Using AC filter for mechanical filtration in a reef tank???

yankeeslover

New member
for those following.. i have tank aprox 5-6 months old... some soft corals and a few fish. 46 gallon bowfront.. no sump or refugium.. I have eshopps hob skimmer.. I have had a nasty algae outbreak that im fighting since i installed LED lights..(post down below) I do have a question.. I have an old aquaclear 70 filter sitting in my closet.. I have had two local fish shops both tell me that I should be using this filter for mechanical filtration and that would help clear things up... they told me to use the foam in there with carbon. they are trying to tell me that this will clear up my algae issues...
First of all is this true? i have heard from day one that a mechanical filter is a nitrate factory and no good in a reef tank? i tried to ask them this and they both disagreed.... what is the general idea on this board? is it smart to use a mechanical filter since im only using a skimmer with no sump or refugium? and if it is smart then what kind of media should I be using in the AC70? they both told me to wash out the filter and the foam once per week... im just afraid after reading how these are nitrate factories and not to use in a reef tank...thanks...
 
It's the crud in the filter that raises nitrates. My nitrates are fine as long as I swap my filter socks every other day, idk if you want to clean a filter that often tho
You can also just run it for a few hours and then clean it.
 
You won't have any issues. Just rinse out the filter sponge after each water change. Make sure you rinse it out with the old exported salt water and not with fresh ro/di water as this would kill your beneficial bacteria. The filter sponge is the only thing that needs weekly attention in terms of the AC filter.
 
Filters only become "nitrate factories" if they're not cleaned & the organic matter inside is left to decompose from bacterial action, releasing nitrates & phosphates. Mechanical filtration can be a valuable tactic in algae control. So can water changes where you siphon up detrius any any algae you can pull of scrub off the rocks.

Although not as effective as using an upflow reactor, using a bag of GFO in your HOB filter should be helpful.
 
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