skimmer/coral question

[swninja]

may be a dumb question, but i was just reading the post below about the berlin skimmer and the replies. i'm not planning on a keeping a whole lot of fish, 50 gal won't cut it, but i'm sure i'll be buying a few mushrooms and leathers and who know's what else. question is, do plants raise the bioload on a tank as much as fish do or do they lower it. I (probably mistakenly) had always assumed that corals and the like helped filter the water. Was i wrong?

 

[yote]

Some corals will compete with algae for nutrients.Stuff like kenyas and xenia are fairly good for nutrient uptake.But they also produce some mucus that can foul water quality.
I guess you could say their a different kind of bio-load.

 

[Bifferwine]

Corals don't count towards your bioload, but I wouldn't say that they help it any... Some corals are filter feeders, but not enough to make a difference when it comes to water quality. Some people believe that clams feed off of nitrates enough to lower them, but others have not seen any change in nitrates even when they have a tank full of clams.

 

[ccCapt]

do plants raise the bioload on a tank as much as fish do or do they lower it. I (probably mistakenly) had always assumed that corals and the like helped filter the water. Was i wrong?

The only "plants" in a saltwater aquarium are algaes. Corals are animals.

 

[swninja]

yeah, i realize the whole plants/animals thing, but that was just another contributing factor to my confusion. if it was truly an animal it would affect the bioload a lot more. either way, not trying to get into some crazy discussion about what makes something a plant or animal or any other organism. just had my question. and thanks for the answers.

 

[daugherty]

the reason they dont add to the bioload is because they do not create waste like fish do.

 

[swninja]

that makes sense.

 

[madlynb]

Can you please explain what "filter feeders" term means? Thx

 

[BigH55]

A filter feeder filters micro orgasims out of the water and feeds on them. Common ones include:
Sponges
Sea Fans
Feather Dusters
Corals