The Great Mechanical Filtration Experiment

[Bradders]

Well, some of us are bored, so it's time to start tinkering. (Fed up with spreadsheets, so moving on to a practicable).

I currently use the Oase Biomaster 250 canister for my aquarium filtration. Despite some negatives, it is quite a workhorse and does not give me much bother - and the aquarium is healthy with very clear water. The only nag (if you can call it that) is that I have to clean the pre-filter around once a week because the flow starts to slow. Some of this is due to the poor pipe design; some of this is because it collects waste and starts to clog and reduce the flow. So, what if I don't want to clean the pre-filter every week BUT I also want to maintain my water quality? Sounds like a challenge to me.

There is some evidence that if your bio media is mature and you are not overloading your aquarium, then the biofiltration should be able to deal with DoCs and faeces, etc - i.e. you don't need to place so much emphasis on the mechanical stage if you have great biofiltration. And therein lies the driver for the experiment - what if I dropped the pre-filter sponge down to 30PPI or 10PPI or nothing (straight-through)? Would I maintain a healthy aquarium with very clear water and almost never clean (open) the canister? Or at least greatly reduce the need to perform maintenance?

Over the coming weeks/months, I am going to experiment with lessening the usage of mechanical filtration - which currently (in the Oase) is a standard 45PPI foam for the pre-filter:

1. Reducing to 30PPI (33% decrease from standard)
2. Reducing to 10PPI (77% decrease from standard)
3. Removing all mechanical (100% decrease from standard).

The success criteria, sadly, will be more qualitative than quantitative. i.e. does the water still look very, very clear, are the inhabitants/plants still thriving and is flow starting to slow? But my ultimate goal is to see if I can reduce the maintenance required to a minimum of once a month, if not 6-months to a year, WITHOUT reducing water clarity and inhabitant health. I'll post some photos, of course, so that everyone can see what I am seeing.

As this is the start of the experiment, happy to take some early comments (so we can record early predictions) and also any feedback on how we can really improve the data output to prove success or failure.

It's all a bit of a folly, to be honest. But If I can reduce the maintenance without hurting fish and plants, then that would not be such a bad outcome - I might even save a few pennies on equipment and save some time in the process, too.

Thoughts, ideas, (and even outrage) welcome!

Regards,
Brad

 

[Le duke]

If you’re a DIY type:

I’d buy a spindown filter and bolt that to the back of your cabinet. Then plumb your inflow into it, then to the filter itself.

You can open and close a ball valve a couple times a week, remove a LOT of detritus. You could even put a normally-closed, timer operated ball valve and have it empty into a drain or a bucket, automatically.


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[Bradders]

If you’re a DIY type:

I’d buy a spindown filter and bolt that to the back of your cabinet. Then plumb your inflow into it, then to the filter itself.

You can open and close a ball valve a couple times a week, remove a LOT of detritus. You could even put a normally-closed, timer operated ball valve and have it empty into a drain or a bucket, automatically.


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Super idea - and I get what that will do.

However, I think what I am trying to get out of this experiment (and I don't know which way it will go!) is if we can live without mechanical filtration. i.e. The intakes of pipes in the aquarium only let through so much, so it's not going to be proper large stuff getting into the filter. For the stuff that does get through, does (really good) biofiltration just deal with it?!?

 

[Le duke]

Super idea - and I get what that will do.

However, I think what I am trying to get out of this experiment (and I don't know which way it will go!) is if we can live without mechanical filtration. i.e. The intakes of pipes in the aquarium only let through so much, so it's not going to be proper large stuff getting into the filter. For the stuff that does get through, does (really good) biofiltration just deal with it?!?

In that case, yes, biological filtration does the work inside the filter. All of the micro fauna in a filter will consume that detritus and turn it into ammonia.

That said, a lot of aquariums aren’t properly inoculated to DO that. They only have beneficial bacteria but not the actual detritivore fauna that provide that intermediate step.


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[hypnogogia]

I use 30ppi pre filters in the Biomaster with no problem.

 

[fredi]

Well, some of us are bored, so it's time to start tinkering. (Fed up with spreadsheets, so moving on to a practicable).

I currently use the Oase Biomaster 250 canister for my aquarium filtration. Despite some negatives, it is quite a workhorse and does not give me much bother - and the aquarium is healthy with very clear water. The only nag (if you can call it that) is that I have to clean the pre-filter around once a week because the flow starts to slow. Some of this is due to the poor pipe design; some of this is because it collects waste and starts to clog and reduce the flow. So, what if I don't want to clean the pre-filter every week BUT I also want to maintain my water quality? Sounds like a challenge to me.

There is some evidence that if your bio media is mature and you are not overloading your aquarium, then the biofiltration should be able to deal with DoCs and faeces, etc - i.e. you don't need to place so much emphasis on the mechanical stage if you have great biofiltration. And therein lies the driver for the experiment - what if I dropped the pre-filter sponge down to 30PPI or 10PPI or nothing (straight-through)? Would I maintain a healthy aquarium with very clear water and almost never clean (open) the canister? Or at least greatly reduce the need to perform maintenance?

Over the coming weeks/months, I am going to experiment with lessening the usage of mechanical filtration - which currently (in the Oase) is a standard 45PPI foam for the pre-filter:

1. Reducing to 30PPI (33% decrease from standard)
2. Reducing to 10PPI (77% decrease from standard)
3. Removing all mechanical (100% decrease from standard).

The success criteria, sadly, will be more qualitative than quantitative. i.e. does the water still look very, very clear, are the inhabitants/plants still thriving and is flow starting to slow? But my ultimate goal is to see if I can reduce the maintenance required to a minimum of once a month, if not 6-months to a year, WITHOUT reducing water clarity and inhabitant health. I'll post some photos, of course, so that everyone can see what I am seeing.

As this is the start of the experiment, happy to take some early comments (so we can record early predictions) and also any feedback on how we can really improve the data output to prove success or failure.

It's all a bit of a folly, to be honest. But If I can reduce the maintenance without hurting fish and plants, then that would not be such a bad outcome - I might even save a few pennies on equipment and save some time in the process, too.

Thoughts, ideas, (and even outrage) welcome!

Regards,
Brad

I guess that it all depends on what you want/expect of the pre filter
I want large detritus removed, so prefer Eheim’s default “setting” 10-20 ppi

 

[LMuhlen]

If you move away from having a pre-filter, or if you make it less restrictive, you’ll move closer to what happens with every canister that doesn’t have a pre filter…

People with regular canisters still clean them every now and then, unless they have a very small bio load. Their tanks are still healthy. The more pre filter action, the less frequently you should have to open the whole thing.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

If you move away from having a pre-filter, or if you make it less restrictive, you’ll move closer to what happens with every canister that doesn’t have a pre filter…

People with regular canisters still clean them every now and then, unless they have a very small bio load. Their tanks are still healthy. The more pre filter action, the less frequently you should have to open the whole thing.

That one. If you want to reduce the cleaning interval just use a larger pre-filter sponge.

Cheers Darrel

 

[Bradders]

Great comments! (I did not think anyone would respond at all!!!)

OK., so here are some questions based on some comments.

If you move away from having a pre-filter, or if you make it less restrictive, you’ll move closer to what happens with every canister that doesn’t have a pre filter…

Interesting. So, what does that mean? Is that bad for water quality and plant and fish health?

That one. If you want to reduce the cleaning interval just use a larger pre-filter sponge.

So, if you get down to a 10PPI pre-filter sponge, why not go to zero? Bear in mind that there is only so much (in terms of size) that your filter intake will accept - so if your biofiltration is working at peak, are we saying it won't break it down?

I want large detritus removed, so prefer Eheim’s default “setting” 10-20 ppi

So, what happens if the prefilter is not there and it gets into the main biofiltration?

 

[fredi]

So, what happens if the prefilter is not there and it gets into the main biofiltration?

Nothing, other than the filter will block more quickly, flow will be reduced, resulting in reduced (biological) filter efficiency
Imho on a modern filter with a relatively easy to clean/replace pre filter , filtration efficiency is
easy to maintain

 

[Bradders]

Nothing, other than the filter will block more quickly, flow will be reduced, resulting in reduced (biological) filter efficiency

Why would the biofiltration not just deal with it? More surface area, more mature (i.e. less cleaned) and biofiltration (once mature) addresses all the same problems that mechanical solves.

Let's look at it differently, using my filter as a reference. I currently clean my pre-filter once a week, and it's reasonably 'dirty' in the sense that wringing it out produces a lot of dark water and a few pieces of waste. My 6-month check of my uncleaned bio-filtration (HEL-X13 and 20/30PPI foam in the main unit looked like the media was brand new. Why do we think that removing/reducing the pre-filter means that biomedia is not going to handle the load and furthermore result in clogging?

 

[Bradders]

In that case, yes, biological filtration does the work inside the filter. All of the micro fauna in a filter will consume that detritus and turn it into ammonia.
That said, a lot of aquariums aren’t properly inoculated to DO that. They only have beneficial bacteria but not the actual detritivore fauna that provide that intermediate step.

I think both these comments are partly where my experiment will end up.

 

[John q]

Love the experiment @Bradders but you'll soon realise that "bio filtration and pre filters" have little to do with crystal clear water in a planted tank. Obviously you need to test this theory and prove me wrong. 😁

 

[Bradders]

Love the experiment @Bradders but you'll soon realise that "bio filtration and pre filters" have little to do with crystal clear water in a planted tank. Obviously you need to test this theory and prove me wrong. 😁

The gauntlet has been thrown! 😂 😂 (There seems to be no 'glove and faceslap' emoji - and there really should be one!!!).

However, this is not just about crystal clear water. This is more about whether you need 'pain in the butt' mechanical filtration if you have enough biofiltration - whether that's within a canister or plants or substrate.

Also (just to be provocative and enrage you somewhat 😆), what is a "planted tank"? 10% plant coverage? 75% plant coverage? Is this a planted tank or a tank with a few fish and some plants?

 

[John q]

Also (just to be provocative and enrage you somewhat 😆), what is a "planted tank"?

Lol, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is my definition of a heavily planted tank.

 

[Bradders]

Lol, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is my definition of a heavily planted tank.

OMG! Agreed! That is a heavily planted tank!! 😂 (So, we establish that mine is a tank with fish and a few plants!!)

OK, OK, OK. So you have tonnes of plants. How much animal bio-load?

 

[ElleDee]

I don't think increasing the pore size of your prefilter is a big deal, especially when you have 20/30 ppi foam in the main body, which provides both bio and mechanical filtration. It's probably not doing much mechanical filtration now since it has 45ppi upstream, but it inherently will catch stuff down to a certain size.

I don't think changing the prefilter will really make a noticeable difference to your overall filtration capacity or water clarity. (Though you will lose some capacity, but it sounds like your main body is plenty.) You will have to see if the increased rate that junk builds up in the main body is more maintenance than dealing with the prefilter is now. I think if you got rid of the prefilter entirely you will find out why they are such a popular feature.

 

[nijat11]

I`m not a canister filter user, I have a sump.
At some point I was thinking to get rid of all biomedia and replace it with sponges. Reasons:
1) Sponges can act as biological filtration as well.
2) Much easier to clean.
3) Keeps water crysal clean.
4) Better flow.

 

[Bradders]

I think if you got rid of the prefilter entirely you will find out why they are such a popular feature.

That is what I am trying to find out. i.e. if you have tonnes of biofiltration, and biofiltration does all the stuff that mechanical does (and more), then why do you need mechanical?

I appreciate it is not as simple as that, as there are many other parameters, but it's going to be fun finding that out! (I think )

 

[Bradders]

I`m not a canister filter user, I have a sump.

I am not in the sump league just yet! (I am looking to get a 75G aquarium this year, so it may be an option at that point).

At some point I was thinking to get rid of all biomedia and replace it with sponges. Reasons:

What do you mean? i.e. what do you have at the moment?