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Re: Biological filter in planted tanks
On Tue, 11 Apr 2000, Adrian Banica wrote:
> What is everybody's opinion on this? I was thinking of compiling a list
> of pros and cons for each case but I would rather wait and find out if
> anybody is interested in this subject out there before wasting space and
> time.
Not speaking for everybody, I'm sure...
Planted tanks without bacterial filters work just fine. The way you're
going about it should be fairly safe, but you do still need to circulate
water in the tank.
I started shutting down and removing bacterial filters on my tanks several
years ago. In the first test case I monitored ammonia once or twice a day
and never found measurable levels. When I rebuilt a couple tanks this
winter I didn't think twice about putting bacterial filters on them.
There's no need.
For greater safety, the fish load should be moderate to low and the plant
density moderate to high (let's say, at least 50% areal coverage) with
good light and added CO2.
Avoiding bacterial filters gives a simpler, less expesive and usually
quieter setup. Reducing the competition for ammonia should (all else
being equal) produce better plant growth. In one of my tanks it also
increased the incidence of green water.
Roger Miller