How many filters do you need for a sal****er tank?

RubenD wrote:
I currently have a 46G bowtank running with a Red Sea Skimmer and a Canister
filter. It's running great.
However, I notice the Canister filter doesn't suck/clean as much as I wish.
The power head (with sponge filter) and the skimmer seems to be doing a
better job.

I tried to get into a sump but decided not to at the end, instead I'll wait
upgrade to a tank with built in overflow/plumbing.

People without a sump, how many filters do you use/need?



Believe it or not, my best tank (20 long nano) has NO, i repeat NO
mechanical or chemical filtration. And NO SUMP. I do have 1 hagen
aquaclear hang on power filter going on it, but the media basket is
filled with rubble rock - no sponge filter, no carbon, no zoelitic stuff
- nada. So basically the filter is acting as a teeny little sump.

Aside from that, I have a crappy hang on skimmer (seaclone 100 - with
the intake filter sponge removed) and two power heads in there, and
that's it. Most of the biological filtration is being done by water flow
over the live rock, plus I have a 6" deep sand bed.

The secret is:

1) big cleanup crew (for such a small tank) - about 10 cerith snails, 2
Tonga conchs, 1 queen conch, 5 astreas, 5 blue legs, 1 sand sifting
star. Ceriths and the conchs are the most important here, since they do
the sand bed. Astreas and hermits are not so good for that. They handle
the live rock.

2) filter feeders - 2 big Hawaiian dusters, 1 8 inch derasa, 1 4 inch
maxima, some pink and white xenia, and a whole bunch of zooanthids (the
tridacnids and the xenia help with nitrates)

3) Deep sand bed - yes it REALLY DOES WORK for nitrates.

ALL nitrogen related stuff (including nitrate) currently is 0, and my
water is crystal clear.

All I do to maintain is put in 1 tsp of each part of b-ionic twice a
day, and maybe a 10% water change every other week or so.

Peter Pan wrote:



Why would it be against a reef tank, when corals usuually require cleaner
water to survive ?



Do the biological filtration to fast, and the end result is nitrates
that are way to high, esp for most sps stuff.

That is why wet dry filters are not supposed to be used with reef tanks
- they cycle amonia-nitrite-nitrate to quickly. You want it to happen
more slowly, so whatever is pulling the nitarates out (fuge, dsb, etc)
has time to stay "caught up"

*I agree with Pszemol also. I have no mechanical filtration of any
kind on any of my tanks..My sand bed and live rock do it. I use hob
filters ( Aqua Clear brands) without media for current flow or a place
to put ac etc, not filter media, and the power heads provide nothing
but current flow, and nitrate or other junk has never been a problem
for me. I maintain all reef and reef w/fish tanks. All have surface
skimmers or protein skimmers.

On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:33:48 -0500, Add Homonym
wrote:

Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yep :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Pszemol wrote on 12/25/2006 12:28 PM:

"Peter Pan" wrote in message
...

you want a filter that will filter your tank 5 or more times a hour, no
matter if its Salt or freshwater. Sump or no sump. Look on the side
of the
filter package when buyig a filter it will tell you how many Gallons per
hour (GPH) it does.


Are you guys talking about reef tanks ?
I am confused... This recomendation would be
agains the reef tank idea. Maybe fish only tanks ?

I would say I have to heartily disagree with Wayne and Peter Pan, and
very much agree with Pszemol. Mechanical filtration for a reef tank = bad.



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yep :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Pszemol wrote on 12/25/2006 12:28 PM:

"Peter Pan" wrote in message
...

you want a filter that will filter your tank 5 or more times a hour, no
matter if its Salt or freshwater. Sump or no sump. Look on the side
of the
filter package when buyig a filter it will tell you how many Gallons per
hour (GPH) it does.


Are you guys talking about reef tanks ?
I am confused... This recomendation would be
agains the reef tank idea. Maybe fish only tanks ?

I would say I have to heartily disagree with Wayne and Peter Pan, and
very much agree with Pszemol. Mechanical filtration for a reef tank = bad.

RubenD wrote:
Using Caleurpa Algae in the tank to remove nitrates would be a good idea,
or it will spread all over as a pest?

My LFS using as a filtrating component on the nano cubes.

Anyways, my water condition are excellent (zero Nitrates) but still get
those algae (red hair or green) blooming.



Calerpa can spawn and take over.

Chaetomortpha is less of a problem in that regard - that is why it is
more popular for 'fuge use than calerpa.

If you have zero nitrates and get bloooms, it may be that the blooms are
exactly WHY you have zero nitrates - the blooms are what is taking the
nitrates out.

I used to have that problem - I solved it by going with a deep sand bed
and snails and conchs to keep the nutrients off the top of the sand.

You mean that you disagree with Peter Pan, and not with
Wayne and Pszemol :-) My "yep:-)" was in responce to
Pszemol's post, and Pszemol's post was in responce to
Peter Pan's post :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Add Homonym wrote on 1/2/2007 1:33 PM:
Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yep :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Pszemol wrote on 12/25/2006 12:28 PM:

"Peter Pan" wrote in message
...

you want a filter that will filter your tank 5 or more times a hour, no
matter if its Salt or freshwater. Sump or no sump. Look on the side
of the
filter package when buyig a filter it will tell you how many Gallons
per
hour (GPH) it does.


Are you guys talking about reef tanks ?
I am confused... This recomendation would be
agains the reef tank idea. Maybe fish only tanks ?

I would say I have to heartily disagree with Wayne and Peter Pan, and
very much agree with Pszemol. Mechanical filtration for a reef tank = bad.

You forgot RAMR again when.... you post to rec.ponds. i add it for you.

"Tristan" wrote in message
...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, ............you lunatic.......


-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!


Tristan wrote:
*I agree with Pszemol also. I have no mechanical filtration of any
kind on any of my tanks..My sand bed and live rock do it. I use hob
filters ( Aqua Clear brands) without media for current flow or a place
to put ac etc, not filter media, and the power heads provide nothing
but current flow, and nitrate or other junk has never been a problem
for me. I maintain all reef and reef w/fish tanks. All have surface
skimmers or protein skimmers.

On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:33:48 -0500, Add Homonym
wrote:

Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yep :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Pszemol wrote on 12/25/2006 12:28 PM:

"Peter Pan" wrote in message
...

you want a filter that will filter your tank 5 or more times a hour, no
matter if its Salt or freshwater. Sump or no sump. Look on the side
of the
filter package when buyig a filter it will tell you how many Gallons per
hour (GPH) it does.


Are you guys talking about reef tanks ?
I am confused... This recomendation would be
agains the reef tank idea. Maybe fish only tanks ?

I would say I have to heartily disagree with Wayne and Peter Pan, and
very much agree with Pszemol. Mechanical filtration for a reef tank = bad.



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!