John P Coates
Member
Hi Folks,
I use a JBL CristalProfi i100 filter in my 125l tank. This is a very discrete internal design. This model has three baskets filled with the media of the user's choice. So, you could put mechanical filtration in one basket, biological filtration in another and chemical filtration in another. As far as I can work out, unlike many/most filters, the inlet water is not channelled sequentially through each basket before being expelled back into the water column. Instead, the inlet water can enter each of the baskets simultaneously.
It seems to me that there is an advantage and a disadvantage to this approach:
Advantage: it helps to maintain a more constant flow rate over time as there is no pre-filter to get blocked.
Disadvantage: some particles inevitably are deposited on the biological filter but I have not found this to be a problem. The ammonia and nitrite levels are well controlled. I constantly keep an eye on free ammonia (NH3) using a seneye monitor. The NH3 is typically 0.005ppm, which is as close to zero as makes no difference.
So, on balance, in my tank, I quite like this approach because the high, near constant flow rate helps to keep the CO2 well distributed throughout the water.
Just thought that this may be of interest to a few people.
JPC
I use a JBL CristalProfi i100 filter in my 125l tank. This is a very discrete internal design. This model has three baskets filled with the media of the user's choice. So, you could put mechanical filtration in one basket, biological filtration in another and chemical filtration in another. As far as I can work out, unlike many/most filters, the inlet water is not channelled sequentially through each basket before being expelled back into the water column. Instead, the inlet water can enter each of the baskets simultaneously.
It seems to me that there is an advantage and a disadvantage to this approach:
Advantage: it helps to maintain a more constant flow rate over time as there is no pre-filter to get blocked.
Disadvantage: some particles inevitably are deposited on the biological filter but I have not found this to be a problem. The ammonia and nitrite levels are well controlled. I constantly keep an eye on free ammonia (NH3) using a seneye monitor. The NH3 is typically 0.005ppm, which is as close to zero as makes no difference.
So, on balance, in my tank, I quite like this approach because the high, near constant flow rate helps to keep the CO2 well distributed throughout the water.
Just thought that this may be of interest to a few people.
JPC
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