Is it possible to have too much filtration?

[ClownWrangler]

Huh? No they aren't...

Yea seems like over kill. Everything has a purpose, but need to match goals of the tank with what you are applying for filtration. I wouldn't use UV ever, but for running all that I'd expect it to be for some darn heavy feedings.

I only run a UV filter on one tank because it turned into an opaque phytoplankton tank one day and water changes wouldn’t make it go away. The uv filter cleared it up. Looking back, I should have just kept it that way. That’s hard to achieve when you actually want it for say a shrimp larvae rearing tank or fry tank.

 

[schuby]

Too clean is sterile. There is very little to no life in a sterile environment.

From threads on here, those with sterile tanks go from one "disaster" to another. Everything seems to be out of balance.

Myself, I strive for high biodiversity.

 

[Hermie]

I haven't done a water change in close to 8 years .

seriously curious, pics?

 

[ClownWrangler]

Too clean is sterile. There is very little to no life in a sterile environment.

From threads on here, those with sterile tanks go from one "disaster" to another. Everything seems to be out of balance.

Myself, I strive for high biodiversity.

I have to agree on that with the exception of parasites AND coral eating bugs. It's better to jut never have them than to try to "manage" them because even if you are "managing" ich, if you ever add a captive bred fish later on, it will not survive. However I have to agree that a lack of biodiversity and over filtration is bad. Its the very reason nothing will successfully breed in most tanks no matter how many eggs are laid. The larvae and fry simply have nothing to feed on. Filter feeders like feather duster worms, corals and anemones also need the stuff that's being filtered out. I think this is the real reason anemones do better in matures tanks, rather than the parameter stability argument.

 

[galantra]

I personally would look at your parameters. If you take down GFO reactor do you see a spike in your phos? With out carbon rubbing do you see a tint in water. Truly also matters on what you have stored in your tank. In the start I had everything up and running. And slowly went down to no gfo, carbon if that once a week. I use socks and a skimmer that’s a bit over size. I also no longer do water changes and dose traces ,amino, and feed healthy since my nitrate and phos are always too low. It’s slowly fine tuning the need of what your system requires focus on the overall health.
Before I was all about chasing numbers following others routines to try and replicate what they did to get same results.

 

[Deep]

What you take out of the tank with filtration is always and should be connected to how much you put into the tank. So if your tank is heavy-in then obviously heavy out with a lot of filtration is a good thing.

 

[polyppal]

I use a GFO reactor, but I don’t run it 24/7, it’s connected to an on/off switch on my apex. If I have a phosphate spike, I’ll run it for a few days till it’s back down then take it offline again until needed. I mix it with some carbon to keep it from clogging up, has worked pretty well for me.

 

[tamanning]

Huh? No they aren't...

Yea seems like over kill. Everything has a purpose, but need to match goals of the tank with what you are applying for filtration. I wouldn't use UV ever, but for running all that I'd expect it to be for some darn heavy feedings.

A sump is an area to keep equipment you don't want in your display while a refugium is a natural filter and a place for pods to proliferate.

 

[terraincognita]

A sump is an area to keep equipment you don't want in your display while a refugium is a natural filter and a place for pods to proliferate.

I definitely wouldn't call a sump and a fuge the same thing either.

It's like calling tires and rims the same thing. Not really. But yeah.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

I haven't done a water change in close to 8 years . I only run carbon if I see the water get colored then I will hang a bag in my sump until it clears. this works for me I set my system up to deal with most issues. If you make changes to the way you are running your system do it a little at a time. Nothing fast is good in a reef tank.

 

[ReefHomieJon]

I haven't done a water change in close to 8 years . I only run carbon if I see the water get colored then I will hang a bag in my sump until it clears. this works for me I set my system up to deal with most issues. If you make changes to the way you are running your system do it a little at a time. Nothing fast is good in a reef tank.

#nowaterchangegang
What kind of reef do you have. I have a mixed reef

 

[ReefHomieJon]

My refugium’s are not sumps, they are large hang on basket filters with chaeto where the filter media is supposed to go. Take that judge Judy. :0)

I rigged a cheap $5 double sponge filter to the intake, which is really just to keep the chaeto clean. It's an Aquaclear 70 HOB. The high flow vertically through the chaeto works extremely well, better than a regular sump type refugium IMO. The high flow keeps the chaeto pristine and I never have to turn it, only harvest half a couple times a month. This also provides enough flow and turnover for a 55 gallon tank, though it's currently on a 20Long. the 9 watt grow light is all that’s needed for the chaeto to grow like crazy and remove nitrates low even in an over-stocked tank.

My sump/refugium

 

[tamanning]

#nowaterchangegang
What kind of reef do you have. I have a mixed reef

I do as well more softies than sps in fact a lot more. I have 5 sps corals montipora Capricornus red another that is brown with a blue rim and a digital monti that is green but the skeleton is really bright red a birds nest stylo and another stylo I can't remember the name. I also have purple pales green large pales utter chaos green bay packers and one more zoa with red tentacles and a green mouth I have two hammers a white bubble tip and a sponge that just showed up