Emperor 400 HOB filter suggestion/question

[Philly33]

So I have the Emperor 400 HOB and a canister filter on my 90gal.

The HOB creates a lot of surface disturbance but I want the extra filtration w/o spending more $ on another canister.


My initial idea is to put the HOB on a timer to come on only when lights are off. To insure that I get CO2 exchange during the photo period.

Pros: will eliminate surface disturbance during photo period

Cons: not sure what this will do to the HOB starting and stopping daily. Not sure how much backwash I'd get. I'm not concerned about the bio-wheels because my beneficial bacteria is in my canister.

In theory it sounds good.

Please advise with thoughts and suggestions? Thank you in advance.

 

[aqua_chem]

How are you injecting CO2 such that you can afford to turn of your filters? Unless you have powerheads, that will severely harm your distribution of nutrients, possibly even if you have powerheads. This guy's thread over at TPT is one of the greatest examples of flow and CO2 I could possibly describe. Also, you want some surface agitation with a CO2 injected tank, as they oxygen needs to come from somewhere.

Considering the size of the tank, canisters are a really good option as it allows you to make use of inline diffusion methods for your CO2 injection. There are affordable canisters available as well. What is your budget for this?

 

[Philly33]

I have a fluval g6 as my primary filter and nano curculation fan. I only dose liquid carbon. Not ready to step up to pressurized.

Although the G6 is rated up to 150g I feel my tank looks clearer with the addition of the emperor 400.

Just curious if running the Emperor intermittently will damage and back wash. Although I do weekly water changes.

Thank you

 

[aqua_chem]

I dare say that your Fluval G6 is up to the challenge of filtering the tank.

If you're not injecting CO2, you do not need to worry about off-gassing CO2. You cannot remove liquid carbon supplements like Excel with surface agitation, and it will only add oxygen to the tank which both your plants and fish will appreciate. Normal CO2 levels are quite low in a non-injected tank and are rapidly used up by plants when decent light is available to them. If anything, surface agitation in a tank without injected CO2 (pressurized, DIY, or otherwise) can only increase the CO2 levels, although this in no way makes it comparable at all to actual CO2 injection methods.

 

[Philly33]

Thank you