Filter with bio only

[garryp]

I have read, I think, about planted tanks with mostly bio media and no or little mechanical particulate filtration, example: HOB power filter without the floss element but with matrix or beads or etc...

My 75 gallon, 1 month new tank is populated fairly heavy with plants and at the rate they are growing, it can be very heavy soon. I am running two Emperor 280's with standard floss filter that has charcoal removed and the second position has seachem matrix (rocks). The tank is on pressurized CO2. PPS Pro fert auto system. Good light. About 50% water change weekly implemented as small auto water change daily. I guess one would call it high tech.

Fish count is about 25 small common community fish (cory, barb, tetra, molly, hateful guppie, gouramie, shark, etc.

Probably more info than needed. Howsomever, the question is - Can I remove the blue Emperor floss filter element and allow the aquarium plants and bio media to handle the stuff being caught by the filter? The floss plugs quickly, requiring weekly filter change.

I ask because I think I read somewhere that plants and bio media can handle the stuff captured by the floss filter. I would add additional bio filtration in the floss slot, essentially doubling the active bio area.

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I run a fluval 305 I think, rena flistar xp4, and eheim 2075, all with no mech flitration but they do have foam on the intake, this is much easier to take off, rinse thoroughly and that will take care of flow loss.. the fluval has been running for over a year with maybe one cleaning and its on a 40b which I use for cichlids and at times has been super heavily stocked, also has had a ton of food for when conditioning the cichlid for breeding.. excellent flow... only one I had a little problem with running that was way the eheim it would still need cleaned every 2 months or so to keep the flow high

 

[Aquadream]

I use mechanical filtration only when starting up a new aquarium to get rid of debry and mess as quickly as possible. No more than two weeks after start I remove the mechanical filter media and replace it with bio only.
In my opinion mechanical filtration is more trouble in general than it is of good use.
Sponges would collect much more debry and detritus than it is possible to be recycled in them, because sponge filter media can not house any near as much useful bacteria as proper bio media would.