i have a wet dry trickle filter with bio balls in a sump. my question is how important is the trickle part of this? i have added more filter pads so the trickle area has been pretty much taken up with filter pad space. is this wrong? i added more pads becasue to much undesired particles were coming through the return. please inform. thank you
Wet Dry Trickle Filter?
- Thread starter mymindseye81
- Start date
What makes a "Wet/Dry" a Wet/Dry... is that the Bio Media has water running over it.. but is not submerged... This allows the bacteria to constantly stay wet, but to still gain oxygen from the air.
If you are providing this, then you have a functional Wet/Dry...
If you are providing this, then you have a functional Wet/Dry...
i guess i should have phrased my question better, the space that was originally there for the water to trickle into the bio balls, i put filter pads in that space to collect more particles becuse to much waste was being cycled into my tank. will this create a negative reaction to my healthy bacteria because there is less oxygen?nc_nutcase;3427186; said:
I have fairly abnormal views of Bio Filtration, and I don't want to turn your question/thread into a debatable topic... so I'll tread a bit carefully...
The bacteria will use a given amount of oxygen... if you offer it "extra" it won't use it...
Of the 3 potential 'limiting factors' possible (ammonia, area, oxygen)... It is very unlikely that oxygen is what is limiting your bacterias maximum capacity...
If, by some off chance it is... then yes a portion of the bacteria at that exact location will die off... and bacteria in other areas will expand to obsorb the ammonia the other bacteria would have consumed.
Our bacteria is a living system that is in a state of constant growth, reproduction and death... if you kill off or remove a little here... it just expands there...
You have to do something to damage the entire colony to "uncycle" a tank... and killing/removing small percentages here and there is accounted for quite quickly.
In ideal conditions, such as our aquariums, the species of bacteria most of us probably have in in our tanks oxidizing ammonia has a 20 hour doubling rate, or splitting rate... which means theoretically you can remove 50% of the bacteria, and the next day it would have replentished itself.
Now of course this is only theoretical, and I do not advise being this care free with removing/killing bacteria... but it does make me feel safe with minor changes.
The bacteria will use a given amount of oxygen... if you offer it "extra" it won't use it...
Of the 3 potential 'limiting factors' possible (ammonia, area, oxygen)... It is very unlikely that oxygen is what is limiting your bacterias maximum capacity...
If, by some off chance it is... then yes a portion of the bacteria at that exact location will die off... and bacteria in other areas will expand to obsorb the ammonia the other bacteria would have consumed.
Our bacteria is a living system that is in a state of constant growth, reproduction and death... if you kill off or remove a little here... it just expands there...
You have to do something to damage the entire colony to "uncycle" a tank... and killing/removing small percentages here and there is accounted for quite quickly.
In ideal conditions, such as our aquariums, the species of bacteria most of us probably have in in our tanks oxidizing ammonia has a 20 hour doubling rate, or splitting rate... which means theoretically you can remove 50% of the bacteria, and the next day it would have replentished itself.
Now of course this is only theoretical, and I do not advise being this care free with removing/killing bacteria... but it does make me feel safe with minor changes.
agree with nc, you most likely aren't hurting anything, as long as water is running over your bio-media, you should be fine, letting the water run through the pad before running down on the media shouldn't be taking any o2 out of the water, unless you are fully submerging your media you shouldn't hurt anything at all, even if it was submerged completely bacteria would still grow and do it's job, just not as good.
dwilder;3427463; said:
I commonly hear this theory stated by hobbyists but have never read supporting evidence in any scientific articles... I suspect it is a common misconception...
Good posts.
Regarding the "more oxygen theory," it's more of a situation of "more than ENOUGH" doesn't improve effectiveness.
Generalizing here.....A given amount of media is more effective in a wet/dry situation than a submerged one, but supplying that wet/dry media with pure O2 wouldn't improve its performance over atmospheric air.
Regarding the "more oxygen theory," it's more of a situation of "more than ENOUGH" doesn't improve effectiveness.
Generalizing here.....A given amount of media is more effective in a wet/dry situation than a submerged one, but supplying that wet/dry media with pure O2 wouldn't improve its performance over atmospheric air.