Wondering if this would work ...

At this time I have a Whisper Bio-filter on my SW tank for added filtration. I also have 20-25 lbs or so of LR. I hear that with enough LR there is no need for the filter but I don't have enough rock or the guts to try things that way. Anyhow, the filter pad that holds the charcoal collects a ton of debris fairly quickly which I think causes my tank to get higher ammonia and nitrate levels faster then it probably should. (40 g long) I feed my fish several small meals a day and I don't think I overfeed much, all food is gone within 10 minutes or so.

I was thinking that while I like the charcoal part of my filter, as it helps keep the tank values regulated, I would like to do away with the debris collection pad. I think this might help with the ammonia and nitrate levels. I was plannimg to take out the Whisper's filter pad and replace it with one of those charcoal filter baggie things that you can make yourself. It would sit more at the bottom and middle of the filter chamber so the water would pass through but it wouldn't collect the larger debris, mostly just the very small stuff. What do you guys think?

Any other suggestions?

I guess if nothing else I'll jst have to stick with what I have.
 
We use a filter also and do a thorough cleaning every other week mainly because they supposedly add to nitrate production. I have never heard of them causing ammonia or nitrate. My guess is that you are over feeding or have too heavy a bio load. How many fish and what kind do you have?
 
Hey,
I hope this doesn't sound brusque, I'm just writing in a hurry.

I'm not sure what you mean by carbon keeping tank values regulated. Aside from toxins and drugs, carbon doesn't take out a lot of stuff.

You need either the filter media or live rock as a surface for bacteria that break NH3 down. The fluffy stuff in the filter should be rinsed in saltwater if you want to keep the nitrifying bacteria alive when you rinse out the crud that collects. There shouldn't be that much stuff collecting, though.

The main problem sounds like overfeeding. If you feed that often, all the food should be gone within a minute.
 
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