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Thread: Filterless Setup

  1. #1
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    Filterless Setup

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    Planted tank, can we go filterless? Since plants is going to make use of all the nutrient in the tank... why should we have a filter with Bacteria to breakdown the Nitro? Isn't the bacteria in the gravel sufficient?

    The tank need water movement, install a power head with rain bar to create water movement. a Sponge filter can be used to removed floating debris or better buy 10 or more wood shrimp![]
    Baby Steel!

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    it all depends on the bioload/fish load, plants act as filtration. stagnet water cause problems too, so you might want to have a powerhead for circulation?

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    but if there is a powerhead in the tank...what's the difference by having an external canister?[:]
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    Powerhead with rainbar seems like a feasible idea cos a cheap internal filer ($10) with rainbar ($3+) works fine for my 2ft setup so far.
    ThEoDoRe

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    On 7/5/2003 11:54:56 PM

    but if there is a powerhead in the tank...what's the difference by having an external canister?[:]
    ----------------
    Lower $$$ on startup,
    No filter manintenance later
    Low wattage Powerhead, saves a few cents on electic bill
    No need to allot space to store filter.
    No need to afraid that filter fails, flooding house
    Ridding unsightly piping at the back of tank

    Actually, my filter is failing... as the water flow is getting lower.. thinking of going filterless

    BioLoad 50 odd fishes... plant load... See for yourself.
    Baby Steel!

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    I won't go completely filterless. At least a small internal filter like an Eden or Eheim one. Bio-load has to be low and the tank has to be fairly clean. If you do any uprooting, etc, you MUST siphon out as much detritus as you can. The small filters cannot handle too much dirt.

    I've runned a 160 litre tank on 2 internal filters before. No big problems. The lesson I learnt is that after any activity that introduces a lot of floating/suspended debris into the water, the filters must be clean a day or two after.
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    Have you read Diana Walstad's book 'The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium'?

    In it she advocates a low maintenance tank but the tank has to be heavily planted. Looking at your pic, I don't think your plants can support that high a bio-load without a filter, unless you are talking about boraras brigittae...[]
    Zulkifli

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    Without the filter which host relative amount of nitrifying bacteria that compete with plants for the ammonia produced by fishes or rotting stuff in the tank, more ammonia should be available to the plants. The real problem starts when the production rate of ammonia is higher then the uptake rate of both the plants and nitrifying bacteria in the tank...you should know how toxic ammonia can get....(You would need to grow lots of fast growing plants and ensure that they grow well or else your tank is going to go south...kaboom...dead fishes and greenwater.. ) It is better to have a backup in the long run though...Did you clean your filter tubings and propeller area properly?
    Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger

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    Hi Limsteel

    Lower $$$ on startup - True
    No Filter Maintenance Later - Not Exactly
    Low Wattage Powerhead, saves a few cents on electric bill - you would hardly see the difference
    No need to allot space to store filter - But you will have a nice powerhead to head in the tank
    No need to be afraid that filter fails, flooding house - but when a powerhead fails you need to buy a new one.
    Ridding unsightly piping at the back of tank - but who's going behind to look at it.

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    Dave... Thanks, You convinced me having a filter is still the best bet![]
    Baby Steel!

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    Huh....so fast?.......
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    no point to argue, have to be reasonable.

    But Still like to try out for my 1.5ft mini tank. see the effects of minimal filtration.
    Baby Steel!

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    I tried to go filterless, algae seemed to have an easier time appearing. I thought I read somewhere that plants take more energy taking in ammonia then nitrates, so more problems with algae, or something like that.

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    No. Both plants and algae prefer amonia over nitrates. It is easier to assimilate amonia than nitrates.

    But it is said that plants have the edge of taking nitrates compared to algae. I've not able to prove that but evidences point toward that. I guess one of the reason I can think of is that plants can afford more energy to assimilate nitrates than algae. So by supplying nitrates instead of amonnia will help fight algae.

    BC

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    IMO, in a planted tank, the main role of the filter is to provide mechanical filtration and water circulation. Good healthy plants are more than capable of dealing with the biological part.

    It is up to how your tank is set up.

    BC

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    On 7/8/2003 9:04:33 AM

    No. Both plants and algae prefer amonia over nitrates. It is easier to assimilate amonia than nitrates.

    BC
    ----------------
    Mmm ... maybe that's why the drop in Nitrate slowed down when i washed my internal filter last week
    ThEoDoRe

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