what do you think

G

godeeporgohome123

Reefing newb
40 gal tank...2 marine land 350 hang on back filters.. how manny of you think im screwed with these filters...? i still have the possibility of returning these filters...i rather not but i want something thats going to work, not fail down the road..
 
Those are decent filters, but if I was you, I would remove the bio-wheels...they are nitrate factories...For the size of your tank, you only need one on there.
 
Smitty said:
Those are decent filters, but if I was you, I would remove the bio-wheels...they are nitrate factories...For the size of your tank, you only need one on there.
Click to expand...

so you think that i will be okay with just one 350?
someone said that im setting myself up to fail...so im worried about it ..
 
I ran a 30 gallon for a year with a HOB filter and skimmer.However its was lightly stocked.But it can be done,you'll just have to be anal about keeping it clean and rinsing the cartridges rinsed.
I'd return one of the filters and get a good skimmer,but thats JMO.Actually,with enough rock and good flow,and a great skimmer,you wouldnt even have to run the HOB filters.
 
I'm not sure I understand the concept of "nitrate factories." How can something in the tank that creates nitrate (presumably from ammonia and nitrite) be considered a bad thing? Is the nitrate being created via some other chemical pathway in these nitrate factories? I guess I'm just confused about the whole concept.
 
here goes as ammonia is created a new bacteria comes into play that uses the ammonia for food as the system matures the new bacteria than produces nitrite than the same thing happens and the next bacteria has a waste that is nitrate the only way to get it out is to do water changes or have something in place that will change the nitrate into free nitrogen
 
the bioweels keep the crap in them so there is always something rotting in the filter adding to the load of the tank that is why they are not recomended in salt tanks
 
I'm not trying to be obtuse here, I just suddenly realized that I don't undestand the concept of nitrate factories, even though I have preached it many times (I can't tell you how many times I have told someone that "bioballs are nitrate factories"). So I'm on the same page as everyone I think; I mean I think the biowheels are not the best option. But my intellectually curious side wonders where would the crap in the biowheel go if it were not in the biowheel? Wouldn't that same crap have to be broken down into nitrates regardless of whether it is lodged in the biowheel or not? Is it the skimmer that removes the organics before they are reduced into nitrates?
 
bio balls have caused some people big problems and some nave had no problems. that is one of the reasons you need a good skimmer since it helps pull the organics out of the water before they cause problems. if you have a good surface skimmer and good water movement about 20x or more that will keep the crap suspended in the water so that the skimmer can get it out before it all settles in the sand and rocks
 
Skimmers remove the organics before they can turn into nitrates. Filters (like biowheels) trap the organics, but there is no anaerobic bacteria to convert the nitrates into nitrogen. So the nitrates build up when you use filters like that. The filter doesn't actually remove these organics from the system like a skimmer does, tank water continues to wash through the filter, and wash the nitrates back into the tank. Live rock provides anaerobic and aerobic habitat for bacteria, so you can have completion of the nitrogen cycle. Which is why a tank stocked with enough live rock and sand can reduce nitrates.
 
+1 for the Button Box Burglar
It takes a low oxygen enviroment for the bacteria to convert the nitrates into nitrogen.But the bio-wheels keep the bacteria exposed to the air with just enough water to keep them alive.Therefore the nitrates cant be converted.
At least thats how I understand it.
 
I use a plenum to foster the growth of the anaerobic bacteria that break down the nitrates. I ran a system like this for a number of years, and have always had low nitrates. I never did any scientific tests to prove that the low nitrates were a direct result of the plenum, but it seemed to work.

For those who have not used a plenum, they are basically a space underneath a deep sand bed in which oxygen depleted water sits. (See http://www.havill.net/hobby/aquarium/plenum.html). Because there is some controversy regarding plenums and their efficacy, my plenum is in my sump and is easily removable; well at least semi-easily removable.

I created the plenum using 1’’ PVC, egg crate, plastic ties, and plastic screen mesh (the stuff used in screen windows). The PVC was cut into four pieces, laid lengthwise forming a rectangle to match the base the area in the sump. I laid egg create over the top and secured the PVC to the egg crate with plastic ties. I then wrapped the whole little contraption with plastic screen mesh and secured the mesh to the egg crate with plastic ties. The end-product looks like a little mesh covered platform with the PVC forming the edges and the egg-create forming the top. Finally, I put the device in the sump, and covered it with about 4 of 5 inches of sugar sized aragonite sand. The sand does not make it through the mesh and into the space created by the PVC. However, the water makes it through and resides underneath the deep sand bed. This water becomes oxygen depleted and serves as a medium for anaerobic bacterial growth.
 
i also have a plenum in my sump i did the same thing execpt i just wraped the eggcreat and than laid it ontop the pvc pipe along with about 8 inches or more of sand and toped with lots of LR
 
+1 Biff
Put the money you'd pay for the canister toward a good skimmer.
Enough rock and a good skimmer with the right amount of flow is all you really need.
 

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