Is fish urine the largest source of ammonia?

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xdragonxb0i,

"Im sure my Sump can handle my current BIo load, But i have added and fx5 and one side of the tank is so much cleaner. I see poop on one side, and the fx5 side is incredibly clean."

Would not a powerhead that pushes the poop to one side of the tank serve the same purpose? You can just vacuum out the crud collected in the one corner during a water change. That would be much easier than removing the crud from the FX5, with the added benefit that the crud is removed each week rather than having it sit for weeks (or months) inside the canister.

 

[vfc]

dmopar74,

"it doesnt matter if the waste is in the filter or the tank, it is still in the water. mechanichal filtration is for our benefit, to make the tank "pretty". "

So you agree that there is no real benefit for the fish by adding an FX5?

Since nothing can be done to reduce/eliminate the root cause of nitrates (fish gills), I'll just accept my current water change workload as a necessary chore to keep my fish collection healthy.