy it...well, it will destroy any BB that was established on it which is it's only purpose.

I'm relatively new to returning to fish keepers and I know that much.
 
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seems to me this setup would greatly benefit from one or 2 large sponge filters in the bottom. need some bio in there...
 
Rinsing a bio-wheel will destroy it...well, it will destroy any BB that was established on it which is it's only purpose.

Yes, would probably kill off the bulk of the incidental BB on my wheels, but I use them primarily for the amount of oxygen they put in the water. If anyone cannot see how the wheel turning boosts the gas exchange, well I can`t help that.
I don`t want, nor need a bunch of external BB colonies. I want to be able to swap my filters around without worrying over any biological consequences.
The in tank BB colonies are quite sufficient to handle my biologic waste.
I know this is contrary to what many preach as bio media gospel.
Sorry, not true.
You can have a very successful, healthy tank without a bit of external bio media.

The instability of these processes boggles the mind

Guess you never had a Magnum style filter, but don`t let that get in the way of throwing out a post on something you know nothing about.
 
I see what you're doing with your setup, I still just don't understand the point of rinsing the biowheels.

I get that you don't care about/need the BB on the wheels, but I also don't see how rinsing them constantly will greatly help the rate of aeration you're getting from them. That part just doesn't make sense. Even if you don't NEED the BB on the wheels, why not let it grow? I just don't see how rinsing the wheels is helping you.

I'm not trying to call you wrong or talk you out of your own process, I'm just trying to understand what you've got going on, it doesn't make sense to me.
 
If he's not using the biowheels for BB and he has plenty of bio filtration though other means, then I would rinse those damn things with a fire hose if I could. I hate bio wheels. They clog, become heavy, and barely spin. And swishing them around in tank water doesn't help. I've found the only way to unclog them and get them spinning good is to blast them with some high pressure water.
 
After all the cycling woos I've ran into, I have converted to SeaChems excellent new tank syndrone product "STABILITY"
Just set up the filtration follow the directions on the label and add your fish...easy pleasy deasy...
 
I'm just trying to understand what you've got going on, it doesn't make sense to me.

The filter pads in the Penguin are just OK debris traps. Not like the single digit micron pores in the HOT 250`s cartridge.
They let enough organics through to gunk up the wheels.
A blast of hot water takes care of that.
I would rather not count on my BB being concentrated on something that I might pull out and replace tomorrow.
If I want to toss/replace the Penguin, I can do it without a bit of worry over how it will affect my water quality.
 
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