How Important Is Bio Media?
- Thread starter Toby_H
- Start date
wned:
since ive moved home three and a half weeks ago i havent plugged my canister back in and have been running off a fluval 4+ with some ceramic noodles in the centre instead of filter floss. the only actual bio i have running in my filtration system is the sponges and handful of noodles in the middle of the 4+.
the bio out of my canister is just sitting in the tank in the filter tray but is no more like bio media than a few more rocks just sitting in my aquarium.
i tested the water last night just out of curiosity (after reading this) and ammonia is 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 20-40ppm (closer to the 20ppm colour but the cards dont allow more accuracy). i also havent done a water change for the past couple of weeks due to health problems. my tap water sits at ~5ppm nitrate.
while i believe it is important to have some degree of bio media, i believe that it isnt the be all and end all to good filtration like some believe. i also believe that the masses of bio some people have and there obsession with having mountains of it is unnecessary.
this makes me wonder if i could run a tank off of a couple of internals, say the 4+'s, with minimal bio in them and regular water changes. plenty of water movement and water changes being key of course.
of course i will never try this because im too scared i will massacre my fish but it does make me wonder.
the bio out of my canister is just sitting in the tank in the filter tray but is no more like bio media than a few more rocks just sitting in my aquarium.
i tested the water last night just out of curiosity (after reading this) and ammonia is 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, nitrate 20-40ppm (closer to the 20ppm colour but the cards dont allow more accuracy). i also havent done a water change for the past couple of weeks due to health problems. my tap water sits at ~5ppm nitrate.
while i believe it is important to have some degree of bio media, i believe that it isnt the be all and end all to good filtration like some believe. i also believe that the masses of bio some people have and there obsession with having mountains of it is unnecessary.
this makes me wonder if i could run a tank off of a couple of internals, say the 4+'s, with minimal bio in them and regular water changes. plenty of water movement and water changes being key of course.
of course i will never try this because im too scared i will massacre my fish but it does make me wonder.
Please keep in mind, in this thread I am not trying to talk anyone into changing their filtration… I’m trying to talk you into changing your thinking…
I would like to say though, I am encouraged to see a few people have made some changes to reflect this thinking and have done so with success…
Do be aware, if you have excessive Bio Media, it does contain a % of your bacteria. So removing it from the system is removing a bit of bacteria. So a “mini cycle” is probable…
I would hate to see someone simply turn off one or two filters… see the “mini cycle” that is probable, and mistake this to mean something more than it is.
I would love to see someone with a big fat sump slam full of BioMedia… but with an HOB/canister or two “for mechanical filtration”… be willing to turn off the sump… do the proper water changes to prevent the mini cycle from being harmful to the fish… and see what happened to the tank in 1~2 weeks time. Naturally a lot of variables need to be considered before any projections could be made… but based on the set ups I’ve seen shared on this forum, I bet the majority of you with sumps + HOBs/canisters could function just fine without the sump…
PS - Thanks for the recommendation of making this a sticky guys. I think many many people would be greatly benefited if it were… but since it goes against the grain of what most people think… I doubt it will happen…
I would like to say though, I am encouraged to see a few people have made some changes to reflect this thinking and have done so with success…
Do be aware, if you have excessive Bio Media, it does contain a % of your bacteria. So removing it from the system is removing a bit of bacteria. So a “mini cycle” is probable…
I would hate to see someone simply turn off one or two filters… see the “mini cycle” that is probable, and mistake this to mean something more than it is.
I would love to see someone with a big fat sump slam full of BioMedia… but with an HOB/canister or two “for mechanical filtration”… be willing to turn off the sump… do the proper water changes to prevent the mini cycle from being harmful to the fish… and see what happened to the tank in 1~2 weeks time. Naturally a lot of variables need to be considered before any projections could be made… but based on the set ups I’ve seen shared on this forum, I bet the majority of you with sumps + HOBs/canisters could function just fine without the sump…
PS - Thanks for the recommendation of making this a sticky guys. I think many many people would be greatly benefited if it were… but since it goes against the grain of what most people think… I doubt it will happen…
going against the grain isnt always bad and it seems like a valid discussion. it would be a shame to have this lost in the depths of the forum.
you got my vote for sticky
you got my vote for sticky
nc_nutcase;3426480; said:
Maybe when I have some more free time I could test something. My 240 doesnt have HOB filters but it has 2 xp3's and a wetdry with probably too much bio media. The sump has 2 identical garbage cans packed with scrubbies. I could probably pretty easy remove one can with 1/2 the bio out of the system and see what it does to the tank. The xp'3s are just for mech filtration...to keep the poop off the black sand...and I have 2 only so I can have 2 intake points for this since its a 8' tank. I know I have overkill in the sump for bio...but I was building it and plan to overcrown the tank (to keep agression down).
Add me to the first skeptical, later convinced.
I have been following this, as well as similar discussions on other forums.
As a test, I took a fully established,55g, mature tank that had 2 Eheim 2236 filters. Each filter has 4 available media trays. 2 trays held sponge and 2 held substrat pro in each filter.
Over a period of 3 weeks, 1 tray a week. I have changed a total of 3 trays from substrat pro to coarse sponge.
Now, only 1 filter has a single tray of bio media, a 3/4 reduction in outside the tank media. I know the coarse sponge becomes a bacteria habitat over time, but with monthly cleanings, it is not bio dedicated.
Net effect has been only the most minor of changes to ammonia/nitrate level. The raise in both took place within 8 hours of the media swap and went back to pre swap levels within 24 hours.
I will not pull the last tray of substrat pro. This will be my back up/seeding media.
nc_nutcase;3426480; said:
If people did not go against the grain at some point then we would all be using UGF right now. Its time to stick this to the top so we can quit hunting it down. (Bump, Bump, Bump .)
