removing filter media?

[aaronttan]

Hi all,

 

Thanks for all the great info on here! I'm a nano reefer from Sydney....I have a 30 litre (7 gallon) nano that I have been running for about 6 months now. Things are going great with a 26 watt 50/50 actinic/daylight power compact, an eheim powerball for water flow/filtration and a second in-tank filter that came with the tank.

 

I have about 4 kg (8.8lb) of liverock, a small (but growing) green BTA, 2 zoo colonies, about 10 shrooms and a growing duncanopsamma. Coraline algae growing well and a small clean up crew of 3 snails does a great job.

 

My question is, should I remove all the filtration material minus the carbon and phosphate remover? I've taken one sponge out already leaving one more sponge and a compartment of ceramic noodles. I'm worried that this will 1. cause a nitrite/ammonia spike and 2. the sponge gets cleaned once a week during my water changes and quite a lot of gunk comes off of it, and isn't this better out than in?

 

I'd love your advice. Thanks in advance.

 

Aaron.

[MGXsport]

As long as you clean it as often as you say you do I don't see why it would be a problem to have the filter in.

[aaronttan]

thanks Chris......would it contribute to nitrate build up leaving the ceramic noodles and sponge in?

[MGXsport]

not sure about the ceramics form experience but I heard that they can build up nitrates.

 

I don't think the sponge would as much because you clean it once a week. This is a good way to get some of the gunk out.

[Reefmaniac]

The short story; any mechanical media will contribute to nitrates: Due to the highly aerobic environment, the aerobic bacteria in the media are producing nitrates faster than the anaerobic bacteria in the tank can get rid of it. Ditch the mechanical media.

[fallen]

Originally posted by Reefmaniac

The short story; any mechanical media will contribute to nitrates:  Due to the highly aerobic environment, the aerobic bacteria in the media are producing nitrates faster than the anaerobic bacteria in the tank can get rid of it.  Ditch the mechanical media.

 

Reefmaniac,

 

I am new to the hobby, and have heard and read about this before. Can you explain this to me? As I understand it so far, the nitrogen cycle will convert the ammonia to nitrIte. The nitrIte is then converted to nitrAte. Then anaeorbic bacteria (deep in the substrate sand/gravel?) helps convert the nitrAte to free nitrogen.

 

But, isn't the mechanical media doing what it's supposed to do (converting the nitrIte to nitrAte)? Is it not better to convert this nitrIte to nitrAte than to leave the nitrIte in the tank? Or does the mechanical media create nitrAte somehow independently?

 

Thanks for your info,