Thoughts on exposing filters to light source?

[GoFish]

Wondering if anyone has any input on exposing either filter floss or filter socks to light. My last tank had filter socks and was next to the refugium, if the socks were exposed to the refugium 6500k light they would accumulate a brown film algae (not sure of exact algae type). It was unsightly so I would put the cover that came with the sump blocking the light from hitting the socks.

On the new tank I made a custom filter holder directly behind the overflow. It uses filter floss and other mechanical filter media. Now my led lighting is exposing the top layer of filter floss to light. Also generating brownish algae

My 2 ways of thinking are either it's a good thing pulling additional organics out of the water acting kind of like an Algae Turf Scubber (ATS).... OR it's a bad thing, maybe a bad algae to have the tank water continuously cycling over?
I try to clean the floss every few days and replace every so often.

All ideas and thoughts welcome :wink:

[Proteus]

My thoughts would be that you need to change the filter media more often

How often do you change it

[GoFish]

My thoughts would be that you need to change the filter media more often

How often do you change it

Once in a month and a half :0
It's basically a frag tank with some structure taken from the other tank. No fish, no poop, no CUC, bare bottom, plain Jane. A bit of polyp booster/reef roids once in a while
I guess I could just change the floss instead of cleaning it.


Thoughts on exposing filters to light?

[Proteus]

Once in a month and a half :0
It's basically a frag tank with some structure taken from the other tank. No fish, no poop, no CUC, bare bottom, plain Jane. A bit of polyp booster/reef roids once in a while
I guess I could just change the floss instead of cleaning it.


Thoughts on exposing filters to light?


You still will have organics in tank you should change it weekly or remove it.
When it comes to light I don't think it would me matter either way. If you have no light the organics break free into nutrients. With light it grow algae removing nutrients.

[GoFish]

I will change the floss more often. Kinda surprised others didn't chime in. So let's say I change the floss once a week, if I put a black cover over the filter to block the light organics will be passing over a mechanical filter only, but if exposed to light it will grow algae and absorb nutrients as well as mechanical filtration.
Maybe leaving it exposed to light is a little better then

[Proteus]

Once a week minimum. If it grows algae it contains nutrients which will be in water colomn

[GoFish]

Here's what I'm talking about... Haven't put any food in the tank for 2 weeks, just did a 75% water change, and replaced all filter media. The next day, brown algae on filter floss (the photo is 2 days after WC, no food)

**May have just figured out the nutrient source. I transferred over Nitra Guard bio-cubes from the last tank and had the bag sitting beside my return pump, just took the bag of cubes out and its pretty smelly. Maybe I'll rinse them off in NSW and put half back in


http://i.imgur.com/nfXlQ36.jpg

[hillegom]

I don't quite understand how brown algae grow with a light source. Are you sure it is algae? Maybe bacteria or?
My understanding is light grows green algae, or red. Brown is the stuff you see growing in the pipes and hoses when there is a lack of light.
Regardless, if something is growing, it is using up nutrients in the water column.
A good thing if you regularly export that.