filtration not all the time

[Euge]

isn't there BB in some of the foams used in mechanical filtration?!?!?

 

[CHOMPERS]

yep.

And things don't become sterile just because they are not operated per manufactures instructions.

 

[aquanaut]

Just like Shrek said, "Change is good donkey!"

 

[ewurm]

here is the deal ime:

biofilters run 24/7 or the bacteria die

mechanical filters only need to be run enough to keep the water clean.

if you combine bio and mechanical in one unit run it 24/7

any other options ?????

I totally agree.

 

[spoofsjsc]

In my 125g, I have 2 canisters that run almost 24/7. (I clean the hoses, baskets, media, etc. once a week so that takes off about 4-5 hours for maintenance.) My sump rums 24/7.
I feel I don't need them to run all of them all the time but unplugging and plugging them back is too much of a chore so i choose not to do it. besides, it does not promise anything beneficial to my fishes.

 

[Dr Joe]

love donkey

That's illegal in most of this state

 

[Potts050]

This is what I truly enjoy about this forum. There are a lot of different ideas about what works with tons of experience and years of observation to explain it.

I have noticed in my years as a hobbyist that it is possible to run mechanical and biological filtration at less than 100% of the time and still achieve the desired results. We tend to purchase more mechanical and biological filtration capacity than we need and run it continuously in order to achieve ‘maximum’ results. I believe that two things are at play here; we want the best for our fish, and we share a common North American ethos that “more is better”. The truth is, and especially if we have oversized our equipment, more running time does not give us better results; it just uses more energy and wears out our equipment sooner.

Having said that, I need to state that the vast majority of beneficial bacteria that we use to reduce nitrogen wastes in our aquariums, are naturally occurring soil bacteria. They require oxygen in order to metabolize fish waste and they will quickly slow down, become inactive, and eventually die, if there is none present. For this reason we need to be careful running canister filters at less than 100% particularly if the tank is well stocked and well fed. In my case I use canisters loaded with crushed coral as bio-filters and run them continuously on multiple tanks ganged together through a supply and return header. If I would leave these filters turned off for more than a twelve hour period, I suspect that the dissolved oxygen in them would be depleted and the aerobes would be dormant. After a couple of days, anaerobic (non oxygen using) bacteria would have started to grow and there would be a funky toxic soup coming out of my filter should I start it up again. As someone pointed out earlier, that filter would now require several days to cycle before it became reliable again as a bio-filter.

In the case of HOBs with bio-wheels, sponge filters, and wet-dry filters, as long as they don’t dry out, the bacteria will be exposed to oxygen and remain active. What slows them down in this case is the lack of food supply (waste) which happens when they consume what the tank produces between feedings anyway.

I never leave a tank without some form of circulation taking place. When my nursery tanks are in a dark phase, I run sponge filters for 60 seconds on 180 seconds off. This ensures that the surface of the tank is displaced and mixed with the rest of the tank every four minutes. The logic here is that most gas exchange takes place at the tank surface and by ‘folding’ the water column I reduce dead spots and keep the temperature/oxygen levels consistent. Any more aeration time is really just a waste of energy…

I challenge everyone to try it. Make your equipment last longer and use less energy. That means lower running costs and less impact on the environment. That’s a good thing right?

 

[abpositive]

I run sponge filters for 60 seconds on 180 seconds off. This ensures that the surface of the tank is displaced and mixed with the rest of the tank every four minutes.

Please, tell me where one would get a timer that does that?
I've looked everywhere I can think of.

 

[Potts050]

Try an electronics supply house or electrical wholesaler. I use a PLC (programable logic controller) for this function as well as a several other duties that I paid about $300 for.

 

[rvrrays]

I know a guy that is a long time ray breeder that only runs his filters for 15 minutes per hour. He has small circulation pumps in his large ponds that run 24/7.

His water parameters are always perfect.

Colin