Biofilter

Hello fellow keepers, my tank has been up and running since Feb. My question is about my canister filter and the bio media. I use those scrubber ball things some people use for there dishes for the bio media, how often should I clean those or use something else entirely?

 

If you have live rock in your tank, bio-media is just something more to maintain. You may find the canister to be a bit of a chore as well, as it will require frequent cleaning to prevent nitrate issues.

 

I have 50 lbs of base rock and a 8 lbs piece of live in the middle of it all. Still waiting for it to spread figured I would see something by now haha. Should o keep it in there or just remove the bio media and just use the sponges and floss?

 

I'd use only carbon and floss, but again, those will require frequent maintenance. Trapped detritus breaks down in the filter and pumps DOCs back into the tank, elevating nitrate production. Most folks use a sump with a sock; some, like myself, prefer HOBs. Both are far more easily maintained than a canister. BTW, your base is most likely populated with bacteria. That's the important part, and only takes a couple of weeks when cured with live.

 

Yeah, be very careful with canister filters. they can become a nitrate farm if they aren't maintained regularly. I'd switch to a sump.

 

I made this mistake and spend 6+ months fighting high (er than I wanted) nitrates.

try thinking of your canister as a reactor. Maybe get a couple bags of chemi-blue and hang them in there, or like Mr. Bill, carbon n filter floss is a great combo. But, it's so easy to go out of sight, out of mind with these guys...

 

I was thinking about using the floss and seachem purigen, it seems really good since it can be recharged. So you suggest removing the bio media then?

 

Anyone? Lol

 

I have used Purigen. I prefer foam/sponge over floss and a charcoal based with GFO mixture like Chemipure Elite.Personally I do not use bio-balls or other such media types.

With foam sponges you rinse and clean them out with display water during water changes and return them, preserving their function as part of the biological filter.

This my preferred method.

 

Thanks how often do you need to change the chemipure elite, the reason I was interested in the purigen was that you can recharge it.