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Posted by Duncan on February 28, 2008, 3:24 pm
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>
>> Current tank is a Juwel Rio 180 (fresh water) with the original 600L
>> powerhead wired with the timer-switched lighting circuit, so it's running
>> for roughly 10 hours a day. I've always done this for *many* years of
>> fishkeeping.
>>
>> But just recently the pump has not been running when I get home from work
>> in the evening. Turning off/on once or twice, or a firm tap kicks it into
>> life. I'm not sure why - it's been cleaned and runs fine once it starts.
>> So for the time being I've left it running continously (ie not
>> time-switched).
>>
>> What's best for the fish - timed or continuous filtration? And why would
>> the pump be temperamental about starting?
>>
>> --
>> LSR
>>
>
> Always on is the way to go.
>
> The principles of filteration involve building up a colony of healthy
> bacteria on the filter medium which require a continious flow of
> oxygenated water to survive.
> In all probability once the filter goes off, the bacteria colony start to
> die off maybe even causing a small amount of pollution.
>
>
I'd go for continous filtration. I had a tank die off horribly - within a
day - when an undergravel stopped working. There must have been a massive
death of bacteria from anoxia. This is one reason I'll never have another
undergravel -despite one local dealer insisting that no other type of filter
actually works.
I've also seen the non-self-starting problem on submerged pumps, which need
a nudge to get them moving. One was old, one was cheap.
Duncan
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>pump be temperamental about starting?