Almost all of the DIY bio filters and retail bought canister filters the Biological media are submerged under water. Even a powerhead with a sponge on it.Yet the Bio-wheel type is up getting air. Do I understand it right that the submerged bio filters get enough oxygen from the water to cultivate the bacteria? Thanks in advance.
Submerged Bio filter do I understand it correct?
- Thread starter Chaka
- Start date
Interesting, because most people are in general agreement that a wet/dry filter is more effective than say, a canister, because the bacteria has better access to air. Do you think thats false or unnecessary?
I very well could be wrong on this, but I believe the difference is that the wet / dry filters are exposed to air within a closed environment and the wheels actually see the outside air (more prone to contamination, louder, and more likely to fail). If the wheel stops, the bacteria that doesn't stay wet, dies. The more moving pieces, the more likely a failure can occur. I run a bio-wheel but have a canister (XP2) running too and am glad for it since the wheel has stopped a few times. Interesting topic though.
Definitely unnecessary. They just add more noise. Most of the filtration occurs inside the tank by the substrate and plants. Only if you are using a barebottom tank would it have a marginal benefit.
I'm not sure I buy this statement, and its practically impossible to prove. However, practice has shown that bacteria does better in areas of high flow, which allows it to absorb more ammonia/nitrite from the water column vs. a stagnant pool. Flow is highest in the filter. By that logic, you could get rid of the filter altogether and drop a powerhead in the tank and be fine. Does some biofiltration occur at shallow depths in the substrate? Sure. Is that alone enough to sustain life in a stocked tank? I don't know, but I'm not about to toss my filters to try it.
I agree with you for FW, but it'd be interesting to get a Saltie opinion since that is exactly what they do with live rock. BTW- All my tanks are FW so I'll keep my filters too.
Right, but flows in FOWLR tanks approach 10-15x turnover per hour, and 25x+ turnover per hour in reef tanks, which basically turns the entire tank into a high-flow area. That, coupled with the large amounts of rock used, I agree does make a very doable filtration system without an external "filter". Thats a bit more than just a powerhead blowing over the gravel though. Think more along the lines of a Rena XP2 or XP3 on a 10 gal with the spray bar blowing across the tank, and using bioballs or lava rock instead of gravel, and you'd have a fair comparison.
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