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03/04/2013, 01:56 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 3
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New to RC, hello! Question: Is there such a thing as TOO much filtration?
I am less than 1yr. into reefing or salt for that matter. After a lifetime of freshwater tanks my wife and I finally decided to commit ourselves financially to a successful saltwater reef aquarium. We decided to start out with a 75 gallon, (our current fw is 135 but too old for salt), we recently updated the lighting to programmable Euphotica LED hangers (dual units), we chose a 2 and a half inch live sand bed with 25 pounds of crushed coral on top. We took our time and selected 100 pounds of beautiful live rock with lots of good things going on and cycled it separately before adding it. We have an overrated protein skimmer with an additional internal power head for water flow. There are roughly 30 or 40 hermit crabs of different types and about the same in snails... A couple of different kinds of shrimp, two cleaner clams, 3 emerald crabs, a red knobby star, brittle star, two true perculas, a small blue throat trigger, yellow tang, and a coal beauty. There are two or three different types of soft corals / polyps currently. My temp is steady at 75°, spg @ 1.023 / 1.024, and ph 8.2. All tests are good except nitrites and trates not 0
I am running on an Eheim 2213 canister filter along with 2 Marineland 200 bios. My question is there such a thing as too much filtration and why can't I get my nitrite and nitrates under control even though I am filtering my water extensively? Any suggestions appreciated |
03/04/2013, 04:36 AM | #2 | |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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03/04/2013, 05:37 AM | #3 |
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bethlehem, PA
Posts: 3,024
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I would imagine the canister filter and the bio wheel filters are actually contributing significantly to the nitrate problem. As suggested above, I'd look into possibly doing a sump and ditching the canister and bio wheels altogether.
Can you give us a full run down of your exact parameters (with units please) and the brand test kits you are using? If you have detectable nitrites there is an issue with your biological filtration (IE your tank isn't fully cycled or you added too many fish too fast and are experiencing another mini cycle). It's possible the test kits are off, though, depending on what brand they are.
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03/04/2013, 09:26 AM | #4 |
My Clown Attacks Me
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Akron, OH
Posts: 2,105
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Is the tank a year old? Did you go through a normal cycle to where your Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates did reach 0?
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100 Gallon Long with 20L sump 10 Gallon Office Tank Current Tank Info: 2 False Percula Clowns, One Spot Foxface, Diamond Watchman Goby, Yellow Tail Damsel, Engineer Goby |
03/04/2013, 10:01 AM | #5 |
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Ohio
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As I read your post, your question really is more about nitrite and nitrate issues rather than over filtering. Over filtering is not causing your nitrite, nitrate issues.
What are your nitrite and nitrate numbers? Unusual to still have nitrites for a 1 year old tank. What test kits are you using? NOT unusual to NOT have 0 nitrates. Just peruse the threads here in the noob forum and in the reef forum. Lots of people with all the right equipment have nitrate issues. OTOH, some people with the wrong equipment do NOT have nitrate issues. I am one of those wrong equipment people, since I have 2 giant biowheels in my sump, but have 0 nitrates. It's all about nitrate control. Avoiding overfeeding and that overrated skimmer decrease nitrate production, while water changes and refugiums with macroalgae increase nitrate export. How much are you feeding, and can you feed less? How much and how often are you doing water changes? Any room for a sump refugium or a HOB refugium, or an ATS?
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Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam |
03/05/2013, 06:54 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: St Charles Mo
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Yes. It's called sterility syndrome. Your critters gotta eat. Keep nitrates and phosphates below 10. Preferably 5. Science will do the rest
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