Questions about filtration,planning larger tank (need help)

[DRIFTER]

Ok i plan to get either an 90 gal or 125 very soon and im trying to compare tank size and what i want to put in it blah blah blah.

What im getting hung up on now is filtration . Should i go with a tank with built in overflows? From what i understand the only diffirence between the over flow style and plain tank it that there are holes for the wet dry filter. Is the wet/dry much better than the hang on bio-wheel type filters?

My other question is about the wet/dry filters. This is where i get really confused and need help clearing this up. The one i want is like $300.00 and it has a built in protien skimmer but at the bottom of the description paragraph
it says appropriate pump not included. So i went to the pages it listed for pumps and here is what i dont understand:

Do i need a power head to run the filter or a pump or both. What is a power head vurses a pump. And what is with the crazy wattage useage numbers. Can i use these pumps on a regular wall socket or what?

Please help me understand!

 

[theatrus]

Is this a fish only?

Or FOWLR/Reef?

I'd get the built in overflows for the sump. Its somewhat better than my PVC pipe/cd spindle cover overflow

 

[DRIFTER]

It will be a fowlr setup. In addition to the questions i need answered above i also have one more question. The 125 tank im looking at has two overflows, does this mean i need to buy two filters and pumps or can it be run from one?

 

[jaiden]

a PH is a (small) pump.

Get the one that is predrilled for sure. even if you don't use it yet, you will want to add a sump later. you will only need 1 pump, since the overflows run on gravity. the pump just returns the water to the tank.

Don't waste your money on a W/D filter. build a sump yourself (just a 20gal tank is fine) and put a skimmer in it. Look for DIY sump info here.

pumps draw relatively little power. they work fine on regular outlets. Lighting on the other hand can get out of hand. A standard circuit is 15 amps (usually), which is around 1500 watts. If you have 200 watts of pump, your nowhere near this. but if you want 1000 watts of light on top of it, you're going to have to be careful.

 

[DRIFTER]

I just read the article for the sump and it explains how it works but what im not shure about what it does. Does it filter the water? becuse the way i read it it just sounds like it is a way to move the water into it with syphon and then pump it back into the system with a pump. Where does the filtration come in?

Thanks for the info.

Anyone else want to add some more opinions?

 

[loganj]

You can use prefilter sponges in your overflows if you wish. You'll want to clean them often to keep them from becoming bioactive and starting to crank out nitates though. Your LR will be your biological filter. Depending on what you intend to keep in the tank, you can have a cleanup crew consisting of various shrimp/snails/crabs to handle waste material such as excrement and uneaten food. The sump is basically a place to house equipment such as a skimmer, heater, activated carbon, ect... It also adds some water volume to the system which helps with stability somewhat. Your surface overflows in the main tank will pull the top layer of water, which is where most of the nasty stuff will collect anyway, and feed it down to the skimmer. Build your sump and spend the money on a good skimmer. A good skimmer is worth every penny you spend on it. I would look at ASM, Euroreef, and Aqua C for starters.

 

[jaiden]

some people put extra LR or algae or a DSB in the sump/fuge.

 

[indy]

A sump by itself does not filter your water. It is just extra water volume, water flow, and a place to put your ugly equipment that you don't want in your display tank. If you add addtional rock, a sandbed, algae etc, it becomes part of your filtration.

 

[DRIFTER]

So if i want to set up a 125 fowlr tank what would i need for filtration?

A sump,protien skimmer and pump only or do i need additional stuff for filtration?

If i am only using live rock for filtration how much would i need to be sufficient to filter a 125 gal ?


Also what is better about having the overflows built into the tank vs. a hang on prefilter? Isnt it the same thing?

Im finding some pretty good deals on ebay for wet/dry setups with pumps and protien skimmers included and when i researched building my own sump the price after buying a good skimmer and pump it comes out the same or even more than just buying a complete wet/dry setup.

Is there any reason a sump setup is better than wet/dry?

 

[DRIFTER]

Just added more to above reply ^ ^ if anyone knows the answers to those questions i should be ready to start getting what i need.

 

[Overstocker]

Pre-drilled is the only safe way to go! Read the book "the New Marine Aquarium" for good info. A hang on overflow can and will fail you during a power failure and you will end up with lots of saltwater on the floor. Live rock is sufficient for filtration. With a wet/dry you will still need to get a skimmer. The only difference between a wet/dry and a sump is bio balls and a sponge type filter. If you use an old tank or rubbermade container as the sump you can reduce the cost vice buying a wet/dry.

 

[RocketSeason]

Ok, You will want a tank with built in overflows. these will run to a sump or "fuge" that you can load with extra Live Rock and Live sand to help out your tank with filtration.

for a 125 gallon tank you will want probibly close to 200 lbs of live rock. ( live rock takes care of the filtration by the way)

a nice Aqua C remora with the in-sump attachment would make a great protien skimmer, and you will want enough powerheads in the tank to turn over the water between 10 and 20 times an hour. (thats 1250 to 2500 gallons per hour)

I have always loved canister filters, and I, and some friends of mine, think they work really well on a SW tank. You could add one to your tank to help out your Live Rock a bit. I have one loaded with activated carbon on my 37 gallon and my amonia. Nitrite, and Nitrates are at a rock steady 0. (but, my bioload is still rather small.) If you were to get moray eels, lionfish, puffers, or any other messy eater, the benifits would be much more apparent.

have fun!

 

[DRIFTER]

See thats the thing ,i want to use a sump but i dont want to crowd the tank with 200 lbs of liverock. I want it to be more open for the fish to swim around.
I really want one of those little bamboo sharks so i want to leave a lot of room for him to swim around on the bottom.

So if i add one of those canister filter how much less rock can i use at that point?

Also how much does that aqua c remora skimmer go for ? Where can i find it and other good stuff like pumps and equipment?

 

[jaiden]

remora is $163 with a maxijet 1200 from marinedepot. but if you're looking for 200lb of LR your tank is probably over 100gal, which means you might want the remora pro, or a bigger in-sump skimmer. Some people put LR chips or not-so-pretty rocks in the sump. this counts toward your overall weight.

 

[RocketSeason]

See thats the thing ,i want to use a sump but i dont want to crowd the tank with 200 lbs of liverock. I want it to be more open for the fish to swim around.

200 lbs of Live rock in really nothing. Look at my gallery and see what 40 lbs of rock looks like in a 37 gallon. That large rock in the back is flat so It looks bigger than it really is. If it were a normal shape, then none of my rocks would extend more than 8 inces above the sand. (and I have alot of floor space still available.)

200 lbs of live rock would do about the same for you. You could stack it along the back of the tank and leave a large swimming area in the front. You really will want about 200 lbs of rock though. It offers plenty of hiding places for your smaller fish and plenty of food for your inverts.

If cost is an issue, you could go with 100 lbs of Dry base Rock and 100 lbs of Live Rock.

I hope Bloodman doesn't mind but here is a pic of his tank: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5468&password=&sort=1&cat=542&page=6

Its a 188 gallon tank with 180 lbs of base rock and 90 lbs of live rock for a total of 270 lbs of rock. As you can see, there is plenty of room to swim.