Good point! Any types of conventional FW filtration/media are potential nitrate factories. Although I do dose vitamin C as a carbon source & all around health tonic for my fish & corals. It cannot be overdosed, like vodka.
Keeping my Nitrate lower in my 220G fish only
- Thread starter z28sseater
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what do you put in place of the sponges? Why wouldn't sponges be just like live rock, as far as being a place for the bacteria to live?
I guess my other question is, what catches the crap that is floating around, if you don't or can't have a protein skimmer?
Another product you can look into is Nitro-Zorb, it only removes your nitrites an nitrates, and you add it to your exististing filter for about a week, then you can re-charge it and use again an agian an again, just read the directions. This works the best I have ever found yet!!!!!
They key if you do use mechanical filtration is to change it out very frequently. For FO systems, I usually recommend about 2x per week or more (especially for active fish and frequent/heavy feedings) if nitrate and/or phosphate is an issue.
In many cases, all that "crap" floating around is what corals actually consume. I don't use any mechanical filtration outside of protein skimming for reef aquariums.
Thank you, and pardon my vocab... I don't know what else to call it...
One last question, and I am sorry for stealing this thread...
I assume the same goes in a refugium... I built a 5 gallon refugium, with a first chamber full of culleprea (sp?), the second with 2 inches of sand, some LR and some culleprea, and from there it flows over some sponges (mainly to keep sand and plants from getting to the pump), to the return pump (clean water only pump)
If I am cleaning these out with my water changes, does this remove the junk, or do they actually need replacing?
Should I lose the sand in such a small sump?
One last question, and I am sorry for stealing this thread...
I assume the same goes in a refugium... I built a 5 gallon refugium, with a first chamber full of culleprea (sp?), the second with 2 inches of sand, some LR and some culleprea, and from there it flows over some sponges (mainly to keep sand and plants from getting to the pump), to the return pump (clean water only pump)
If I am cleaning these out with my water changes, does this remove the junk, or do they actually need replacing?
Should I lose the sand in such a small sump?
No problem with the vocab at all. That's essentially what it is. My point was to show that one creature's trash is another's treasure, especially in an environment where food can be scarce difficult to glean.
I have only cleaned out my fuge 2x in the past 3 years, which consists of moving out any algae you may have (I have none, because vitamin C dosing removes anything the algae may consume) & moving out the rubble. I have a DSB in there & try my best to only disturb the top 1". I stir up the 1-2" of detritus laying on top of the sand, drain, fill with tank water, stir & drain again. Then fill with fresh SW.
