plastic scrub pads

[johnptc]

to make use of whatever surface area you have, it must be keep oxygen rich, other wise it goes to waste.....and the good bacteria wont max out....

ways to do this:

bio towers....
containers where the water level goes up and down exposing the bio media first to tank water then air and repeating on an endless cycle.....

 

[MonsterFishOwner]

bio keeps tank clear?

 

[ewurm]

bio keeps tank clear?

Nitrite can cloud water, other than that, not really.

 

[vfc]

Bio does clear water better than mechanical filtration! Mechanical filtration picks up the visible "chunks" but bio gets rid of the haze.

As an example, I have a 75G with an XP3 on it. For the first 3 months, the tank was slightly hazy. The water was OK, but not clear enough to make people think the fish are swimming in air. The "chunks" that appeared after feeding usually settled down into the substrate in a few minutes, but a slight haze persisted. I didn't add any more filtration, but after awhile (about 3 months after set up) the water became crystal clear on its own. I attribute this to the formation of additional aerobic bacteria and some anaerobic bacteria that grew deep in the substrate and in the thick bio-media in the filter (CellPore, Matrix, etc). There may possibly be other types of BB that formed as well.

So my point is bio-filtration is what really makes your water clear.

 

[ethnics]

not necessarily. your tank wasn't cycled yet lol. now it is, that always happens with new tanks. its not just the bio, but its the full push of a cycled tank thats keeping it clear. not jus the bio.

 

[vfc]

The tank was cycled after the first two weeks since I used seeded media from another long established tank. Ammonia & nitrites zero for 2 1/2 months, then the slight hazy water turned crystal clear. Been like that for over a year now.

Same thing with the 150G. It may the low turnover rate (< 5x) in the tanks that is helping in the formation of BB that keeps the water super clear.

 

[Bud8Fan]

but its the full push of a cycled tank thats keeping it clear. not jus the bio.

What do you think cycles a tank???

 

[Dr Joe]

vfc...Did you clean the filter in the first three months?

Dr Joe

.

 

[bigspizz]

I've got an old whisper power filter laying around that I got tired of buying cartridges for...might be cool to stuff a few of those in it instead for extra bio filtration?

My whisper 60 is running independantly on my way overstocked 55. Every time I buy a new filter with the intentions of putting on my 55, I g another rout. The whisper keeps up! I do less changes on that tank, then any other. The filters that come withit work fine. The diagram shows activated carbon as having 3000 ft per whatever....It was the highest. When the carbon is spent it must serve as a great bb home.......

 

[Dr Joe]

My whisper 60 is running independantly on my way overstocked 55. Every time I buy a new filter with the intentions of putting on my 55, I g another rout. The whisper keeps up! I do less changes on that tank, then any other. The filters that come withit work fine. The diagram shows activated carbon as having 3000 ft per whatever....It was the highest. When the carbon is spent it must serve as a great bb home.......

All the while leaching all the bad things it aborbed back into the water.