Lowering your nitrates and phosphate

[gettanked]

Lowering your nitrates and phosphate will help to perk-up your coralline algae, corals and fish.

Have you ever stirred-up your sand bed and or turkey basted your rock and seen your water column get full of floating particles and the water gets a brownish tinge color?

Before you disturbed your sand bed and rock, think of a rain gutter and leafs and debris that have fallen and collected into the rain gutter and over the course of time and before you know it,
you have plants growing out of your gutters. This is what happens inside your aquarium.

The floating particles and water discoloration is organic mater that’s braking down and cycling into nitrates and then into phosphates.

Phosphates are nothing but a fertilizer, which is a food source for the undesirable algae’s.

This is just one of the sources of most hobbyist nitrate and phosphate problems.
If we get rid of the source (s) of the problem, we do not have to treat the symptoms with expensive phosphate removal products.

Some hobbyist use floss materials and or pads to help remove matter from the water, which is fine, but remember that water takes the path of least resistance, once these materials start to get full, the water will find another path way, usually around the floss and pads.

The next generation of floss and pads are the micron filtering bags, not just any micron filtering bag.

Some hobbyists are using 50, 100, 200 or much greater micron filter bags because of ease of use i.e. they do not have to replace as often.

In reality we want to remove the smallest micron particles with-in reason, because they are the ones that will convert the quickest into nitrate and phosphate.

Take a look at the picture of the 2-25 micron filter bags below, left side of picture is a new white 25 micron filter bag, right side of picture is a brown used 25 micron filter bag that was in use for about 5 days.

The used brown 25 micron filter bag is what yours will look like each and every week, instead of collecting on your rock and in your sand bed, let the 25 micron filter bag do the work.

Some of you may or may not agree with me, but all I ask is try to incorporate the 25 micron filter bags in your system for at least 3 month and then you be the judge.

gettanked

[AQTCJAK]

Great Advise & write up

[KodiakBear]

I used the 100 micron socks a while back. I just attached them really snug to the bottom of my overflow drain pipe. After just 3 or 4 days it got so plugged up that it restricted the flow and filled up my drain pipe and caused my siphon box to overflow. Fortunately I was in the room when it happened, so I pulled the siphon tube and shut my return pump off. I was very lucky that only about 1/2 gal went onto the floor, but I haven't used the socks since. I guess I'm just stuck with the 'expensive phosphate removal products'

[framerguy]

I am man enough to admit that I use micromesh ladies panty hose as filter socks in my sump!! They're cheap and they work GREAT!.There, it's out of the closet.

[gettanked]

Originally Posted by KodiakBear

I used the 100 micron socks a while back. I just attached them really snug to the bottom of my overflow drain pipe. After just 3 or 4 days it got so plugged up that it restricted the flow and filled up my drain pipe and caused my siphon box to overflow. Fortunately I was in the room when it happened, so I pulled the siphon tube and shut my return pump off. I was very lucky that only about 1/2 gal went onto the floor, but I haven't used the socks since. I guess I'm just stuck with the 'expensive phosphate removal products'

Sorry to here you had a bad experience using filter bags for the first time.

The following sentence explains it all and take enfaces on the word snug:
I just attached them really snug to the bottom of my overflow drain pipe.

By attaching your 100 micron filter bags snug left no recourse for the trapped drain water to escape when the filter bag had gotten full, but to back-up into the aquarium.

When using any micron filter bags, you have to let the water have an outlet to be diverted back into the sump when the filter bag gets full for what ever reason (s).

I personally use the draw string filter bags and tie the top of the filter bag loosely on the drain pipe so that if the filter bag fills up prematurely the drain water can cascade over the filter bag.

You have to equate the size and number of the micron filter bags to the GPH water flow rate of your aquarium system.

Picture below is of a local hobbyist using 6-25 micron filter bags for their 300 gallon main tank.

There are many different ways to install filter bags safely.

gettanked

[goldenmean]

I use an acrylic sump mount with a 100 micron bag. The bag has a plastic ring on the top and fits into the mount. When water no longer passes trough the bag it just over flows oveer the bag and into the sump
Sump_Acrylic_Mount_with_Filter_Sock

[Rcpilot]

I use a DSB and cheato to keep my nitrates and phosphates in check.

[KodiakBear]

Originally Posted by goldenmean

I use an acrylic sump mount with a 100 micron bag. The bag has a plastic ring on the top and fits into the mount. When water no longer passes trough the bag it just over flows oveer the bag and into the sump
Sump_Acrylic_Mount_with_Filter_Sock

That probably would solve the problem.