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Ceramic rings?


Razorwitz

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Razorwitz

I'm in the process of putting together a JBJ 20RL rimless all in one..  It came with this bag of ceramic rings for biological filtration..  Should I use these, or should I just break up some of this dry rock to put in the bottom as rubble?  Use some of both?  Any suggestions on what else to do for filtration in this tank?  I was originally planning on putting some chaeto in the middle chamber, but I'm starting to re-think that.

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rough eye

put in the bottom of what? 

 

the rock in the display area of your tank will become your primary filtration, as the bacteria on that rock (when there's a mature population of bacteria developed) will convert harmful ammonia and nitrites to less harmful nitrates. if you plan to put anything on the bottom of the back chambers put it in a mesh bag, so it can be easily removed for cleaning.

 

i have 3 little bags of ceramic media in the back chambers for added filtration. i probably don't need it.

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I agree.  The biological media that comes with new tanks is for freshwater setups that need additional surface area for nitrifying bacteria colonies.  Additional biological filtration isn't necessary for marine tanks with live rock in the display.

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blasterman

What Seabass said.

 

The amount of bacteria in your tank is limited by the number of fish producing ammonia and waste. These bacteria don't care what they grow on. Substrate and rock in your main tank is all that's needed.

 

Ceramic rings, bio media, wet drys, bio wheels and other nonsense are just marketing gimmicks with no real value in fresh or salt water reefing. Case in point, look at all the goldfish or feeders crammed into bare bottom tanks at your pet store with no ammonia problems.

 

If anything this stuff can create a potential problem. Nitrifying bacteria prefer areas with lots of 02 and water movement. This means they will migrate to areas with lots of flow because it's an easier living. So, if a big chunk of your biological filter is sitting in a back filter or cannister and you clean them your biological filter takes a hit. Hopefully by now you are scratching your head and saying "yeah, this stuff makes zero sense".

 

BRS actually did some tests on those big ceramic bricks that are supposed to help with nitrate reduction and their tests proved no benefit.

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