"Troy Bruder" wrote in message
...
Thanks Tom... It was just a general question... Sort of like asking
about
using activated carbon in a planted tank... Most people feel the carbon
removes too much of the nutrients required by the plants... I was
wondering
what the general effect would be of a fluidized filter. I've never used
them, and just wondering. I'm always interested in gadgets to take my
tank
to the next level.

I have a 29 gallon, heavily planted tank. I have approximately 10-12
fish,
ranging in size from 1/4" to 3"... I have tons of sludge (I tend to over
feed...I'm trying to get better!) in the gravel bed, and do major water
changes every 10 days..

I dose PMDD daily, and use a pressured CO2 injection system... My primary
filter is a Fluval canister..

Thanks again for any advice.
Troy


Ah, MUCH better!

More information is always nice.

First off, unless the dozen fish are all at the 3" end of the size scale
mentioned, in a 29 gallon tank your actual "fish load" is only medium high,
not bumping the upper end of the scale.

However, the next sentence is quite revealing... "tons of sludge" is NOT a
'Good Thing' (sorry Martha, hope you are doing well in the Big House).

The 'sludge' is typically referred to a 'mulm', by the way. If it is
composed mostly of uneaten food, then you have a severe over-feeding
problem. This will kill your fish, sooner or later.

A FB filter is great for one thing and one thing only... it provides a
physical 'home' for ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria such as
nitrospira (NOT nitrobacter as some people still erroneously believe). It
does this by providing a massive amount of surface area for the bacteria in
a very thoroughly aerated, physically small, environment. A FB filter gives
the more biological filtration *for the space it consumes* than any other
filter. As long as your realize that, then whether or not to use one is
just up to you.

Given your admitted propensity to overfeed however, I would look into
correcting that first.

Tom