Filtration System

[Serge]

Well, after spending the last 3 days huffing and puffing to set up my tank, now I find out that I cannot get my wet/dry filter unit inside the base. :censor: What I have is a Marineland Tidepool 2 with bio-wheel.

So now, what's available out there? What can be used as a filtration system for my 125 gal.?

Suggestions/comments are most welcome as I am getting impatient to get the tank started.

Thanks in advance!

[Serge]

Well, I found a solution. Had to pull the aquarium and stand and managed to get it inside the stand in the location I wanted.

Problem solved.

[SerLunchbox]

ok then.
I was going to suggest an eheim cannister filter. But i guess you got it all under control now.

[Serge]

Yes, cannister filters were one of the many alternatives but I really liked this thing. The way it is made, it includes a sump area where I can put my skimmer.

All is well that ends well.

[Serge]

As an update/post mortem to this thread, I wanted to add that I now have two of these babies sitting under my tank. This is going to be one heck of a filtration system Each of them hold 13 gal. of water in their sump area. 26 gal. plus a small tank for the return container. Almost my complete water change (25%) requirements. Looks like the water changes will be like taking a candy from a baby.

[cmor1701d]

I'm assuming this is going to be a Fish Only of FOwLR tank. Wet/Dry's are nitrate factories.

I thought about the tidepool but went with a DSB instead.

[Serge]

When you say they are nitrate factory, can you elaborate a little more as to why?
As you probably know, these thing have 3 trays of which 2 are used with the first one coarse filter pad and the second tray is a carbon blanket. The last/lower tray usage is left to the aquarist's choice as what to use it for. Which I have no clue at the moment. The plan for this tank is about 150 lbs of LR and a DSB of roughly 3 inches. The reasoning here is that there will be a great amount of water movement and should help to keep nitrate down with the 2 bio wheels and 2 carbon pads.

Still a newbie, so perhaps my thinking is flawed.

[cmor1701d]

Food particulate is caught in the stage 1 tray and decays. Ammonia is produced but so is bacteria that live in the filter that live on ammonia and create nitrite. Other bacteria live there that eat the nitrite and create nitrate. The bacteria that eat nitrate and produce nitrogen live in anaerobic areas, deep recesses of LR or the bottom layers of a DSB. You have no oxygen poor areas in the cannister.

Same thing happens in the Tidepool. These are great for FO tanks because they are great at the first two stages of the Nitrogen cycle. Nitrates are non-toxic to fish in moderate quantities but corals can only tolerate miniscule amounts.

[cmor1701d]

The plan for this tank is about 150 lbs of LR and a DSB of roughly 3 inches.

The recommended amount of LR is 1½ - 2 pounds per gallon of volume and anything under 4" is a SSB. A DSB is 4" or more.

Then you don't need the cannister or the wet/dry.