Thanks for the link jechrz, I'm not worried about my nitrates which are 5ppm after 2 weeks without a WC. I have live plants in my tank. This thread was more for people with more than one fish in 65g of water and higher nitrates. I think pothos is a good way to combat nitrates in heavy bio tanks
Are canisters nitrate factories?
- Thread starter soul_assassin
- Start date
At least in my estimation, the reason to clean a canister filter is the same reason that you vacuum the gunk from the gravel...
Would anyone expect gravel without vacuuming for a year or more would be "inert"?
Nitrification (reduction of ammonia to nitrates) is what biological filters do. The more waste (ammonia), the more nitrate that they produce.
My issue with canister filters (at least without pre-filters to keep gunk out of them) is that they combine mechanical and biological filtration.
I prefer to separate the two as much as possible, so I run (air-driven) box filters with lots of air (flow) and frequently cleaned...and sponge filters with less flow (and less frequently need to be changed). And sumps/dumps with a mechanical pre-filter.
That way, it's quicks and easy to clean or replace the mechanical filter media without tearing a whole canister apart (a PITA).
Most freshwater fish are orders of magnitude less sensitive to nitrates and other dissolved metabolites than reef tank inverts, which is why reefers care about this stuff and freshwater aquarists shrug their shoulders...
Matt
Would anyone expect gravel without vacuuming for a year or more would be "inert"?
Nitrification (reduction of ammonia to nitrates) is what biological filters do. The more waste (ammonia), the more nitrate that they produce.
My issue with canister filters (at least without pre-filters to keep gunk out of them) is that they combine mechanical and biological filtration.
I prefer to separate the two as much as possible, so I run (air-driven) box filters with lots of air (flow) and frequently cleaned...and sponge filters with less flow (and less frequently need to be changed). And sumps/dumps with a mechanical pre-filter.
That way, it's quicks and easy to clean or replace the mechanical filter media without tearing a whole canister apart (a PITA).
Most freshwater fish are orders of magnitude less sensitive to nitrates and other dissolved metabolites than reef tank inverts, which is why reefers care about this stuff and freshwater aquarists shrug their shoulders...
Matt
I think most of the build up in mine is from the algae that I constantly scrape off everything, need new lights...but that is another topic
IMO most people don’t clean canisters enough. If you have a lightly stocked tank that’s not over feed you can go longer between cleanings. Most people have over stocked tanks and feed too much.
The bottom line would be to test your water and let the numbers be your guide. Test your tap water so you have a base line reading and test the water in the aquarium before the water change then for a few days after the water change test the water daily. If you see the nitrates climbing quickly you should clean the filters in addition to preforming another water change. Once the filters have been cleaned and substrate has been vacuumed preform the same test and see what kind of results you get, then you’ll have the answer. Nitrates shouldn’t be allowed to rise above 20ppm, ideally they should remain below 10ppm but your tap water might have some nitrates so you’re pretty much stuck with what the town provides in most cases.
The bottom line would be to test your water and let the numbers be your guide. Test your tap water so you have a base line reading and test the water in the aquarium before the water change then for a few days after the water change test the water daily. If you see the nitrates climbing quickly you should clean the filters in addition to preforming another water change. Once the filters have been cleaned and substrate has been vacuumed preform the same test and see what kind of results you get, then you’ll have the answer. Nitrates shouldn’t be allowed to rise above 20ppm, ideally they should remain below 10ppm but your tap water might have some nitrates so you’re pretty much stuck with what the town provides in most cases.
@dogofwar, I agree wholeheartedly, I think a rethinking of strategy is in order, lol. (More for power failure than for the nitrate problem that I dont have)
@aquanero, crimsonfog, cali, thanks for the input
@aquanero, crimsonfog, cali, thanks for the input
I used to clean my FX5 every month and my nitrates were 40ppm. Now I do once a week and at 10-20ppm. Same amount % of water in water changes too. It makes a huge difference in how you clean the filter too. I take tank water in a 5 gallon bucket and clean everything w/ that.
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I have eliminated all but 1 canister filter from my fishroom for those reasons and to cut power use...
They are suppose to be nitrate factories...would you rather them be ammonia and nitrite factories?
There are ways to reduce nitrate. Water change, filter cleaning, live plants, etc.
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There are ways to reduce nitrate. Water change, filter cleaning, live plants, etc.
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
That's what I said as well: "Nitrification (reduction of ammonia to nitrates) is what biological filters do."
Failing to remove waste from a filter (or substrate...or wherever) just results in more ammonia/nitrite that the filter breaks down into nitrate...and more nitrate in the system.
Frequent cleaning of mechanical filtration (i.e. removing waste before the bio filter breaks it down) reduces nitrates.
Frequently cleaning canisters is a PITA...frequently cleaning boxes or pre-filters takes moments...
Matt
Failing to remove waste from a filter (or substrate...or wherever) just results in more ammonia/nitrite that the filter breaks down into nitrate...and more nitrate in the system.
Frequent cleaning of mechanical filtration (i.e. removing waste before the bio filter breaks it down) reduces nitrates.
Frequently cleaning canisters is a PITA...frequently cleaning boxes or pre-filters takes moments...
Matt
