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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!rmpinchback
From: rmpinchback@watmath.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Fishtank Moved
Message-ID: <15631@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: Mon, 23-Nov-87 18:59:29 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.15631
Posted: Mon Nov 23 18:59:29 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Nov-87 01:17:38 EST
References: <1753@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <4370@sol.ARPA> <1755@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: rmpinchback@watmath.waterloo.edu (Reid M. Pinchback)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 43
Keywords: Filtration
Summary: Use floss instead of carbon for greater surface area


If you want to improve the performance of the filtration, don't put your
hopes on carbon.  Carbon looses most of its effectiveness within a
day or so.  The reason your filtration worked so well was:
	(1) Bacterial colonies on filtration surfaces (ie: the surface of
	    the carbon, the filter paper, the plastic.
	(2) Aerobic/Anaerobic bacterial processes in the gravel (a small
	    part of the "gunk" you filtered up was doing a limited amount
	    of cleaning.  Be sure you always remove your fish before so
	    drastic a cleanup.  Ammonia levels go through the roof.
	(3) Large water volumes make for much more stable ecosystems.
	    Any changes in temperature, pH, ammonia are very slow.  In
	    addition, the large tank needed for the water will generally
	    have a substantial surface area, dramatically improving the
	    surface oxygen exchange.

The sheer volume of water those filters put out is enormous.  Good choice
of equipment.  Many things can be skimped on, but good filters and heaters
(for sensitive fish) are always a good investment. 

If you want to improve the filtration, try experimenting with the filtering
media.  Filter floss is cheap and much more effective than carbon.  Carbon
performance degrades with time, while floss performance follows sort of
a bell curve.  Carbon is useless (more or less) once you have used it for a
while.  Floss can be rinsed out with chlorine-free luke-warm water and
re-used.  In fact, it should be re-used a few times.  Fine grain (non-
sedimentary) aquarium gravel also makes for a good filtering medium.

If the cases of your filters don't screen out too much light, try placing them
near good light (sunlight or a grow-bulb).  This will cause green algae to
form on the filtering surfaces, improving certain aspects of the oxygen
exchange process.

Since you have two filters, try running different media in each, to get the
best of all worlds.

	Have fun.





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