what do you guys use for mechanical filtration?

[hnf2k]

my tank specs are listed below, ive been putting some filter padding that you put on top of a trickle filter in between my bubble baffles jsut to get some mechanical filtration but it just isnt working htat well, doesnt allow a proper flow. what do you guys use? or is it not necessary?

[MiddletonMark]

Except every few weeks when I blow off my rocks/barebottom + use a filter sock for a few hours to collect that debris ...

I don't use mechanical filtraiton. Skimmer, LR, and that's it.

[Phoneguy982]

I have been asking this question in a few threads and can't get much response. Right now I have a small rubbermaid container with filter pad then activated charcoal. I have a new sump/fuge and I am just going to use a cascade 1500 canister filter for mechanical and charcoal use.
I know some people use a sponge over the standpipes but I've got a durso set up so it's nice and quiet so I won't change that.

[MiddletonMark]

I think the opinion is pretty wide. Some use mechanical filtration ... quite a lot do not [or do not on a full-time basis].

Thing is ... mechanical filtration [or bio-media] will trap detritus, letting it just sit, collect, and break down. And get a whole little bacterial bed going there, processing [and releasing] nutrients into the water. Nitrate, phosphate most folks chief gripes among them ... as they're often quickly uptaken by various algae, diatoms, cyano, etc.

If you clean it enough, you can help it avoid being such a detritus trap. I will sometimes use a filter sock over my sump-intake ... dust off my rocks and suspend detritus so that it gets caught + removed. However, I like to use it a couple of an hours or at longest overnight - long enough to catch the crud, but trying to remove it before degrading.

I'd suggest regularly cleaning/replacing the various sponge/filter pads/etc that will catch debris regularly [weekly?] ... and thus the reason I don't use them. While carbon can often be a very useful thing to run ... mechanical filtration is not something I've had a big need for and as it's unlikely to be kept on top of, something I personally avoid.

Others do things totally different, I sure don't claim to be `right'. But that's how I understand things to work, and what I do.

[Phoneguy982]

If you could tell me what you think about this..

I have 2 1" drains and 2 3/4" returns. Right now I have my blueline pump t'd off to both returns. I was going to rework 1 drain to go to my canister filter and use the 1 return back to the tank. I would then t off the return of the blueline to my fuge.

The benefits would be the head loss on the blueline would be less than it is now. And the addition of the canister would creat 300gph more circulation. I could then clean the canister once a week without shutting down the rest of tank. Oh and the input side of the canister would have the suction portion in the low area of the tank to remove detritus more efeectively.

[MiddletonMark]

I guess I don't see the need so much for the canister filter. Between the skimmer and the fuge, IMO it extra. I'd get that water past your skimmer ... give the skimmer area the most flow so that it can remove things most effectively.

As long as the fuge still gets the appropriate flow ... sounds good [more efficient use of pumps] ... but I guess I've only used mechanical filtration on QT and nano-sized tanks. Cleaning regularly could work fine ... though I'd consider running it without.

Just my take, though. Obviously you've realized ... just one of many :)

[Phoneguy982]

What about using the canister without any filterpad and just charcoal?

[MiddletonMark]

Sounds like a good way to run carbon ... but do check around.

[ikinne1]

In my overflow I have a prefilter that is just a chunk of AquaClear foam insert cut to thinly line the intake. At the entrance of my refugium I have a section of floss(at wal-mart, in the sewing section, large rolls for $8...it's known as quilt matting). After the floss, then research grade carbon.

[ikinne1]

Oh, most sources recommend to change that floss out very frequently as to not shock the biological component of your tank, but if it's established with lots of rock and a good skimmer, floss is just icing. It isn't necessary at all. As some might say, your tank would be better off with free debris than with some nasty floss serving little to no purpose other than to impede invert health and other cool things from growing.