Filter help requested...

[ejgorman]

First off, I am somewhat of a novice. I have been keeping a small (20 g) tank (successfully) for 3 years now. Until investing in adequate lighting it has been a fish only tank. I am now running MH lighting (250w) and have added some button polyps as a test run. Currently have 1 gramma and 1 oscellaris clown (some inverts). I would like to add more coral to the tank eventually. I am running a Fluval canister filter with no chemical media and Coralife hang on skimmer. Since the Fluval is being used solely for circulation, would I be better off investing in a quality skimmer and using powerheads for circulation? Or would a wet/dry with skimmer be a better option? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jdeets]

Do you have a DSB and LR? (Deep sand bed and live rock--in case you're not up on the lingo around here) If you have a DSB and LR, you shouldn't need any other filtration, except skimming. Keep the fluval for circulation, and for running carbon from time to time. You can leave it on for circulation all the time or put in a couple of powerheads. Wet-dry filters are not a good answer--they're not necessary on a reef tank and also they tend to nitrify waste but not denitrify the nitrified waste--which means elevated nitrates.

 

[howie099]

I would add a small powerhead on the otherside of the tank for more circulation. like a Maxi-jet 900 or 600

Since you have a small tank you would be better off to get a hand on skimmer if you want to keep costs down with out using a sump and buying more pumps.

I like to use powerfilters or canister filters more for chemical and mechanical filteration. Keeps the water sparkling and helps create some water movment on the surface

Of coure you need LR and sand for tank for main biological filteration.

 

[davelin315]

Actually, on a wet dry, it can be a big plus for a reef system IMO. It is true that the consensus is to not have any biological filtration in it (i.e. bioballs), but if you take those out and utilize the drip plate without them, you have an instant area of super agitation in the water and excellent gas exchanges taking place. I have a wet dry on my reef that has the biomedia taken out, and it does an excellent job of providing oxygenated water to the tank. Also, I have not purchase a wet dry in years, but I would think that some are availabe without biomedia for less cost (?).

 

[ejgorman]

Thanks for the posts and, yes, I do have a DSB and quite a bit of LR (1 lb per gallon). I'm not a complete novice. Cost isn't really a consideration (to an extent). I just want a successful conversion from fish only to reef. By adding a sump I should be able to increase my bio load, right? Also it would eliminate those unsightly mechanisms from my main tank. Anybody had any success with DIY sump projects?

 

[jdeets]

If money isn't an object, then get a bigger tank!

Seriously, I'd highly recommend a sump. You'll be amazed how versatile they are. You can get the skimmer and heater and other stuff out of the tank. Heck, I even use my sump for water changes--I can pump the water out of the sump and then fill the sump back up with new water and not even have to siphon out of the main tank. Pretty nifty!

I built my own sump using a 29 gallon glass aquarium. I installed acrylic baffles to keep bubbles from getting into the return pump and sectioned an area off for the skimmer and overflows. I had it drilled for a bulkhead by a local glass company. There are tons of DIY web pages out there on building sumps. HTH