giant filter ?

[MICEY]

if I make a giant filter out of a plastic 55 gal drum for my 45 bowfront
and I safely increase the number of fish in the tank
, small and middle size fish
will it also increase the time between water changes

 

[Brookster123]

If you pack a section with anarchis or horn wort as a nitrate scrubber.. maybe??????

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[Sk3lly]

Im not sure why you'd want to do this. Nothing is a substitute for a water change


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[ScotJudd]

I may sound a bit old fashioned but nothing can replace the advantages of regular WCs. Filters are great for physically cleaning the water of debris and converting waste into less harmful nitrate but even if the nitrate is stripped by plants or chemicals the water will still not be 'fresh', which the fish thrive on in the wild. My thinking is 'how can I keep river fish in water that is not refreshed'. I did say I was an old fashioned fish keeper although I do use up to date electronics to control my heat/light/co2 etc. But I've yet to find an effective alternative to regular WCs.


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[PerfectDepth]

if I make a giant filter out of a plastic 55 gal drum for my 45 bowfront
and I safely increase the number of fish in the tank
, small and middle size fish
will it also increase the time between water changes

Just to be clear, you're essentially talking about a sump, right? You'd be adding around 55 'extra' gallons of water to the system, so theoretically you wouldn't have to change as much water. In that case you could probably reduce frequency of water changes. Personally, I would still do weekly changes, just smaller ones.

If you do end up trying this, just check your nitrates regularly until you get an idea of how much water you'll need to change.

 

[seove]

if I make a giant filter out of a plastic 55 gal drum for my 45 bowfront
and I safely increase the number of fish in the tank
, small and middle size fish
will it also increase the time between water changes

That is correct. It's like having a 75-85 gallon tank and you should be able to stock it as if... You can even put some of the bio-load in the sump. You would still want to avoid overcrowding the fish in the DT, especially if they need a certain amount of real estate. If they are crowded they will harass and fight more than normal. However, your setup will be able to handle the bio-load better with the extra water volume. I have that setup but I still make regular water changes, partly because I tend to overfeed and also because I know that in a closed system you have to change your water. The water is always very clean looking during changes.

 

[Andy Sager]

You do water changes for more reasons than just nitrate reduction so having the larger "sump" or water capacity doesn't necessarily reduce your water changing needs. Mineral replacement, trace element replacement, TDS dilution all happens from a water change. It depends on your fish load. In fact, if the filter converts the ammonia from the fish into nitrates faster, the need to do larger changes may happen. Only your water test can give you that answer. Plus, if you add more fish, it may make no difference at all that you have the larger water capacity.
But, like others have said, there is no replacement that beats weekly water changes