Best filtration?

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hammerhead911

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Messages
89
Location
Melbourne FL
I'm looking at a 65 gal FOWLR, with 2 to 3 inches of sand. A friend told me the best bet would be a wet/dry filter with bioballs and a protien skimmer. What do you think? Is that better than the canister filters?
 
lol i just looked at what i wrote sorry... i use a wet/dry system and it works great. i got one with a built in skimmer from pro clear aquatics and tank is up and running smoothly
 
Many here will say that canister or HOB filters are nitrate farms (and they can be if you don't clean the sponges). The bioballs can also harbor lots of stuff that could cause nitrate spikes. If you keep things clean and do regular water changes you will do fine either way. I personally have an penguin 170 (came with tank) a Fluval 104 with sponges, two compartments with carbon and a compartment with the ceramic bio things). Remember to keep it clean though.

The preferred method here (correct me if I am wrong fellas) is using live rock rubble in a sump (kind of a bio ball substitute). The rubble would be completely submerged though. Over 10 years ago when I did sw the first time I believe this method was called the BERLIN method... http://www.berlinmethod.com/overview.html
 
Live rock is the best filtration... do you plan on getting any??? 65 lbs would be a good start.
I like a Sump over a w/D... No bio balls to trap waste and create NO3 and adds water volume and a place for heater, skimmer...
 
seaham358 said:
Live rock is the best filtration... do you plan on getting any??? 65 lbs would be a good start.
I like a Sump over a w/D... No bio balls to trap waste and create NO3 and adds water volume and a place for heater, skimmer...
Yes, I definately plan on doing live rock. What exactly do you mean by a sump over a W/D? Is this something for the newbie like myself? Do you have any diagrams? Is the bioball method out of date?
 
Instead of using bio balls you use live rock rubble, but you have to keep them completely submerged. Lr rubble is much better because bioballs cause nitrate to rise, and lr rubble gives pods a great place to grow. I'm not sure what Seaham meant by 'Sump over a w/d', I have my w/d in my sump.

Here is a website for a great DIY w/d and sump: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/wetdry.htm
 
Yes I prefer sumps, sumps and W/D are 2 different things.... they both work in similar ways but a sump has no Bioballs which IMO are out dated and can trap waste causing some other issues.
superskimmer.com is a site that makes sumps, check it out so you know what Im talking about.
I like having nothing in my sumps except equipment, skimmer, heater, pumps. IMO LR rubble can and will trap waste just like BB, so I have my LR in my tank and fuge.
Either one is much better then a canister filter. With these you will need to have a drilled tank or a overflow box, with a canister you won't.
 
The best wet dry system

The best wet dry system and overflow that I have found is from www.aquaplumbers.com they are also very helpful. Add a protein skimmer and you will have one of the best tanks around!
 
Seaham...so if you don't have anything in the sump, what is doing all your filtering? Something has to catch the large chunks.

Thanks for the help.....
 
How about an Eco System setup? I heard that those are awesome and you can add Chaeto to that, right? I'm guessing that might even be better then a W/D or a standard sump with live rubble. This is how I want to setup my 120gal.
 
large chunks of what??? I have LR as my natural filtration. I do not have tons of debri floating around the tank, the only problem is when my eel and clown get pissed they kick up sand and after a few hours its settled down.

There should not be large chunks of anything in a tank floating around? Not sure what your referring to. I will run filter floss in the sump to polish the water every once in a while. Most sumps have a place to put a carbon bag or floss when needed. In a W/D its a good idea to run the floss all the time to stop waste from collecting in the bioballs. In a sump set up there is not need to run it. If there is any waste it settles out in the tank or sump. the sump I will vacuum out once a year and then there is not that much waste.
The other reason I dont run filter pads is because they trap the pods and I want them to make it back up into the main tank.
 
I have a friend that will give me a wet/dry with a protien skimmer. What if you just took out the bioballs? :? Would it make a cheaper, poor man's sump.....or would it be a disaster?
 
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