Great deal on ebay or not?

[legends92]

I found this wet/dry filter with pump on ebay. Can anyone tell me if this is a good deal or not?

Here is the description:

Brand NEW in the BOX
Manufactured by Aqua Clear Aquatics
200 Series Wet/Dry Features
Bio-Balls Biological Media Included
Pre-Filter Unit , Siphon Tubes and Foam Pre-Filter Tubes
Three Foot Heavy Duty Spiral Drain Hoses (easy assembly requires no extra hardware or sealants.
Thick non kinking return hose
Heavy Duty Non-warping lid
Directional Return Spout
Foam Water Polishing Block
Ventilation Holes in Bacteria Chamber Promotes Gas Exchange
Constant Water Level Area for Mounting of Heaters and Probes
Lifetime Warranty against Defects in Material Or Workmanship
Comes with a MAG Drive 950gph Pump

For $299

 

[legends92]

sorry, here is the Link

 

[JohnNLuc]

legends I would say dont waste your money on such a thing. If you do your homework you will find out that bio balls are a nitrate factory and I can bet you will take them out just as I did and many others have replacing it with live rock rubble. And after you've removed the bioballs all your really left with now is a $300 sump which is simply wasting money since one can be made from a 10G or 20G tank. I would suggest spending that money on a good protein skimmer or something else you might need. JMO

 

[RocketSeason]

yeah, they are pretty looking, but the bio-balls are kinda going out of style because of that pesky ol nitrate thing.

how about a large rubbermaid container???? save yourself about 290 bucks!!!

 

[Phyl]

I have one that's similar. I like that one because the water feeds over top of the filter media (mine is a spill over and smushes the media a bit when it spills over). The Mag 950 isn't going to be enough pump to return to 2 returns though. I found I needed a 12 to get enough flow to keep the overflows quiet. I am going to be taking out the bio balls though. I suppose if I had been more educated before I bought... Oh I don't know. I probably would have still gotten the same thing just for the ease of implementation and being so new to the hobby and not really knowing what we're doing

 

[indy]

If you really want a w/d, it can be built for about $50. I'll even give you the bio-balls for the cost of shipping.

 

[legends92]

Than you all for your input, it’s very much appreciated. I’m not sure if I am capable of building my own, but it's something I'll consider. Besides the cost, which is the main factor I think people recommend DIY, is the product and the setup it self a good one? Being such a newbie, I want to take the cost of setting up a saltwater aquarium out of the equation for now just to learn and understand what is considered a good setup.

 

[Phyl]

This is the one I have: here. Mine is a 200g instead of rated for a 300g though (so it is a bit smaller), but it looks just like this and I paid more for mine from the LFS. I have a 120 tank with 2 built-in overflows. The things that I like about this one are the built in protien skimmer and the overflow area to the right of the unit. The 3 stage unit (water comes in in the right channel, flows over to the center and then under to the return section) that I have seems to me to be prefereable than the two stage one that you're looking at (anyone?). That and if you're going to be returning to 2 returns then you will need a bigger pump than what you're getting with that unit. If that's the case then buy one like this and then add your own mag12 to it. The bio balls become nitrate factories so the concensus is to remove them and add more live rock.

 

[RocketSeason]

so Phyl, Why not start out with a big rubbermaid tub filled with LR and purchase a nice in-sump skimmer and return pump seperatly???

 

[Phyl]

The simple answer is that I just didn't know what I was doing The thought of trying to figure it all out over beige carpets just didn't appeal to me. When I was setting mine up, all that time ago (LOL) I felt that it was easier for me to take the LFS word for it and go with their recommendations. I didn't have to worry about what hose to buy, how much, how long? What type of plastics are ok? Will something in that rubbermaid bucket leach into the water over time? All I'm saying is that I can empathise with him. I'm certainly not advocating going out and spending a lot of money if you can handle the DIY route, but if you don't want to do it yourself (no matter how simple it really turns out to be) is that unit a bad idea? Is it configured properly (for the long run realizing that the bio balls will likely come out anyway)?

Being such a newbie, I want to take the cost of setting up a saltwater aquarium out of the equation for now just to learn and understand what is considered a good setup.

His question wasn't whether or not to waste money , it was whether or not the setup was well configured? Is the pump strong enough? At least, that's the way I read his response to the advice that he'd gotten so far about a DIY sump.

Out of curiosity, what made you decide to go with a canister filter?

 

[legends92]

As I learn more about setting up a saltwater aquarium, one item that folks here on the forum agree on is to remove the bio balls. In the last two weeks I’ve gong to a bunch of aquarium stores and 90% of them have bio balls in their wet/drys. Out of curiosity, why don’t they remove the bio balls and place live rock?

 

[RocketSeason]

Out of curiosity, what made you decide to go with a canister filter?

I assume that question was for me?

Two reasons:

a. I didn't have built in overflows on my tank and the thought of living in an apartment and having to put my trust in an overflow box just scared me.

b. I knew I would be intentionally overstocking my small tank and I wanted to have the highest amount of filtration possible.

so far so good. my parameters have been perfect for months with no change.

Also, I wasn't attacking your decision to buy a wet/dry filter. Hindsight is 20/20. I was just saying to legends92 that there is no reason to buy one.

 

[dang]

I'm in the process of researching some equipment for a 125 gallon tank. I have no experience in saltwater at all, but I was looking at pretty much the same filter as legends92.

The filter I was interested in is a Pro Clear Aquatics 200. (I think Pro Clear Aquatics and Aqua Clear Aquatics are basically the same company, I think I remember reading somewhere they changed the name of the company). It doesnt come with a pump but it does have a built-in skimmer. It goes for $260 from the same ebay seller store, ebea sellers world, as the one you're interested in. Then I was probably going with a mag12 pump for $90 from another ebay seller, instead of the 950 your's comes with. So for $350 you get basically the same thing, except a built-in skimmer and a larger pump for $50 more than what your's goes for!

I think I'm in the same boat you are, I dont want to build my own filter, I already have to build a stand, not to mention put in new flooring before that! So I was wondering also if this filter is any good. I did some searching and from what i can tell, it's seems to be pretty good. Here's a link to another thread on similar filters:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=37764&highlight=pro+clear+aquatics

and another one from another board:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=207b74a67d984636a8716c4d000f5c12&threadid=467241

So it might not be the ideal solution, but at this point I'm fairly confident it'll be alright as long as what you and I now know, to replace the bio-balls with liverock.[/url]