Live rock in canister filter??

[bluetanggirl]

I was wondering if i could put some live rock in my Magnum 350 instead of having the carbon thing in there?? or would I be better off leaving the carbon thing in there??

 

[kingfisher62]

I don't know if that small amount of LR would be beneficial. I think you would be better off with the carbon.Why are you thinking of doing that ? To save money on the carbon.

 

[bluetanggirl]

To save money on carbon and to make it easier to clean.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Then don't put carbon in it. If you switch carbon for anything else, you lose the effect of carbon, so just don't put it in. Any other media would be better than live rock. Especially since live rock needs at least a little light.

Jeff

 

[Canadian Reefer]

Then don't put carbon in it. If you switch carbon for anything else, you lose the effect of carbon, so just don't put it in. Any other media would be better than live rock. Especially since live rock needs at least a little light.

Jeff

rock doesnt need light. It only needs light if you want coraline algae. I use rock in my sumps for bio filtration with no light and I dare not remove it because that would be real bad. I also use rock ruble in my coil denitrator instead of bioballs and I have no regrets

 

[bluetanggirl]

Is there anything else that I could put in there?? besides that carbon??

 

[zippgirl]

You can use purigen, which can be regenerated, you can use some type of phosphate removal if you have problems with algae. You can use chem pure which last longer than carbon.

 

[kingfisher62]

You could use those ceramic filter rings but you would need to rinse out in saltwater every week or two to get rid of detrius.

https://www.petsolutions.com/Marineland-Ceramic-Filter-Rings+I47490323+C40003204.aspx

 

[bluetanggirl]

You could use those ceramic filter rings but you would need to rinse out in saltwater every week or two to get rid of detrius.

https://www.petsolutions.com/Marineland-Ceramic-Filter-Rings+I47490323+C40003204.aspx

I actually have some of those.. but i dont have that many..

 

[kingfisher62]

Well if you bought more it would still be cheaper than replacing carbon every week or two.

 

[bluetanggirl]

so all you have to do is rinse them off and you never have to replace them??

 

[Coolibabes]

Why don't you just fill the whole cannister filter with Liverock rubble?? That is what I did with my fluval cannister filter on my 10ft tank. It will create a cryptic zone and you would never have to open it to clean/rinse at all. For more information on cryptic zones see URL attached... http://www.reef-eden.net/cryptic_zones.htm

 

[kingfisher62]

so all you have to do is rinse them off and you never have to replace them??

I am not familiar with your filter but if sediment gets in the tubes and is not rinsed out they can become nitrate factories. Yeah basically you just rinse them off and use again. Basically it is a good home for colonies of beneficial bacteria. After a year or two the pores of the tubes can get clogged and not be as efficiant. and you might have to replace them then.

 

[bluetanggirl]

i think i am going to have to switch to the ceramic media thenn.

 

[Fishamatank]

live rock or the ceramic rings serve the purpose of added bio filtration. both would need to be rinsed or cleaned occasionally, as they will collect things and can lead to increased nitrates. You could also use bio balls, all accomplish the same thing.

carbon is chemical filtration and helps remove some organics. It needs to be replaced when it is exhausted.


They serve different purposes. Myself, I prefer to get my bio filtration from the rock in the DT and run carbon and phosban in reactors. I would not give up carbon or phosban for more rock.

A couple of comments from above - LR does not need light to serve as a media for bacteria. LR does need to be rinsed if it is put in a canister as it will collect detritus just as bio balls or any other bio media.

 

[bluetanggirl]

ok maybe i will just use the little pieces of live rock and just rinse it every once and a while.. live rock it is.. thankss for all the advice/ comments.

 

[scubasteve06]

Put reef rubble or live rock rubble some people call it in there that will be what you'd want to do in your case I think you've decided that too.

 

[Coolibabes]

LR does need to be rinsed if it is put in a canister as it will collect detritus just as bio balls or any other bio media.

Each to their own Fishamatank. I'm just conveying what I have experienced first hand. I ran a fluval 404 with only liverock rubble (little pieces of liverock) in the baskets without opening it once and never had a problem with nitrites or anything else for that matter for the entire time (2 1/2 years) I had my 10 footer. When I did open it up after stripping my tank, I was amazed with the life that was housed in there and surprise surprise, very little detritus. I reckon if you do rinse the liverock or expose it to light it would in all probability kill off most/all those beneficial organisms living in the cryptic zone!

I do, however, agree with you where any artificial media, i.e. bio balls and ceramic noodles are concerned. For marine tanks, they are definately nitrite factories if they are not rinsed regularly. Once again, I'm just noting my positive experience and not trying to stir up an argument.:beer:

 

[Fishamatank]

Glad you've had success with it. The benefits of a cryptic zone are quite debatable, many think that they do not really help much.

 

[One fish]

That's the one thing I don't understand. How do people think filling a canister with rock or rubble is different then bio balls? It's the same thing right? Unless **** gets stuck in the cracks of the bioballs. Someone explain this to me please!!