setup help

[Doug]

Mark, they just create nitrates like wet drys, bio wheels and under gravels. Then water changes must be greater to remove the nitrates. However your correct in that they are very efficient at doing their job.

I would not use any of them unless needed for biological filtration, {less live rock and no sandbed.

Something like a Jaubert plenum would provide all the bio filtration needed, plus no nitrates. If so wished, a dsb and shallow sand bed, {somewhat}, will provide the same.

If I was doing a fish only, I would use an abundance of live rock to provide most of the bio filtration.

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Doug

Mark, they just create nitrates....

Isn't that their purpose? Nitrification.
Do you mean excessive nitrates?

Cheers,

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

Isn't that their purpose? Nitrification.
Do you mean excessive nitrates?

Cheers,

yes.

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Doug

yes.

Hmm. That is interesting. This is the first I have heard of that.

I have a Rainbow Lifegard 600 fluidized bed on my 135g reef tank, with a 33g sump, so 160g gross. 227 lbs of LR. Nitrates are still < 5mg, but the whole setup is still only 5 months old.

I also have a 600 on my 90g Discus tank, that has been running for 4? years. Of that tank and my other two FW tanks, 135g Cichlid tank and 70 African Cichlid tank, the Discus tank has the lowest nitrates (5mg) and is the easiest to manage. There are no fluidized beds on the other two FW tanks.
The only other difference is that the Discus tank is planted, whereas the other two are not.

Do you know of any source material on this matter that you can direct me toward?
I'd like to read up on this more.

Thanx much,


PS I did a search on RC, but you know how that can sometimes go if your not a paying member

[Willow]

i bet if you removed your fluidized filter you wouldnt notice any diffrence at all. you would also get 10x the bang for the buck with a fuge!

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Willow

... you would also get 10x the bang for the buck with a fuge!

I would love to set up a 'fuge, but my work situation makes it impractical. I'm away from home frequently and maintaining a 'fuge just can't be done when I'm not there. Someday, though and thanx for the input.

Cheers,

[Willow]

what maintence? you cut back the macro every few weeks.

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Willow

what maintence? you cut back the macro every few weeks.

Okay, but I'm gone for as long as 4 weeks at a time, not just a few. If I could be guaranteed that there is no chance that the return pump strainer wouldn't get clogged with macro in that time, then ya, I'd do it. But that's a risk I'm not willing to take. Believe me, I've thought of doing a fuge before. Would love to do it. It's just too risky. (And in case you might be wonderin' "Well the guy's Discus tank is planted. Don't strainers get clogged in that tank?" The two 404 canisters I have on that tank are plumbed onto a UG filter and the fluidized has a pre filter foam on the powerhead, so there's no strainers to clog.)

Cheers,

[Johnny Reefer]

As well...I've just read (I'm new to this and still learning) in "Reef Invertebrates", by Calfo & Fenner, that infrequent pruning of macro in a fuge can lead to the macro reaching sexual maturity and reproduction with "...numerous, dangerous implications..." as a result.
Another good reason, IMO, to not go fuge with a work sched that involves being away for 4 weeks.

Cheers,

[muck]

unless you use chaeto..