Big aquarium goes days without the filter...and I BARELY NOTICED.

[Stan510]

Maybe 10 days ago I bump it and it came off the intake and I NEVER NOTICED. Only the last few days the water would get a little gray after my feeding of shrimp and beefheart. So,knowing that is no bueno I looked into it-ha. Well an hour or so later the filter and pumps were washed and the intake had its screws tightened.
It makes me wonder if I COULD...if i had to,go with a no filter tank? Pump? Need. It makes the plants stronger and aerates and all that. Just wondering.

 

[raylove]

In theory if you have a very large cycled tank, lightly stocked and well planted, you could manage without a filter - think of a garden pond - most aren't filtered. However, the last thing you want to do is switch off an established filter and kill the bacteria within it. Also, you need some water circulation to prevent 'dead spots' and to promote oxygen exchange at the surface, do it's not really recommended.
Perhaps the biggest issue with a tropical tank compared to a pond is that the tank is heated, and without circulation you will get an enormous temperature difference between the surface and the bottom. I found out just what an issue this was when I set up a special purpose tank recently, no fish in it so I just stuck on a heater. Later my floating thermometer showed a temperature of 77F but when I put my hand in I realised that the lower levels were much cooler - 63F when I measured it!

 

[GaryE]

Whether you NEED a filter depends on your set up. If the tank is planted, super lightly stocked and has light eaters, probably not. If it has the kind of bioload most aquarists want, then a filter is a great tool. With my killies, and my air driven filtration system, how much circulation I create has a huge impact on my success, species by species, 2 fish in a 10 gallon.

 

[Stan510]

I would never actually go filterless unless I replaced the Rainbows with White Clouds or that size fish. It was just an interesting result. The water was clear unless they had been fed an hour before.
Back to strong pump and lots of filter media.
It does say what many healthy plants can do for you and the fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

If you have enough plants in the tank, then the filters become obsolete if you have a light loading. The definition of light loading then becomes the debatable point.

 

[itiwhetu]

In my 150 gallon if I removed the Discus and the whiptails, then my 16 Black Phantoms and 6 White clouds wouldn't care two hoots if the filter was turned off.

 

[Stan510]

When the water got a slight haze an hour after a feeding- and i feed all they can eat- it reminds me of old aquarium articles or books on fish keeping. Then, the water returns to clear.
I took out all the media and gave it a LIGHT washing. Might take a couple of days before all is normal.

 

[GaryE]

In my heavily planted tanks, the filter is almost a necessary tool for moving water. The fact it has biomedia is just a bonus. But if the tank were stagnant, my fish would be in a hostile environment, and they deserve better than that. I want to see the plants waving at me (and them) when I enter the room.

I improved my filtration, still using box and sponge filters but with a higher output air pump, and my killies started living almost a third longer (up to 3 years). The problem is I also changed my water change routine, changing more more often, and I made both changes at the same time. So I can't say for sure which did it, or if they both helped.

In our current fascination with the cycle, I think we misunderstand the role of filters. Yes, they direct pollution into beds full of hungry bacteria. That's great. But natural water moves, rolls over and refreshed itself with oxygen. Go stand in any lake for 5 minutes, even a calm one, and it'll probably move more than any tank.