IME quilt batting is better for mechanical filtration (removing solid waste) than for biological filtration. It beats spending money for cartridges. You can buy quilt batting by the yard.
A fact i want to know
- Thread starter NeonFlux
- Start date
Ah, thank you fishcatch man. I get it now;all thanks to you my fellow fishman. Merry Chrismas and happy holidays
Hmm?A sponge?I see. So should i place a sponge above my quilt batting?Show me a pic;maybe i'll get the idea. And yeah, the quilt batting and the bio-wheel is what i am relying on right now;i am currently not using any carbon at all, and everything in my tank is cycled and in great condition =).And also, should i rinse my quilt batting? Does the growing algae disturb the growing process of the good bacteria?
fishcatch22 said:
kveeti said:
Hmm?A sponge?I see. So should i place a sponge above my quilt batting?Show me a pic;maybe i'll get the idea. And yeah, the quilt batting and the bio-wheel is what i am relying on right now;i am currently not using any carbon at all, and everything in my tank is cycled and in great condition =).And also, should i rinse my quilt batting? Does the growing algae disturb the growing process of the good bacteria?
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Yes, rinse the quilt batting or sponge once in a while. You will lose a bit of the bacteria but not too much. They are firmly attached to surfaces, but just remember to rinse in old tank water or treated tap water.
You can buy a sponge for any filter brand and cut it to fit into yours, i.e. Aquaclears (which are thicker) or Fluval or even there's big squares for Filstar cannister filters - the last 2 are thinner. They are expensive initially but will last years (I'm on the second decade of my oldest sponge). Stuff the bottom of the inside of your filter with the floss to trap dirt, you don't really need too much. Throw this away each time you clean. The rest of the filter can be packed with the sponges. You can rinse them out each time, or another thing people do is have 2 sponges. Rinse the bottom one out really well in several changes of aforementioned treated water and then move the top sponge to the bottom and put the cleaned one on top, so you're always on a rotation. If you're switching to sponges, leave some of your old batting in at first.
I'm using an example of filling the filter chambers of an AquaClear filter, I'm not sure exactly how your filter brand is configured so a pic wouldn't be much help. In Aquaclears, the water moves bottom to top, there are some that move side to side. Same idea, batting would be where the water first enters, sponge in the rest.
You can buy a sponge for any filter brand and cut it to fit into yours, i.e. Aquaclears (which are thicker) or Fluval or even there's big squares for Filstar cannister filters - the last 2 are thinner. They are expensive initially but will last years (I'm on the second decade of my oldest sponge). Stuff the bottom of the inside of your filter with the floss to trap dirt, you don't really need too much. Throw this away each time you clean. The rest of the filter can be packed with the sponges. You can rinse them out each time, or another thing people do is have 2 sponges. Rinse the bottom one out really well in several changes of aforementioned treated water and then move the top sponge to the bottom and put the cleaned one on top, so you're always on a rotation. If you're switching to sponges, leave some of your old batting in at first.
I'm using an example of filling the filter chambers of an AquaClear filter, I'm not sure exactly how your filter brand is configured so a pic wouldn't be much help. In Aquaclears, the water moves bottom to top, there are some that move side to side. Same idea, batting would be where the water first enters, sponge in the rest.
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I see. So i just rinse the quilt battling in the tank water...that sounds a bit too risky and a dusty..wont my old/new tap tank water be very polluted with dust though?I mean since all that time the quilt has been trapping dust and everything in it's path. So your point is that at least im rubbing good bacteria on my tank, instead of washing/wasting away the good bacteria on the sink?So this good bacteria constantly grows and grows, right? It's cause now that i know, i want my dad to stop using too much carbon all the time;wastes too much money and time. Thanks kveeti for helping =) Also is it true that if you keep gravel in your tank, the pebbles too, will grow good bacteria? :idea:
Here's a little more specific info on rinsing/replacing filters and when and how to do this....
http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/board/Topic110052-5-1.aspx
-Red
http://www.aquariumfish.com/aquariumfish/board/Topic110052-5-1.aspx
-Red
Not in your tank. When you do your water changes, empty some of the old water into your fish-only container (I have several fish-only basins and pails) Or, put treated water in the utensil to rinse. Swish stuff around in that.
You will not lose much bacteria by rinsing it and throwing the dirty water away. However, if you are worried about that, then rinse half each time. The bacteria multiply and since there are bacteria on other surfaces (you are correct about the pebbles, etc. - however bacteria like oxygen and there are more in your filter because of the constant water movement through there but they are also on all the tubings and walls of the filter), they will quickly replace the bit that is lost. I personally would consider switching half the batting to sponges, they are easier/sturdier to rinse out.
edit... read the article reddog linked to, it's good.
NeonFlux said:
You will not lose much bacteria by rinsing it and throwing the dirty water away. However, if you are worried about that, then rinse half each time. The bacteria multiply and since there are bacteria on other surfaces (you are correct about the pebbles, etc. - however bacteria like oxygen and there are more in your filter because of the constant water movement through there but they are also on all the tubings and walls of the filter), they will quickly replace the bit that is lost. I personally would consider switching half the batting to sponges, they are easier/sturdier to rinse out.
edit... read the article reddog linked to, it's good.
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bacteria is supported by the food. you will only grow 'good' bacteria = to amount of food.
quilt batting on top of filter..water running thru batting will supportbeneficial bacteria.
you can grow algae on batting that is not submerged..you can also grow bacteria cultures on objects subjected to moisture ie glass , batting etc suspended above the water line but subjected to moisture.
so I am a bit confused by this post also. a picture would help I think :huh:
quilt batting on top of filter..water running thru batting will supportbeneficial bacteria.
you can grow algae on batting that is not submerged..you can also grow bacteria cultures on objects subjected to moisture ie glass , batting etc suspended above the water line but subjected to moisture.
so I am a bit confused by this post also. a picture would help I think :huh:
Too many problems the world can't solve...
Lack of communication...
C'mon people, I know the English language isn't the easiest language to master and there are many words that have more than one meaning but really...on top of the filter? NO, not literally!
Quilt batting works well albeit cloggs quicker than sponges as kveeti so deftly pointed out. It's very cheap and if you place it on top of your filter, meaning on top of all your other filter media, meaning the last in line of media to receive water flowing through your filter, I would not use very much and throw it out instead of rinsing it. If you throw away a large percentage of your filter media, you will be throwing away a large percentage of your biological filter. Because water is flowing around the media in your filter always, it is a great place for the beneficial bacteria to grow. Yes, they grow anywhere/everywhere in your tank but they are highly concentrated in your filter. If you only throw away a small part of your filter media, you only throw away a small part of your beneficial bacteria colony, which is good. Yes, you can just rinse it in a bucket that has some tank water or otherwise dechlorinated water in it as well and re-use it.
If you look, you may find batting for cribs which is actually sold in a sheet rolled up. You could cut a piece for any size filter basket or just use a single sheet as the last in line for a fine filter pad in your (on your
) filter!
Oh yeah, if you haven't already...read the article Reddog linked :cool2:
star, give an organism what it needs and you can grow it anywhere!
Lack of communication...
C'mon people, I know the English language isn't the easiest language to master and there are many words that have more than one meaning but really...on top of the filter? NO, not literally!
Quilt batting works well albeit cloggs quicker than sponges as kveeti so deftly pointed out. It's very cheap and if you place it on top of your filter, meaning on top of all your other filter media, meaning the last in line of media to receive water flowing through your filter, I would not use very much and throw it out instead of rinsing it. If you throw away a large percentage of your filter media, you will be throwing away a large percentage of your biological filter. Because water is flowing around the media in your filter always, it is a great place for the beneficial bacteria to grow. Yes, they grow anywhere/everywhere in your tank but they are highly concentrated in your filter. If you only throw away a small part of your filter media, you only throw away a small part of your beneficial bacteria colony, which is good. Yes, you can just rinse it in a bucket that has some tank water or otherwise dechlorinated water in it as well and re-use it.
If you look, you may find batting for cribs which is actually sold in a sheet rolled up. You could cut a piece for any size filter basket or just use a single sheet as the last in line for a fine filter pad in your (on your
) filter!Oh yeah, if you haven't already...read the article Reddog linked :cool2:
star, give an organism what it needs and you can grow it anywhere!
