General questions

[Terrorizing Cichlid]

For individuals with the FX5, how do you face your outlet? I face them to the surface for surface agitation, but does this allow for more dissolved oxygen or is the movement of water in the tank only important? I say this because if the surface of the water isn't moving does this mean that oxygens are or are not dissolving as fast or not at all?

This leads to my next question. I have poop on my gravel so how do some of you break the poop down? I hear using powerheads will do it.

The wet/dry part of the wet/dry filter is where the water trickle down onto media where BB are housed corrrect? I'm confused because Aqueon has a filter that uses a plactic that is right before the overflow and it doesn't seem to be have enough surface area as a biowheel, but it is called the wet/dry portion. About the overflow of w/d filters, they are at the top and will not be able to remove any waste on the gravel. How do you over come this situation? I hear higher flow rate to stirr up the waste so they can go into the overflow. If the latter is correct, how is this accomplished (powerheads, faster pump)?

Sorry for the newb questons. I'm just trying to get things straight.

 

[Wolf3101]

Let me see if I can take these in order.

It's usually best to point the outlet of the FX5 towords the serface of the water. This is especially true if it's your ONLY form of filtration.

The gas exchange takes place at the serface but the constant movement of water in a large filter is usually enough to saturate the water with O2.

Powerheads don't really break anything down but they DO move a lot of water and that water flow, if directed towords the filter intake will allow most of it to be picked up.

Any filter that allows direct contact between the BB and the air is a wet dry filter no mater what it's design. The Bio-wheels...for thier size have a huge serface area compared to most other brands but they are ALL still wet/dry bio-filters.

On a sump system...(See above) the pick up tubes are indeed on the top and yes this makes it very difficult for them to get junk off of the bottom of the tank. It's normally done in one of three ways...

Gravel vacuuming during water changes...this is by far the most common.

Directing a powerhead across the bottom to mose the junk to the top of the tank.

Using a powerhead driven undergravel filter plate in a reverse flow set up to constantly lift the debris off of the substrate and keep it in suspension until the filter picks it up.

Never apologize for asking questions...

The only stupid question is the one you forgot to ask....

 

[Terrorizing Cichlid]

Ok thanks, you have made it very clear.