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Marine aquarium filter7/7/2023 Then I start my quarantine tank over the way I did the first time.I don’t want to return the sponge filter to the display tank, so I also clean it with freshwater and dry it. After my fish or coral finishes their quarantine, I clean out and dry the tank again (this prevents unwanted critters from sticking around).I grab the sponge filter from my sump and get the tank up and running, complete with conditioned water and an active, cycled biological filter.I top off the rest with newly made saltwater (that provides a 25% water change right away). Then when I buy a new fish or coral, I do a partial water change in the display tank and use the wastewater to fill ~75% of the quarantine tank.That cuts down on noise, maintenance, and electrical costs. I dry it out and let it “rest” rather than run it empty. When my display tank is stable, and I haven’t purchased a new fish or coral in a while, I shut my quarantine tank down.And it’s because of those two sponge filters. Either way, you’re going to want to install these filters, and your fish and invertebrates will thank you. Or you can pick and choose from the ideas that appeal the most. If you want all of the reasons you should stock up, read through the entire list. They offer plenty of intriguing thoughts on the possibilities this little (or not so little – it depends on your tank size) piece of equipment can provide. Don’t believe me? Well, that’s where these six handy reasons will come along and convince you otherwise! Table of Contents: Why You Need Sponge Filters in Your Aquariumīehold, the humble sponge filters! If you’ve never stopped to think about what they can do for your saltwater aquarium, just look at these links. And that’s where you’re missing a big opportunity to get your reef tank running efficiently. You may even feel sponge filters aren’t a big priority. Everyone needs them around – and knows they’re necessary in the back of their mind – but the handy pieces of filter media can get overlooked. I also remember looking under the tank watching the detritus that slipped through the filter build up.Īre there successful saltwater tanks run on undergravel filters? Very likely.When you start thinking about ALL of the equipment you need for your saltwater aquarium, it’s easy to overlook the little things – for instance, sponge filters. My first saltwater tank way back in 1989 sported an undergravel filter and I clearly remember the day I added 2 more powerheads to the undergravel filter as I was told that since I had more flow, I could have a lot more fish to my tank. Those of us with a reef tank, I highly doubt you are interested in potentially damaging your coral just to clean a filter. If you have an fish only with live rock (FOWLR) tank, you might be ok with re-aquascaping your tank every week or two. Also, if the rock that is sitting on top of the undergravel filter is not moved away, then there is no way to clean that section of the filter. I much prefer live rock to an undergravel filter as live rock is much easier to keep clean. All the detritus that is pushed into the water column can be siphoned out or back in the day canister filters were used to quickly filter the water. Cleaning is usually achieved by vacuuming the crushed coral or by pushing water through the undergravel filter in the reverse direction. Like any mechanical filter, an undergravel filter needs to be cleaned and cleaned regularly. Biological filtration is achieved as the water flow also provides oxygen for biological filtration to occur. The idea behind the undergravel filter is that mechanical filtration is achieved by large particles such as detritus or fish waste getting trapped in the crushed coral. Tagged as: biological filtration, mechanical filtration, undergravel filterĪn undergravel filter consists of a plastic plate with small slits that sits under the gravel (crushed coral is often used in saltwater tanks) and water is pulled through the plate by either an air stone or powerhead. Category: Equipment, Uncategorized, Write Up Wednesdays
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