circulation or filtration which is better?
- Thread starter gulperfan220
- Start date
What is better, circulation or filtration? They are two different things that serve two different functions, though filtration usually provides some circulation.
As for adding a sponge filter to your powerhead for "extra filtration"; if you're already reading zero ammonia and nitrate all you're going to be doing is catching a little more particulate waste, and restricting the flow of your powerhead.
As for adding a sponge filter to your powerhead for "extra filtration"; if you're already reading zero ammonia and nitrate all you're going to be doing is catching a little more particulate waste, and restricting the flow of your powerhead.
Agree with David R.
We are really talking apples and oranges here, but as I have a few tanks that have only refugiums with with water circulating thru plants as filtration I thought I'd weigh in in the "without filtration fish die" comment.
These tanks are lightly stocked, with a ratio of many plants to few fish.
As to fractionation...
The fractionator waste was dried weight in milligrams, because I used 100ml aliquots to extrapolate my results, and mg/L can be significant.
Consider that a reading of only 20mg/L of nitrate is considered stressful to many fish.
I found nematodes, ciliates, and macro invertebrates, of too many species to remember species level ID now, this experiment is a number of years back.
But to me fractionation is as effective as using UV at the free floating micro/macro removal level. It doesn't kill them, but simply removes them from the system altogether.
below is a video of one of my biofractionators working in one of my small ponds, there is a sponge filter in the pond, preceding the biotower. click on the pic to see the video
We are really talking apples and oranges here, but as I have a few tanks that have only refugiums with with water circulating thru plants as filtration I thought I'd weigh in in the "without filtration fish die" comment.
These tanks are lightly stocked, with a ratio of many plants to few fish.
As to fractionation...
The fractionator waste was dried weight in milligrams, because I used 100ml aliquots to extrapolate my results, and mg/L can be significant.
Consider that a reading of only 20mg/L of nitrate is considered stressful to many fish.
I found nematodes, ciliates, and macro invertebrates, of too many species to remember species level ID now, this experiment is a number of years back.
But to me fractionation is as effective as using UV at the free floating micro/macro removal level. It doesn't kill them, but simply removes them from the system altogether.
below is a video of one of my biofractionators working in one of my small ponds, there is a sponge filter in the pond, preceding the biotower. click on the pic to see the video
I think I have enough filtration with a large pothos , small but growing arrowhead,large bunch of lucky bamboo, and will be seeking some peace lily in the near future, an ac70 and large bio media fill eheim 2217 all filters has a prefilter that cut down on cleaning the canister and the ac70. My eheim ran a year with no cleaning and when open for service it was very clean just some slime near the impeller rinse the media in tank water and was little brownish the same with the ac70 which is service every three month. I added maxflo powerhead with circulation attachment and everyone perk up and so far doing good thanks for good information.
I always try to set a proper ratio between filtration and circulation in my tanks depending on species being maintained. Pond and lake species setups are geared more towards filtration than circulation since species evolved in limnological environments are more comfortable in slower moving waters. I lean towards circulation for stream and riverine species since they've evolved in moving waters and higher DO levels than their lake cousins. And, the amount of circulation is dependent on what the species inhabits in the wild.
I find it's also important to provide breaks in the current flow so the fish can adjust within the water column for their immediate needs.
I find it's also important to provide breaks in the current flow so the fish can adjust within the water column for their immediate needs.
I agree when first set up my tank I have ac powerhead rated at 400 gallon an hour and it did my Odessa barbs in. it was way to powerful and I had no structure to help create a break from the currents now I have several large terra cotta pots planted with Java ferns and two pieces of Mopani wood and java fern planted on coconut so there is lots of quieter flow. My stock are two pineapple plecos, two featherfins, lot of swordfish and 6 rapheal catfish and one callichtys callichtys catfish. For clean up crews I have tons mts snails, 5 mystery snails and 15 red ramahorn snails . I also have good amount emergent plants and would like to add some peace lily or more if space is available. Since adding the circulation pump I think the o2 to co2 exchange ratio is looking better and the tank is very active now.
