Filters

[Amy C]

Maybe because of aquatics I keep but my understanding is filters don't do any house cleaning. They provide bennificial bacteria and water movement for gases correct? Or is there a super filter that house cleans as well?  Reason I ask this is because I have read many things about this fish or that fishes create lots if waste and you have to have this and that filter. I learned from experience that filters don't clean only I do lol. Water changes and cleaning decor but not cleaning filter is the way to go.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Amy C

[nabokovfan87]

Filters do a variety of things, especially depending on what kind of filtration.  What type of filter were you trying to decide on? Hang on back, sponge, canister, matten?

Edited April 4, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Amy C]

Trying to figure out what others are stating that will "clean"  tank.

I've had hang on the back with aquariums and don't want those ever again. Power outage is dreadful for them as they need primed after power is restarted or pump is likely to burn up mind no filtration during. Under gravel ones are too problematic imo...I have some really big gravity filters and some submersible ones that I use for oxygenation,release of toxic gases and bennificial bacteria. None clean the tanks or ponds...they do get full and need rinsed out but noway they take care of the cleaning.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Amy C

[Amy C]

Getting my first sponge filters soon 😉

Edited April 4, 2022 by Amy C

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/3/2022 at 11:44 PM, Amy C said:

Getting my first dponge filters soon

so what a sponge filter will do:
1. Aeration and oxygen exchange by adding air to the tank (surface of the water moves)
2. polish / clean the water (particles suspended in the water itself
3. host bacteria for the nitrogen cycle
4. host food for smaller fish and shrimp

what it wont do:
1. scrape the glass from algae
2. control the amount of waste (the waste is still in the tank
3. vacuum the substrate and remove detritus.

[Sun.singh1991]

Okay so there are a few hang on the back filters that can selfprime after a power outage. Marineland Penguin pro and Seachem Tidal filters have pumps inside the water so they can self prime. However, there is no filter that will completely clean your whole tank. You will have to remove algae off the glass, remove dead fish and plant leaves, etc. 

[Amy C]

That's what I thought just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on a super maid. Thanks

[Amy C]

Cycling water is kinda same subject as in the following always worked for me...I get a new tank then I add 50% water from an old tank then add fresh to both...new tank I add a fish(most of the time its a goldfish) til the new tank's full time resident is here. Could be instantly or sometimes a few days. Water change (50%) once a week there after. Til things look good then accordingly. Alot of my tanks don't need water changes but only need filled. Axolotl tanks im super protective about so I definitely do even if it's only my nitrates at 30-35...am I wrong for this? Am I missing something 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Amy C

[Widgets]

Yes, you are basically correct that filters do not actually clean your tank, but only if you consider that everything that they filter out of the tank is still there until you clean/recharge the filter media. The filter does help concentrate the wastes into a smaller area, so you have less to deal with when you do your cleaning. 

It is unfortunate that you have had bad experiences (or heard about bad experiences) with various types of filters. They all work, but they all have their issues with setup and maintenance. If you don't set them up correctly or neglect to maintain them properly, you will experience problems. Every filter needs maintenance of some sort.

As far as cycling the tank, there are many methods. You are trying to build up your colonies of beneficial bacteria to process Ammonia to Nitrites to Nitrates. They live on surfaces, so there is probably not much free floating in the water unless you have recently scraped the glass or include the mulm from cleaning your filter media. I think you will find that adding a sponge filter that has been running in an established tank will speed up the cycling process because it brings a concentration of beneficial bacteria to the new tank.

Once the tank is cycled and running, the water quality should dictate the water changes, but there should be some minimum water change frequency. Without some level of removing some water and replenishing with fresh water, concentrations of some items in the water can build up. Many things do not evaporate and concentrations build up in the water. We cannot test for everything, the regular water changes help keep those untested parameters under control. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Widgets
Stupid typos

[Odd Duck]

On 4/4/2022 at 1:54 AM, Amy C said:

That's what I thought just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on a super maid. Thanks

If you find one, let me know.  I need a super maid!

I like the HOB’s that have their pump in the water since they restart like a dream and are quieter than other HOB’s I’ve had.  I also have used UG filters off and on for decades and have recently started putting down matten filters as substrate thanks to @gardenman.  They seem to be working extremely well.  Each type of filter has good points and bad points.  It’s a matter of which bad points you’re willing to tolerate and which good points mean the most for you.

[Guppysnail]

If someone designs a Roomba for tanks they will be billionaires.🤣 I want one please. I select filtration based on the flow I’m trying to create. As far as biological they all perform equally for me when set up correctly. Mechanical: canister, ugf or hobs do well sponge and box not so much. Though I do keep sponges in all my tanks because I use airstones and why not add a sponge so I have power out/failure backup filtration and sponges to seed new tanks. 

[AndEEss]

On 4/4/2022 at 12:34 AM, Amy C said:

Trying to figure out what others are stating that will "clean"  tank.

I've had hang on the back with aquariums and don't want those ever again. Power outage is dreadful for them as they need primed after power is restarted or pump is likely to burn up mind no filtration during. Under gravel ones are too problematic imo...I have some really big gravity filters and some submersible ones that I use for oxygenation,release of toxic gases and bennificial bacteria. None clean the tanks or ponds...they do get full and need rinsed out but noway they take care of the cleaning.

This is factually incorrect. There are plenty of HOBs that restart without priming. Seachem Tidal series, for example.

Also, there is no filter that will scrape the algae off of your glass. If you want to avoid algae, figure out what kind of algae it is, what causes it to grow, and adjust that parameter. Whether it's too much light, N (from fish waste), or some other macro that is in excess or there is too little of, you can usually adjust that parameter to reduce algae growth.

[JettsPapa]

On 4/4/2022 at 1:21 AM, Amy C said:

Maybe because of aquatics I keep but my understanding is filters don't do any house cleaning. They provide bennificial bacteria and water movement for gases correct? Or is there a super filter that house cleans as well?  Reason I ask this is because I have read many things about this fish or that fishes create lots if waste and you have to have this and that filter. I learned from experience that filters don't clean only I do lol. Water changes and cleaning decor but not cleaning filter is the way to go.

If filters didn't clean and only provided chemical filtration and water movement they would never need cleaning themselves.  They remove suspended particles from the water.  Some types do more of this than others.

On 4/4/2022 at 7:34 AM, Guppysnail said:

If someone designs a Roomba for tanks they will be billionaires.🤣 I want one please. I select filtration based on the flow I’m trying to create. As far as biological they all perform equally for me when set up correctly. Mechanical: canister, ugf or hobs do well sponge and box not so much. Though I do keep sponges in all my tanks because I use airstones and why not add a sponge so I have power out/failure backup filtration and sponges to seed new tanks. 

Those exist.  They're called snails.  When do I get my money?

[gardenman]

On 4/4/2022 at 2:21 AM, Amy C said:

Maybe because of aquatics I keep but my understanding is filters don't do any house cleaning. They provide bennificial bacteria and water movement for gases correct? Or is there a super filter that house cleans as well?  Reason I ask this is because I have read many things about this fish or that fishes create lots if waste and you have to have this and that filter. I learned from experience that filters don't clean only I do lol. Water changes and cleaning decor but not cleaning filter is the way to go.

There are specialty filters that physically remove waste from the water with little to no input from humans. In the koi, monster fish, and aquaculture world, they're rotary drum filters. Water from the tank/pond/whatever enters the drum where physical debris is caught in a fine screen. As that screen gets clogged, the water level rises in the drum. When it reaches a certain level, it activates the cleaning cycle. Then the drum is rotated and powerful water jets flush the debris from the screen into a gutter that carries it away for disposal. With the screen now clean, the water level falls and the cycle starts over again. You need a separate biofiltration system also.

In the aquarium hobby there are several companies (mostly targeting the reef keeping hobbyists) that use a rolling mat filter in much the same way. Water flows through the mat and as the water level rises due to the mat getting clogged, a switch is activated that advances the mat so the dirty section of the rolling mat is moved out of the water stream and a fresh section moves in to absorb more waste. Depending on your fish load, the mats can last for months before needing replacing.  

A small rotary drum type system for aquariums would be neat, but challenging to design. The rolling mat type filter is easier to design and build and could be integrated into a HOB without a lot of trouble. It would be doable, but expensive. Not as expensive as some of the higher end canister filters, but pricier than most hobbyists would pay. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I will add the Aqueon Quietflows are also self priming and I like mine. 

That is especially after I "hot rodded" it