SantaClaws
07-16-2006, 03:36 PM
Biological Filtration Vs. Mechanical Filtration
Mechanical filtration is basically the physical removal of bacteria from the water with a form of media, the most common being carbon. However there are any number of medias that remove ammonia, phosphates etc.
Basically, mechanical filtration is not required in a discus tank; in fact media such as carbon can actually be detrimental to the growth and well being of the fish. While carbon removes any number of detrimental bacteria that can hurt the fish, it also removes many things that the fish and plants require to be healthy, such as required minerals. The only need you should have for carbon is to remove medications from the water, but that can also be achieved by large volume water changes. Basically, why pay for something that isn’t required…
Biological filtration is the removal of harmful nitrates, ammonia etc… From the water by beneficial biological microorganisms. This is a very natural way of maintaining a tank that once properly set up, is far more stable, and vastly cheaper since you don’t have to replace it every month.
Maximizing Efficiency
Basically there is two ways you can improve the efficiency of your biological filtration system…
1) Flow Rate
The faster the filter can cycle through the water contained in your tank means the cleaner your tank is going to be. The longer the water sits in the tank, the greater the chance that the fish will be exposed to undesirable content. So, it is desirable to have a sufficient water turn over to eliminate detrimental bacteria, while not having a flow rate that makes the fish uncomfortable.
You can check your filters vitals, when compared to your tank size to see just how effective it is. In my main tank a 55-gallon, I have a filter that is designed for a 100-gallon tank. It comfortably cycles the water through once every 10-12 minutes.
If you can’t increase the speed that water is filtered, the other way to improve its efficiency is to increase its exposure to beneficial biological media…
2) Exposure to Beneficial Biological Media
The more surface exposure to beneficial biological media, the more the microorganisms can do their job effectively. The most common biological media is common sponge filter, it is highly effective at trapping food, plant material, and fish waste all while giving the micro organisms contained in the sponge a chance to break the waste down in to non harmful materials to the fish.
There are any number different biological media forms that can be bought ranging from Bio Balls to Lava Rock. They all work effectively, however from my understanding the most effective, is the one I tend to use… good old Nylon Pot Scrubbers. They have a huge surface area to increase maximum exposure, while not really slowing down the flow rate of the filter. You can pay a lot of money for some of the fancy high end biological media content, but they just don’t seem to be as effective or as cheap as the good old pot scrubbers you can get from any dollar store.
Here is a link comparing different medias: http://www.wernersponds.com/biofiltermedia.htm
Setting up your Filter
Pre filter: This is your first line of defense, the initial intake of water into the filtration unit. This should be covered with a foam pre filter because it increases your biological filtration load, and it just makes life so much simpler. No one wants to have to open up a canister filter all the time pull out the junk that collects in there. Eheim makes a nice pre filter, that is the one I use, however there are loads of others, you can also make your own. There is just no down side, and no reason not to have one of these.
Remove it every time you change the water in the tank by placing a plastic cup under it before you turn the power off on the filter. This stops all the junk it has collected from falling back in the tank. Rinse the pre filter off in the water you siphon out of the tank, or in de chlorinated water…never use tap water as it will kill off biological material.
Here is a link to a good post outlining the benefits of a pre filter:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=27064
Interior foam filter: You need a second foam filter on the inside, just to catch any thing that the first one didn’t. It adds to the overall beneficial biological exposure and only really needs to be cleaned out once every month or so…in de chlorinated water.
Nylon Pot Scrubbers: regardless if you have a canister filter, or a filter that hangs on the back of your tank, you can greatly increase your bio load by many times by stuffing as many pot scrubbers in there as you can with out slowing the flow rate too much. The greater the bio load your filter can handle, the more stable the water parameters will be. The happier and healthier the fish will be!
Water Supplements: I like to use a product called Big Al’s Multi-Purpose Bio-Support. It’s a additive that adds live beneficial bacteria and helps maintain the bio system. It’s also nice to have because from time to time you will find your self adding medicines to the tank that will either stress your biological filtration, or in the worse case, totally crash it. When “it” hits the fan this is a nice product to help replenish the beneficial bacteria fast and stabilize the tank.
Regards,
SantaClaws.
Mechanical filtration is basically the physical removal of bacteria from the water with a form of media, the most common being carbon. However there are any number of medias that remove ammonia, phosphates etc.
Basically, mechanical filtration is not required in a discus tank; in fact media such as carbon can actually be detrimental to the growth and well being of the fish. While carbon removes any number of detrimental bacteria that can hurt the fish, it also removes many things that the fish and plants require to be healthy, such as required minerals. The only need you should have for carbon is to remove medications from the water, but that can also be achieved by large volume water changes. Basically, why pay for something that isn’t required…
Biological filtration is the removal of harmful nitrates, ammonia etc… From the water by beneficial biological microorganisms. This is a very natural way of maintaining a tank that once properly set up, is far more stable, and vastly cheaper since you don’t have to replace it every month.
Maximizing Efficiency
Basically there is two ways you can improve the efficiency of your biological filtration system…
1) Flow Rate
The faster the filter can cycle through the water contained in your tank means the cleaner your tank is going to be. The longer the water sits in the tank, the greater the chance that the fish will be exposed to undesirable content. So, it is desirable to have a sufficient water turn over to eliminate detrimental bacteria, while not having a flow rate that makes the fish uncomfortable.
You can check your filters vitals, when compared to your tank size to see just how effective it is. In my main tank a 55-gallon, I have a filter that is designed for a 100-gallon tank. It comfortably cycles the water through once every 10-12 minutes.
If you can’t increase the speed that water is filtered, the other way to improve its efficiency is to increase its exposure to beneficial biological media…
2) Exposure to Beneficial Biological Media
The more surface exposure to beneficial biological media, the more the microorganisms can do their job effectively. The most common biological media is common sponge filter, it is highly effective at trapping food, plant material, and fish waste all while giving the micro organisms contained in the sponge a chance to break the waste down in to non harmful materials to the fish.
There are any number different biological media forms that can be bought ranging from Bio Balls to Lava Rock. They all work effectively, however from my understanding the most effective, is the one I tend to use… good old Nylon Pot Scrubbers. They have a huge surface area to increase maximum exposure, while not really slowing down the flow rate of the filter. You can pay a lot of money for some of the fancy high end biological media content, but they just don’t seem to be as effective or as cheap as the good old pot scrubbers you can get from any dollar store.
Here is a link comparing different medias: http://www.wernersponds.com/biofiltermedia.htm
Setting up your Filter
Pre filter: This is your first line of defense, the initial intake of water into the filtration unit. This should be covered with a foam pre filter because it increases your biological filtration load, and it just makes life so much simpler. No one wants to have to open up a canister filter all the time pull out the junk that collects in there. Eheim makes a nice pre filter, that is the one I use, however there are loads of others, you can also make your own. There is just no down side, and no reason not to have one of these.
Remove it every time you change the water in the tank by placing a plastic cup under it before you turn the power off on the filter. This stops all the junk it has collected from falling back in the tank. Rinse the pre filter off in the water you siphon out of the tank, or in de chlorinated water…never use tap water as it will kill off biological material.
Here is a link to a good post outlining the benefits of a pre filter:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=27064
Interior foam filter: You need a second foam filter on the inside, just to catch any thing that the first one didn’t. It adds to the overall beneficial biological exposure and only really needs to be cleaned out once every month or so…in de chlorinated water.
Nylon Pot Scrubbers: regardless if you have a canister filter, or a filter that hangs on the back of your tank, you can greatly increase your bio load by many times by stuffing as many pot scrubbers in there as you can with out slowing the flow rate too much. The greater the bio load your filter can handle, the more stable the water parameters will be. The happier and healthier the fish will be!
Water Supplements: I like to use a product called Big Al’s Multi-Purpose Bio-Support. It’s a additive that adds live beneficial bacteria and helps maintain the bio system. It’s also nice to have because from time to time you will find your self adding medicines to the tank that will either stress your biological filtration, or in the worse case, totally crash it. When “it” hits the fan this is a nice product to help replenish the beneficial bacteria fast and stabilize the tank.
Regards,
SantaClaws.