Newbie

[DiannaDZ]

Hi folks, just in the process of setting up a new tank, for a reef setup. Idid a marine aquarium back in the late 70's with good luck, but sold my set up after my house burned down. I have a 60 gal tank with a Fluval 306 and CPR BakPak2 skimmer, no sump. Is this a big problem? I have just spent a bunch of money on 2 24 in Vega LED lamps for my tank. I put in some 80 lbs of Caribe agar alive sand to help colonize every thing. I'm picking up 50 lbs of life rock tomorrow. There was no place on my stand for a sump, and I'm going to have a square cut out of the shelf so my canister filter will fit under the stand. I got the tank & stand for only $259.

DiannaDZ

[fort384]

You might want to skip the canister filter and just add more Live Rock. Canister filters can really cause nitrate issues, especially if you aren't using RODI water.

Word of caution on the AI Vegas: They are great lights (I use AI Sols myself) but they are extremely powerful. Start them off at a very low level and adjust accordingly. The PAR readings for these fixtures are similar to the Sols, and I run mine at 35% white, 45% blue over a 57 gallon tank.

Not having a sump is not a huge issue but there are obvious advantages such as adding additional water volume to the system, and hiding equipment. However, with additional live rock in the DT and a skimmer, you can have a successful tank without one.

[Andrew McFadden]

Welcome to AA

[Convict2161]

Welcome to the forum

[Qube]

Welcome to the forum!

[DiannaDZ]

I have already added more live rock, I'm up to 77 lbs now. Why does the canister filter cause nitrate problems? I did read somewhere that it would require more maintenance to avoid that. I have just retired after 26 years from a position as a environmental microbiology supervisor. My lab tested public drinking water for bacteria. I was also periodically the USEPA Drinking Water Lab Certification Officer for the State of IN. I did certification inspections around the state to insure that the private labs met the EPA standards. I'd like to know the reason the canister causes problems as I just spent a bunch of money on it. I also put in 80 lbs of live sand. The mollies seem delighted to be in the tank after I spent 4 days acclimating them to the water. They've been in a bucket with an airstone.

[DiannaDZ]

Also, thanks for the warm welcome.

[fort384]

Canister filters are great - on FW tanks. On reef tanks where even 5-10ppm NO3 can be an issue, any mechanical filtration can cause excess nitrates. Decaying matter gets caught in the filter media and causes ammonia. Ammonia ends up as nitrate in a cycles system.

You can successfully keep a reef with a canister but it just takes extra attention to make sure you thoroughly clean the mechanical media regularly and flush the detritus out of the biological filter material periodically as well.