- Joined
- Aug 8, 2019
- Messages
- 179
- Reaction score
- 133
I run a 20G Waterbox AIO tank, with a small handful of filter floss in the first chamber, chaeto in the middle chamber and return pump in the 3rd chamber. I ran biological and chemi-pure media for a while, but I found it clogged up with gunk and was more problem than help, so I've removed that and just run the floss and chaeto. I don't run a Protein Skimmer (too hard to manage water level and salinity on such a small tank) and use an AWC to do daily 2% water changes.
Tank is pretty happy and stable, aside from recurring Gelidium outbreaks (hoping my new Tuxedo Urchin will help with that) and the filter floss serves nicely to prevent protein scum floating on the surface. I usually get 3 - 5 days out of the floss before it get's gunky and I swap it out (I use generic Polyester Quilt wadding from the craft store - the pure stuff without anti-bacterial additives etc).
The one thing that bugs me is that I'm sure my tank has a decent population of microfauna - pods and little crawlies and such, and a certain proportion of them no doubt end up in the floss. I hate the thought that I'm chucking them out when I dump the floss, so how can I get at least some of them to leave the floss when changing?
I've toyed with pulling the old floss out and sitting it on the mesh lid over the tank for ten minutes to drain, but not sure if the crawlies will abandon ship or just dry and out die.
I can't really soak or squeeze it into the tank or I return all that organic waste.
Is there any obvious "of course, why didn't I think of that" ways to lure them out? I know it's probably not a huge percentage of the population in the long run, but in a small tank, every bit helps
Tank is pretty happy and stable, aside from recurring Gelidium outbreaks (hoping my new Tuxedo Urchin will help with that) and the filter floss serves nicely to prevent protein scum floating on the surface. I usually get 3 - 5 days out of the floss before it get's gunky and I swap it out (I use generic Polyester Quilt wadding from the craft store - the pure stuff without anti-bacterial additives etc).
The one thing that bugs me is that I'm sure my tank has a decent population of microfauna - pods and little crawlies and such, and a certain proportion of them no doubt end up in the floss. I hate the thought that I'm chucking them out when I dump the floss, so how can I get at least some of them to leave the floss when changing?
I've toyed with pulling the old floss out and sitting it on the mesh lid over the tank for ten minutes to drain, but not sure if the crawlies will abandon ship or just dry and out die.
I can't really soak or squeeze it into the tank or I return all that organic waste.
Is there any obvious "of course, why didn't I think of that" ways to lure them out? I know it's probably not a huge percentage of the population in the long run, but in a small tank, every bit helps