Filtering - Ceramic vs Live rock

romaocg

Member
Good evening! I am a beginner in marine and started today to cycle my RSM 130D. I live and dead rocks to start with maturation. My question is, use a sponge and ceramic media that comes kit? Or live rock does that job well done? I have heard talk that these ceramics and the sponge only together ... Can anyone help me?
TY


Romão Guimarães
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
Live rock is you primary source of biological filtration in a reef system. In my opinion ceramic media has no place at all in a reef system and should not be used. A sponge may be used for gross mechanical filtration, but it should be cleaned often, at least once a week.
 

romaocg

Member
Live rock is you primary source of biological filtration in a reef system. In my opinion ceramic media has no place at all in a reef system and should not be used. A sponge may be used for gross mechanical filtration, but it should be cleaned often, at least once a week.

Thanks for the reply. I'm thoughtful of why these ceramics are On the Red Sea Max kit.


Romão Guimarães
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nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
+1 ^ davek post

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to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
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Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics :)
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Hello Romão :wave:
:rbwwelc:WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary :crowd:
I agree very porous Live Rock works well for biological filtration. Hope to see some pictures of your tank soon. :)
Very BEST WISHES....:cruiser:
 

rostervandross

Active Member
I don't see why you would not use the ceramic bits.. They get colonized with beneficial bacteria just like adding "dry rock" or live rock. I'm not sure what the red sea stuff looks like though

They sell this stuff called cermedia that is crazy expensive but I think the ceramic cylinder things like fluval's are the same principle
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
I don't see why you would not use the ceramic bits.. They get colonized with beneficial bacteria just like adding "dry rock" or live rock. I'm not sure what the red sea stuff looks like though

They sell this stuff called cermedia that is crazy expensive but I think the ceramic cylinder things like fluval's are the same principle

You don't use such media in the filtration system for the same reasons you don't put live rock in there. It becomes a massive dirt trap and, in time, a nitrate factory. You have all that live rock in your system, so why add something that's going to become a problem?

If you were doing a fish only system with no live rock or other similar rocks in the tank, then you would need some sort of biological filtration, and ceramic media would be one way to do it. However, if you go this route you usually end up with a system with much lower water quality.

Now there are a couple of different types of ceramic media. Some like Eheim's Mech are not at all porous and offer little surface area for bacteria, They are strictly a mechanical filter media. Others like Eheim Substrapro are porous and will offer surface area for bacteria. Both types will tend to become dirt traps in a reef system.

Note that this applies to SW systems. In other types of aquarium systems, such as a FW planted tank, the nitrate production can be a plus for the plants, so using such media can be a plus.
 

romaocg

Member
Hello my friends! My marine aquarium does today thirty days. As it came in the red sea of the kit mideas, I put them. I live rocks on display as well. But I got scared, the nitrate level is well above average.
Need urgent help from you guys! Shot media of red sea or leave it?


Romão Guimarães
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Melhores Cumprimentos.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
If your ammonia and nitrite levels are 0, and only nitrate is high, it is normal for a new tank. This usually means your tank is through the initial cycle.

To reduce nitrate at this point, you usually want to do water changes, A 50% water change will result in a reduction of 50% of the nitrates.

You need not get nitrates all the way down to 0. a reading under 5 ppm is ok.
 

romaocg

Member
If your ammonia and nitrite levels are 0, and only nitrate is high, it is normal for a new tank. This usually means your tank is through the initial cycle.

To reduce nitrate at this point, you usually want to do water changes, A 50% water change will result in a reduction of 50% of the nitrates.

You need not get nitrates all the way down to 0. a reading under 5 ppm is ok.
Many thanks for the reply. I've done the exchange of water. My concern is regarding ceramics that put that came in the kit RSM . What would be your suggestion about this? I leave the ceramics that came from factory ? Or just let the rocks ? TY


Romão Guimarães
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ziggy

Active Member
That's funny to know! Because these ceramics come in the kit ? Even in hand , they encourage their use . I do not understand this. Thank you!



Romão Guimarães
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Sounds like you kind of want to use the ceramics. So use the ceramics. Because red sea includes them should be an indication that using them is allowed. If you find your habbits are overfeeding fish, and not keeping an immaculate DT, then nitrates may shoot up and then you can remove the ceramics.

You're new at his so do not stress out over it. use them, see how they work for you, and keep adjusting as you go along and learn. this first tank should be relaxing you and not stressing you...
 

romaocg

Member
Sounds like you kind of want to use the ceramics. So use the ceramics. Because red sea includes them should be an indication that using them is allowed. If you find your habbits are overfeeding fish, and not keeping an immaculate DT, then nitrates may shoot up and then you can remove the ceramics.

You're new at his so do not stress out over it. use them, see how they work for you, and keep adjusting as you go along and learn. this first tank should be relaxing you and not stressing you...
Perfect!


Romão Guimarães
Obrigado,
Melhores Cumprimentos.
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
I used them when I 1st started in sw on my RSM 130D for the 1st year, I also pulled them each week & took them to the sink & rinsed them under running warm tap water - they trap all kinds of debris, that I rinsed out weekly - they are a nitrate trap - I used them as a place holder for my cpe & purigen (until I built a cod rack to replace them) they were not my bio-filter, my Live Rock was...

I believe Red Sea includes them for tanks not running LR, like sw fish only tanks

@RedSeaKev

Here a link to my RSM 130D cod rack, if anyone is interested - new C model tanks now come with a rack
Glenn's RSM 130D
 

romaocg

Member
I used them when I 1st started in sw on my RSM 130D for the 1st year, I also pulled them each week & took them to the sink & rinsed them under running warm tap water - they trap all kinds of debris, that I rinsed out weekly - they are a nitrate trap - I used them as a place holder for my cpe & purigen (until I built a cod rack to replace them) they were not my bio-filter, my Live Rock was...

I believe Red Sea includes them for tanks not running LR, like sw fish only tanks

@RedSeaKev

Here a link to my RSM 130D cod rack, if anyone is interested - new C model tanks now come with a rack
Glenn's RSM 130D
Good! I will do: Stay with the pottery and live rocks. When placing fish and coral, I will monitor the nitrate. If they are bad, just shot ceramics to have no problems with nitrate. Some say that when you do TPA is only a matter of cleanning the ceramic too... But honestly did not want to risk death in the aquarium ... TY



Romão Guimarães
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Melhores Cumprimentos.
 
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