Biological filtration for QT

mitchrapp · 04/19/2015, 05:50 PM

Currently I have a Penguin 200 biowheel seeded from my DT as biological filtration for my QT. However, if I have problems in my QT and need to sterilize it, I have to throw the biowheel out. At around $10 a pop, this can get expensive. Is there a cheaper option? Can I ditch the biowheel, seed a sponge and put the sponge in the powerfilter where the cartridge would go? Would the biological filtration capacity be drastically reduced by using a sponge instead of a biowheel?

cloak · 04/19/2015, 06:27 PM

Couldn't you just soak the biowheel in a mild bleach solution for a few hours or so? Give it a good rinse under the faucet the next time you want to use it and you should be set IMO. FWIW back in the day when the coral skeletons used to get covered with algae this is how we cleaned them. No problem.

The sponge option will work too btw.

04/19/2015, 05:50 PM	#1
mitchrapp Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 297	Biological filtration for QT Currently I have a Penguin 200 biowheel seeded from my DT as biological filtration for my QT. However, if I have problems in my QT and need to sterilize it, I have to throw the biowheel out. At around $10 a pop, this can get expensive. Is there a cheaper option? Can I ditch the biowheel, seed a sponge and put the sponge in the powerfilter where the cartridge would go? Would the biological filtration capacity be drastically reduced by using a sponge instead of a biowheel?

04/19/2015, 06:27 PM	#2
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Couldn't you just soak the biowheel in a mild bleach solution for a few hours or so? Give it a good rinse under the faucet the next time you want to use it and you should be set IMO. FWIW back in the day when the coral skeletons used to get covered with algae this is how we cleaned them. No problem. The sponge option will work too btw.