Mr. Aqua 12 Long with no filter or sump

[saahilrtrivedi]

I was thinking of getting a Mr. Aqua 12 long.
Originally I was looking at an IM Nuvo 16 or 24 but they're out of budget.

To match the 3 foot panorama of the Mr. Aqua I would have to get the Nuvo 24.

For the Mr. Aqua 12 would I would have two clownfish, one royal gramma and one firefish. Would weekly 2 gallon water changes suffice without having a filter (with purigen and filter floss) or a sump?
I also want to maintain a perfect seamless look, except for the one power cord for the powerhead and heater.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Bump

 

[FastUno]

This is my 29g tank & it is experimental. To see if LEDs work & to see if I can get away with no skimmer or filtration. I just have maxi jet 900 & heater in there.

I do 7g every 3-4 weeks. Mostly 4 weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmZXUod2j3I

 

[JonnyJ]

I wrote out a great reply last night via iPhone app and it got deleted when i pressed submit.

It can be done if your truly set on doing it without a filter, long term will depend on you.. I personally wouldn't suggest it since i value Mechanical filtration, but you can do the following...

Place your power heads for surface agitation so you can oxygenate the water. i would suggest two, in case one was to fail while you are out or away.

Purchase a Magnum hang on tank canister filter or a diatom filter that you can use once a week. Kick up some of the detritus in tank and run it once a week prior to water change for a good length of time.

Try to prevent stacking rock by using larger pieces that can be elevated or lifted weekly to remove trapped detritus when doing a water change

Purchase a diverse clean up crew. I would suggest Nas. Snails, 2 cleaner shrimp, planaxis, brittle star. etc

Keep feedings to the minimum amount. make sure they consume all the food before adding more.


I have a Mr aqua and currently doing 2 gallons a week. My filter pads trap a ton of crap and i only have two clown fish. its all going to depend on your clean up crew and husbandry.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Thank you for the responses!
Appreciate your input.

I am still debating what to do. I may get a very small canister filter so I can run filter floss and purigen and also provide flow.

Or I may sump the tank. If I sump the tank I won't use an overflow box. I will use a 90 degree elbow facing toward the top of the tank with a strainer.

 

[khuzdul]

Would that be a lot of fish for a 12 gallon, even with a filter? Royal gamma 3" carnivore, Clownfish x2 3" territorial omnivore, Firefish 3" omnivore?

 

[khuzdul]

Also, if you do go for a filter you might want to look into the glass Lily pipes that ADA makes. There are inexpensive imitations available on Amazon and eBay, but in my experience, the cheapest imitations have difficulty surviving shipping from China. The not quite as inexpensive ones that show packaging survive a lot better. If you go with a thermofilter or inline heater and a MP10wES for flow, than the only items on the rim would be the input/exit pipes.

If you do a sump, than a MAME glass overflow / return would also reduce the visual clutter on the rim over a more conventional overflow. Then the heater in the sump, MP10wES for flow, again the overflow would be the only item on the rim. You can also put an ATO to the sump and enjoy the benefit of an ATO without the visual clutter in the tank.

 

[sanguo]

Hi

I like khuzdul's answer.

 

[Lybrik]

me too

 

[mfs1855]

I've put a lot of thought into creating a seamless MrAqua 12 and can send you my sketches and proposed equipment list if you like. Since the MrAqua 12 has a non tempered bottom, you can put your in/out through the bottom on one side of the tank (or in the middle with flow going in both directions) I think the key would be to hide it within a drilled out coral. This would of course require a sump though.

 

[saahilrtrivedi]

Hey guys thanks for all the responses.

I ended up getting a really good deal on a Nuvo 16 and so I went with that.