Hello,
One of the most common problems I see new aquarists make is improper filter care. Many new aquarists buy HOBs that have replacable filter cartridges. Unfortunately, if the aquarist decides to replace such a filter cartridge, then the aquarist risks removing a large portion of the beneficial bacteria. The net result is often a system crash that kills many innocent fish.
Another big problem I see is modern aquarium decorations: they are usually non-porous and people tend to use them rather sparingly. In recent years there has been a bit of trend that emphasizes "clean" aquariums, or aquariums with very few decorations so that the fish are easier to find and watch. The problem with these practices, however, is that non-porous decorations do not offer beneficial bacteria much room to grow and sparsely decorating the tank further decreases the living space available to bacteria.
How does one solve such a problem? Well, if you are like me, then you could go back to some of the old technology and take a few lessons from the old masters. One masterful filter design was the UGF: undergravel filters used the entire gravel bed as their filter medium and thus had very low risk of removing too much bacteria. However, air-powered UGFs are often under-powered and those driven by powerheads can become clogged (the reverse-flow powerheads typically do not have this problem).
Another older design is the plenum (Janbert system) which is essentially a UGF grid without uplift tubes. Instead of pulling the water directly through the substrate (which can lead to clogging), the plenum uses residual flow from circulation pumps to bring nutrition to the filter bacteria. This design is incredibly simple yet very effective.
Still another older idea is algae-scrubbers. AS filters (algae-scrubbers) use live algae to remove many polutants and, ironically, tend to reduce the amount of algae in the main tank if they are used in a sump.
After looking over some of these past designs, I have implemented a system in my own tanks that incorporates all of the above ideas:
Doing simple things like these (adding more porous decorations and more places for the bacteria to grow) greatly reduces the burden placed on the filter itself. It is my advice to all HOB users to consider adding some residual flow devices to their own tanks to minimize the effects of changing filter cartridges. (Residual flow devices are anything that is porous that is placed in the water flow.)
MOA
One of the most common problems I see new aquarists make is improper filter care. Many new aquarists buy HOBs that have replacable filter cartridges. Unfortunately, if the aquarist decides to replace such a filter cartridge, then the aquarist risks removing a large portion of the beneficial bacteria. The net result is often a system crash that kills many innocent fish.
Another big problem I see is modern aquarium decorations: they are usually non-porous and people tend to use them rather sparingly. In recent years there has been a bit of trend that emphasizes "clean" aquariums, or aquariums with very few decorations so that the fish are easier to find and watch. The problem with these practices, however, is that non-porous decorations do not offer beneficial bacteria much room to grow and sparsely decorating the tank further decreases the living space available to bacteria.
How does one solve such a problem? Well, if you are like me, then you could go back to some of the old technology and take a few lessons from the old masters. One masterful filter design was the UGF: undergravel filters used the entire gravel bed as their filter medium and thus had very low risk of removing too much bacteria. However, air-powered UGFs are often under-powered and those driven by powerheads can become clogged (the reverse-flow powerheads typically do not have this problem).
Another older design is the plenum (Janbert system) which is essentially a UGF grid without uplift tubes. Instead of pulling the water directly through the substrate (which can lead to clogging), the plenum uses residual flow from circulation pumps to bring nutrition to the filter bacteria. This design is incredibly simple yet very effective.
Still another older idea is algae-scrubbers. AS filters (algae-scrubbers) use live algae to remove many polutants and, ironically, tend to reduce the amount of algae in the main tank if they are used in a sump.
After looking over some of these past designs, I have implemented a system in my own tanks that incorporates all of the above ideas:
- I used a UGF plate without uplift tubes
- I use almost any kind of circulation pump (though powerheads are my favorite)
- I use tons of lava rock and natural, home-made driftwood as such are much more porous
- I use either a sump to grow algae in or just let it grow in the tank (keeping the glass clean, of course)
Doing simple things like these (adding more porous decorations and more places for the bacteria to grow) greatly reduces the burden placed on the filter itself. It is my advice to all HOB users to consider adding some residual flow devices to their own tanks to minimize the effects of changing filter cartridges. (Residual flow devices are anything that is porous that is placed in the water flow.)
MOA
