disgustipated Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 and the reason for using bio balls as well as ceramic noodles? cause the bio balls capture smaller pieces of yuck? i don't think you have to use both. or fill one of your trays with half balls and half noodles. up to you. i prefer balls but noodles are cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 up to you. i prefer balls but noodles are cheaper I suppose I wouldn't be laughing at this if I didn't have the sense of humor of a 12 year old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 I suppose I wouldn't be laughing at this if I didn't have the sense of humor of a 12 year old... glad someone picks up on my subtle innuendos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarletmonuka Posted May 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 i thought the bio balls and ceramic noodles were for the bacteria not being a mechanical filter media. do they not have to capture food for the bacteria to feed on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 yeah that's what i thought. the more gunk amongst the bio media, the better fed the bacteria are. to an extent.. don't let it get too clogged up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 The point of biological filtration isn't to build as big a bacteria as possible [and therefore wanting them well fed], it is to have enough bacteria to convert harmful waste into less harmful waste until you can remove it from the water column all together. The longer you leave physical waste in the water the more it is going to break down and degrade the quality of the water, and IMO the most often over-looked aspect of aquarium filtration is how quickly and frequently that waste is removed from the water column entirely. Leaving your canisters for months is bad practice IMO, and a disaster waiting to happen if your power goes off for 6 hours over night or while you're at work then switches on while you're not looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 do they not have to capture food for the bacteria to feed on? The point of the noodle bio balls noodles is just to increase surface area for the bacteria to live on. Bacteria feed on firstly the ammonia in the water then other bacteria feed on the nitrite produced by the ammonia feeding bacteria. Once the ball, noodles are full of "muck" they are kind of pointless as this prevents water flow and oxygen needed for the bacteria. This is why you should have your mechanical filters first to keep them clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarletmonuka Posted May 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 The point of biological filtration isn't to build as big a bacteria as possible [and therefore wanting them well fed], it is to have enough bacteria to convert harmful waste into less harmful waste until you can remove it from the water column all together. The longer you leave physical waste in the water the more it is going to break down and degrade the quality of the water, and IMO the most often over-looked aspect of aquarium filtration is how quickly and frequently that waste is removed from the water column entirely. Leaving your canisters for months is bad practice IMO, and a disaster waiting to happen if your power goes off for 6 hours over night or while you're at work then switches on while you're not looking. Try to clean out the canisters at least once a month. defiently don't leave it months on end. as we live in the wops power cuts happen.. specially where we be moving too in june can get snowed in once or twice a year. So in conclusion the bacteria feed on the gases in the water in the filter as apposed to the physical waste in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 I'll just add that I can probably get away better than most with seldom cleaning the bio-media as I have a pure mechanical filter (aquaone coarse blue sponge pond [pre?] filter) doing over 3 times the turnover of the cf1200. this gets cleaned out each water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 So in conclusion the bacteria feed on the gases in the water in the filter as apposed to the physical waste in there? Yes, the bacteria feed on the ammonia from the physical waste from the fish, uneaten food, etc (and the fish urine), which is already in the water column. Even if you removed 100% of the physical waste from the water column with some clever filtration like a Cetus Sieve you would still have bacteria performing the biological aspect of filtration to deal with the ammonia from urine and from waste that has already broken down before being removed from the water column. Your bacteria will not go hungry even if you clean your mechanical filtration daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 When I had canisters I had noodles in every compartment. First had noodles with sponge on top, second had noodles with wool on top third was all noodles. And my fluvals were all noodles because they have a separate side bit that has the sponges. Anyone who has a fluval will understand what I'm on about I have an FX5 and it simply hates filter wool, it doesn't matter which compartment I put it in as it slows the flow down in days. I'm currently running it with just one basket of noodles so am looking to get some other types of media (as wool clearly won't work) but maybe if placed on top of noodles it may make a difference as you've done? I'll investigate that. I do have some bio balls but I think they're too big, I'll have to have a looksie this weekend - I might get some sintered glass noodles as a change to the ceramic for another basket as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 12, 2013 Report Share Posted May 12, 2013 I used to run wool in the top compartment of my fx5 (two layers thick) and change it weekly. Can't comment on what that did to the flow as the return was submerged so it wasn't really noticeable. I presume you're running the sponges around the outside, how often do you clean them? If you put in some coarser media instead of wool that doesn't slow the flow as quickly all you will be doing is letting more fine particles through. Maybe a coarser sponge with the wool on top would be a little better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted May 13, 2013 Report Share Posted May 13, 2013 I used to run wool in the top compartment of my fx5 (two layers thick) and change it weekly. Can't comment on what that did to the flow as the return was submerged so it wasn't really noticeable. I presume you're running the sponges around the outside, how often do you clean them? If you put in some coarser media instead of wool that doesn't slow the flow as quickly all you will be doing is letting more fine particles through. Maybe a coarser sponge with the wool on top would be a little better? I was "cleaning" the filter weekly as the flow would slow down after only a few days - so each weekend I'd open up the filter to see what was what and it was still very clean, including the filter wool. After trying the wool in different baskets (top or bottom) and finding that the flow would slow regardless. I decided to remove the wool and see if that helped, and it has - the filter has been running for 3 weeks and the flow is still strong. So, it would seem it doesn't like filter wool at all which is why I'm looking at other alternatives for media. Yes I am using the sponges around the outside. I'll look at getting some more sponge for a basket (finer sponge than the outside sponges) but am reluctant to use wool at all - i tried various types and they all slowed the flow down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Can anyone please advise the courseness of filter sponge to buy for the FX5? I've looked on TM and they have various ppi so am not sure which one to get. Actually, if you can point me out to a seller (or if anyone here has any) who has the right sponge to fit the FX5, that would be grand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I would look at a 10ppi coarse sponge followed by a layer of 20ppi medium density. This blend offers a great mix of water clarity/maintenance schedule. For your biological media (siporax, ceramic noodles, Matrix etc) to remain effective it needs to be kept clean of biological buildup. This ensures the microscopic surface area of the media comes into contact with everything it needs to remain biologically effective. There are a multitude of biological media that thrive with a build up of biological matter. These however are not suited to canister filters. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I think you need to clean a canister filter when the flow reduces. Sometimes this can be caused by the pipes getting gunged up. The timing has a lot to do with how heavily you are feeding and how many of what sized fish you have in there. I have successfully raised large numbers of fish in bare aquariums using frequent water changes and no filtration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likoma Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have successfully raised large numbers of fish in bare aquariums using frequent water changes and no filtration. Definitely over time every surface will be covered with beneficial bacteria. Nothing is better than a healthy water change regime. No water meters then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I had 60 tanks and all manual water changes but never a bill for excess water usage. Must have been a generous allowance. No chlorine so straight from the hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Definitely over time every surface will be covered with beneficial bacteria. Nothing is better than a healthy water change regime. No water meters then? What are your charges per m3? Up here it is less than $2 so there is quite a lot of water to be changed to use a m3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 19, 2013 Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 I don't knw as I have never had a bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaide Posted June 20, 2013 Report Share Posted June 20, 2013 I would look at a 10ppi coarse sponge followed by a layer of 20ppi medium density. This blend offers a great mix of water clarity/maintenance schedule. For your biological media (siporax, ceramic noodles, Matrix etc) to remain effective it needs to be kept clean of biological buildup. This ensures the microscopic surface area of the media comes into contact with everything it needs to remain biologically effective. There are a multitude of biological media that thrive with a build up of biological matter. These however are not suited to canister filters. Good luck Thanks, I will look into this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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