Best Filter Setup For a Brackish Tank Going to full Salt.

[jeffs10]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 30 gallon brackish tank and have a emperor 400 [acronym:4eccadf4fa="Hang On Back"]hob[/acronym:4eccadf4fa] filter and its not doing a good enough job picking up all the krill particles my puffer leaves behind.

Can anyone recommend a good filter setup to help me out. I have the 30 on a stand so maybe a sump any info would help me out i know there alot of filter on big als but i dont know where to start

Jeff

[grimlock3000]

You need better mechanical filter to catch the smaller particles. Stuff the media baskets on your filter with filter floss, problem solved

When you say going to full salt, are you turning this into a Marine tank? If that was the case, how you filter it depends on what you want in the tank.

[jeffs10]

Yes it will be a full marine tank in about 4 months. I would like Some live Rock but not much im in the process or researching the lighting i'll need for the live rock. and would like the best filtration i can get.


What is fiber floss? I have alot of dead spots in my tank for debree settles and want to fix this problem.

[cdawson]

Originally Posted by jeffs10

Hi Everyone,

I have a 30 gallon brackish tank and have a emperor 400 [acronym:ec4f05491f="Hang On Back"]hob[/acronym:ec4f05491f] filter and its not doing a good enough job picking up all the krill particles my puffer leaves behind.

Can anyone recommend a good filter setup to help me out. I have the 30 on a stand so maybe a sump any info would help me out i know there alot of filter on big als but i dont know where to start

Jeff

all the filter is doing is trapping the krill, it's not getting rid of it. You're obviously overfeeding, try not feeding as much. Even though puffers are extremely messy ( I have a 4" GSP myself) you shouldn't have to worry about whether or not your filter is going to clean up after him. They'll usually do it themselves. For a filter though, you'll want a filter with a turnover rate of at least 8x the tanks capacity and maybe a powerhead for some more circulation. Remember you ARE simulating the ocean.

bio wheels are not suitable for [acronym:ec4f05491f="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:ec4f05491f], even BW I suggest getting an aquaclear or a canister filter. They also don't allow you much room for adding extra filter material or bio balls. Aquaclear filters are by far the best [acronym:ec4f05491f="Hang On Back"]HOB[/acronym:ec4f05491f] power filter out there. They're MUCH cheaper than bio wheel or canister filters and almost every advanced hobbyist swears by them.

I myself use aquaclears on almost all my tanks, and have found bio wheels to be nothing short of garbage. I have about 3 sitting in storage right now, they're not very good filters at all. You HAVE to buy bio wheel cartridges and they're expensive as **** compared to extremely long lasting and durable aquaclear foams. They can even be substituted for filter floss or wet dry filter pads. If you're going [acronym:ec4f05491f="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:ec4f05491f] use aquaclears.

Oh and biowheels spray salt EVERYWHERE and makes a really nasty mess.