I have a display tank that is cycled. Also a QT that started cycling at about the same time. This is primarily about the choice of bio media. I've selected Seachem Matrix (over De Nitrate) because of the fast flow - see the last paragraph.
The QT tank is the Fluval Sea Evo that is 52L and has three chambers on the peninsula. The suggested layout is:
1. 1st chamber has an (optional) protein skimmer;
2. 2nd chamber has filter media - supplied with a sponge and small amount of ceramic biological media;
3. 3rd chamber has the return pump and (suggested) the heater.
I don't have the protein skimmer - it's a QT. The 2nd chamber has a (not so good) sponge filter with space for a small bag or ceramic bio and (optionally) also a supplied small bag of carbon. The 2nd chamber is the weakest part of the setup IMHO and the filtration is perhaps not up to much. The 2nd chamber has a hole half way up through to the tank with the intention of not letting any of the chambers get starved of water - a good idea except that most of the filter water bypasses the 1st chamber and some of the second chamber. Many users know that this best blocked off.
I decided to upgrade the filter using an InTank media tray in chamber one. There is also a 2nd media tray for the 2nd chamber - that I don't have. The InTank also comes with a flow control (weir) and a plug for the 2nd chamber. One feature of the 1st chamber are slots up the side designed to pass water at different points into the 2nd chamber. The InTank blanks off many of the slots so that only the lowest three slots pass water between chambers and the flow is therefore more controlling through the first chamber.
My plan is to let the water pass through floss at the top. Then through (optional) activated carbon and finally through a bio media before passing into the second chamber. I didn't get the second InTank basket because it looks like only the lowest compartment receives water from the 1st chamber and I plan to use the 2nd chamber for my heater. In theory the 3rd chamber is used for the heater and return pump but I found this forces the heater and pump against the chamber walls and causes audible (annoying) vibration. I put the heater in the 1st chamber, but with the new media basket, I will move it to chamber 2.
So far, I have blocked off the slot in the 2nd chamber but I wasn't happy with how the nitrification cycle has gone. Only with lots of water changes can I reduce nitrate to about 25 ppm and so far nitrite is lowest at 1 ppm. My main tank has these under better control.
The media I inititially selected for the bio media was Seachem De - Nitrate in a media bag. I would have put it under the floss in the 2nd/3rd compartment in the 1st chamber. The issue I face is that it requires a low flow rate of only 200L per hour. My Fluval pump is moving 500ml or water through each of the twin outputs (e.g. into a measuring jug) in 10 seconds. That is 500L per hour. The spec is for 500L per hour and it matches this exactly. Often the flow rate is reduced in a filter when there is media but because the three chambers are open, the flow rate is not affected. The pump takes water and puts of 500L per hour. The media lets through water so that none of the chambers is without water and the levels can adjust and settle. Providing the levels are setup the throughput isn't affected by the media e.g. it just works.
So my preferred media is Seachem Matrix. This supports higher flow rates than De - Nitrate. It's the same (pumice type) material but is
bigger than the De - Nitrate. The theory being that the anaerobic bacteria are less affected by faster flow. So I went with the manufacturers recommendation to use Matrix. The alternative was to swap out the pump for a smaller version but even so low flow rates are hard to find and I would prefer the faster flow rate with adjusted media type. Perhaps a faster flow can be accommodated by limiting the amount of media in a bag so that water bypasses it to some extent and so the faster flow rate isn't seen through the media bag. This seems had to achieve? Using Matrix vs De Nitrate (with the flow rate) was a good choice?
Simon
The QT tank is the Fluval Sea Evo that is 52L and has three chambers on the peninsula. The suggested layout is:
1. 1st chamber has an (optional) protein skimmer;
2. 2nd chamber has filter media - supplied with a sponge and small amount of ceramic biological media;
3. 3rd chamber has the return pump and (suggested) the heater.
I don't have the protein skimmer - it's a QT. The 2nd chamber has a (not so good) sponge filter with space for a small bag or ceramic bio and (optionally) also a supplied small bag of carbon. The 2nd chamber is the weakest part of the setup IMHO and the filtration is perhaps not up to much. The 2nd chamber has a hole half way up through to the tank with the intention of not letting any of the chambers get starved of water - a good idea except that most of the filter water bypasses the 1st chamber and some of the second chamber. Many users know that this best blocked off.
I decided to upgrade the filter using an InTank media tray in chamber one. There is also a 2nd media tray for the 2nd chamber - that I don't have. The InTank also comes with a flow control (weir) and a plug for the 2nd chamber. One feature of the 1st chamber are slots up the side designed to pass water at different points into the 2nd chamber. The InTank blanks off many of the slots so that only the lowest three slots pass water between chambers and the flow is therefore more controlling through the first chamber.
My plan is to let the water pass through floss at the top. Then through (optional) activated carbon and finally through a bio media before passing into the second chamber. I didn't get the second InTank basket because it looks like only the lowest compartment receives water from the 1st chamber and I plan to use the 2nd chamber for my heater. In theory the 3rd chamber is used for the heater and return pump but I found this forces the heater and pump against the chamber walls and causes audible (annoying) vibration. I put the heater in the 1st chamber, but with the new media basket, I will move it to chamber 2.
So far, I have blocked off the slot in the 2nd chamber but I wasn't happy with how the nitrification cycle has gone. Only with lots of water changes can I reduce nitrate to about 25 ppm and so far nitrite is lowest at 1 ppm. My main tank has these under better control.
The media I inititially selected for the bio media was Seachem De - Nitrate in a media bag. I would have put it under the floss in the 2nd/3rd compartment in the 1st chamber. The issue I face is that it requires a low flow rate of only 200L per hour. My Fluval pump is moving 500ml or water through each of the twin outputs (e.g. into a measuring jug) in 10 seconds. That is 500L per hour. The spec is for 500L per hour and it matches this exactly. Often the flow rate is reduced in a filter when there is media but because the three chambers are open, the flow rate is not affected. The pump takes water and puts of 500L per hour. The media lets through water so that none of the chambers is without water and the levels can adjust and settle. Providing the levels are setup the throughput isn't affected by the media e.g. it just works.
So my preferred media is Seachem Matrix. This supports higher flow rates than De - Nitrate. It's the same (pumice type) material but is
bigger than the De - Nitrate. The theory being that the anaerobic bacteria are less affected by faster flow. So I went with the manufacturers recommendation to use Matrix. The alternative was to swap out the pump for a smaller version but even so low flow rates are hard to find and I would prefer the faster flow rate with adjusted media type. Perhaps a faster flow can be accommodated by limiting the amount of media in a bag so that water bypasses it to some extent and so the faster flow rate isn't seen through the media bag. This seems had to achieve? Using Matrix vs De Nitrate (with the flow rate) was a good choice?
Simon