Richard Kagen
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2009
- Messages
- 4
Thoughts/questions on a Mangrove tank/filter for my FO
We have a 55 hex with a wet/dry sump, skimmer box set-up. Not a great saltwater tank, but it is what we have.
We love the idea of a seperate refug heavily planted with mangroves (red and white seems to be popular) as a place to have a jawfish, crabs and feeder shrimp and a couple of chunks of live rock from LFS
This is the set up I had in mind:
1) drill a 3/4" return hole 1" down on the side of a 20 gallon that sits 1' higher than the display tank, is there a danger of cracking drilling that close to the top edge of the glass?
2) use a Penguin BIO-Wheel 350 Power Filter on the 20. I am not sure if I can adapt the pick-up to draw from the display tank or if it will lift the 10 -12inches. If not, don't use the Penguin pump, but place a powerhead in the display tank to pump into the BIO-Wheel chamber. Thoughts?
3) put 20 lbs of live (bagged) sand in the 20, thoughts on an undergravel filter with airstones to keep some flow through the sand?
4) Eggcrate/open top (main tank is sealed up given the eels) with overhead lighting. I am thinking about raising some side & back walls of plexiglass to make it easier to spray down the salt on the mangroves and to keep the heat around the tops of the plants.
We have a 55 hex with a wet/dry sump, skimmer box set-up. Not a great saltwater tank, but it is what we have.
We love the idea of a seperate refug heavily planted with mangroves (red and white seems to be popular) as a place to have a jawfish, crabs and feeder shrimp and a couple of chunks of live rock from LFS
This is the set up I had in mind:
1) drill a 3/4" return hole 1" down on the side of a 20 gallon that sits 1' higher than the display tank, is there a danger of cracking drilling that close to the top edge of the glass?
2) use a Penguin BIO-Wheel 350 Power Filter on the 20. I am not sure if I can adapt the pick-up to draw from the display tank or if it will lift the 10 -12inches. If not, don't use the Penguin pump, but place a powerhead in the display tank to pump into the BIO-Wheel chamber. Thoughts?
3) put 20 lbs of live (bagged) sand in the 20, thoughts on an undergravel filter with airstones to keep some flow through the sand?
4) Eggcrate/open top (main tank is sealed up given the eels) with overhead lighting. I am thinking about raising some side & back walls of plexiglass to make it easier to spray down the salt on the mangroves and to keep the heat around the tops of the plants.