ok, im new to this however this is what i have so far. 46 gallon bowfront and a powercompact/moonlight. I need a wet/dry filter, i have been looking at a maxi-reef 75 filter and a pump of some sort..not sure what i need or what is good for my setup. any suggestions are welcome..plus any online order sites i should go to and order. thx, mike
newbie looking for a good wet/dry filter
- Thread starter mcatgt
- Start date
Mike,
Are you planning a reef tank or a fish-only tank? If it's a reef, a wet/dry is not needed and is actually discouraged by most people. A simple sump with a good protein skimmer is all you'll need for filtration (plus live rock and sand in your tank).
If it's for a fish-only, a wet/dry is okay. The Maxi-reef is a good system. Truth is, most wet/dry systems work equally well. LifeReef makes very well-built wet/drys, but they aren't cheap.
For the pump, you can either go with a submersible or an in-line external pump. A submersible pump like Mag pumps, Eheims, or Senns is the easiest solution, but they do heat up the water a bit more the in-line pumps. In-line pumps need to be plumbed to the tank and some drilling may have to be done to the acrylic sump to plumb it. There are many in-line pumps that you can choose from, but I recommend a submersible if you're new to this. It's not very hard to add an inline sometime down the road anyhow.
All our sponsors are highly recommended and I suggest you take a look at them (www.reefs.org/sponsor.html). I personally use Marine Depot and Premium Aquatics, but honestly, people have all said favorable things about all our sponsors so it's up to you
Hope that helps.
Are you planning a reef tank or a fish-only tank? If it's a reef, a wet/dry is not needed and is actually discouraged by most people. A simple sump with a good protein skimmer is all you'll need for filtration (plus live rock and sand in your tank).
If it's for a fish-only, a wet/dry is okay. The Maxi-reef is a good system. Truth is, most wet/dry systems work equally well. LifeReef makes very well-built wet/drys, but they aren't cheap.
For the pump, you can either go with a submersible or an in-line external pump. A submersible pump like Mag pumps, Eheims, or Senns is the easiest solution, but they do heat up the water a bit more the in-line pumps. In-line pumps need to be plumbed to the tank and some drilling may have to be done to the acrylic sump to plumb it. There are many in-line pumps that you can choose from, but I recommend a submersible if you're new to this. It's not very hard to add an inline sometime down the road anyhow.
All our sponsors are highly recommended and I suggest you take a look at them (www.reefs.org/sponsor.html). I personally use Marine Depot and Premium Aquatics, but honestly, people have all said favorable things about all our sponsors so it's up to you
Hope that helps.
To expound on my recommendation:
The reason why people don't use wet/dry filters in reef tanks is because the wet/dry filter's main purpose (biological filtration) is completely fulfilled by live rock and sand and so it's redundant and unnecessary, taking up space. Some people will suggest that wet/dry's are actually nitrate factories; the oxygen-rich environment (aerobic) of wet/drys is only conducive to nitrification (converting of ammonia to nitrite to nitrate). On the other hand, with live rock and sand, there exists both oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor environments in close proximity. The former promotes nitrification while the latter promotes denitrifiction (ridding of nitrate). So unlike wet/drys, live rock and sand perform both important functions of the nitrogen cycle.
So for a reef tank, I recommend you just go with a sump with a good protein skimmer. Canister filters and wet/dry filters aren't necessary and actually are not recommended by most people. Some manufacturers like Life-reef and Amiracle make sump-only filter systems. You can also buy a wet/dry and remove the bioballs to make it a simple sump. All a sump is is a container that holds water and your equipment. Some people use tanks as sumps while others use cheapo Rubbermaid boxes.
The CPR-CY192 biofilter you mentioned in your email will work, although I'd remove the bio-media. These are essentially wet/drys with a small protein skimmer. What I recommend is you buy a sump-only (CPR sells them too) and get a very good protein skimmer such as the Euro-reef ES5-2. CPR's sump info can be found at the bottom of the page: www.cpraquatic.com/products/cyclone.html . I'd get the biggest one you can fit since 1) more water volume is always a good thing, 2) it'll help prevent overflow in case of power outtages, and 3) it'll hold more equipment should you need the space.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions here.
The reason why people don't use wet/dry filters in reef tanks is because the wet/dry filter's main purpose (biological filtration) is completely fulfilled by live rock and sand and so it's redundant and unnecessary, taking up space. Some people will suggest that wet/dry's are actually nitrate factories; the oxygen-rich environment (aerobic) of wet/drys is only conducive to nitrification (converting of ammonia to nitrite to nitrate). On the other hand, with live rock and sand, there exists both oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor environments in close proximity. The former promotes nitrification while the latter promotes denitrifiction (ridding of nitrate). So unlike wet/drys, live rock and sand perform both important functions of the nitrogen cycle.
So for a reef tank, I recommend you just go with a sump with a good protein skimmer. Canister filters and wet/dry filters aren't necessary and actually are not recommended by most people. Some manufacturers like Life-reef and Amiracle make sump-only filter systems. You can also buy a wet/dry and remove the bioballs to make it a simple sump. All a sump is is a container that holds water and your equipment. Some people use tanks as sumps while others use cheapo Rubbermaid boxes.
The CPR-CY192 biofilter you mentioned in your email will work, although I'd remove the bio-media. These are essentially wet/drys with a small protein skimmer. What I recommend is you buy a sump-only (CPR sells them too) and get a very good protein skimmer such as the Euro-reef ES5-2. CPR's sump info can be found at the bottom of the page: www.cpraquatic.com/products/cyclone.html . I'd get the biggest one you can fit since 1) more water volume is always a good thing, 2) it'll help prevent overflow in case of power outtages, and 3) it'll hold more equipment should you need the space.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions here.
Thank you for all your help in this matter..I beginning to get a better understanding of what I need and what will work to achieve my desired goal of creating a reef tank. This filtration thing is probably the most difficult to figure out for me. I just want to start out correctly the first time and not spin my wheels buying stuff i dont need. I suppose i will look into just getting a sump (should cost less anyway) than getting a full wet/dry system if I'm not going to use the biomedia...right? I'm looking around but i'm having a hard time finding prices on just sumps...do most people just buy a wet/dry and remove the media? I looked at the Euro reef skimmer, looks decent...are they really good? I'm all about spending a little more to get the best quality... i do have a budget, but if that is a good one i will put that on my list.
My sump is a wet/dry without the biological media/chamber. Some people use rubbermaid containers while others use tanks (either acrylic if they need to drill or glass if they don't need bulkheads). Sumps by themselves are a little harder to find (i'm curious as to why though!) but I know both CPR and Lifereef make them. Sumps should be cheaper then wet/dry systems and it somewhat of a waste to buy a wet/dry only to remove the media. But sometimes some wet/drys from affordable manufacturers like Amircale can be had for really cheap, so I'd shop around.
I'm a HUGE euro-reef fan. It's one of the simpliest, most effective, and most efficient skimmers I've used, and I've used well over a dozen different skimmers I will promise you that you will not be disappointed with this skimmer. Do a search for Euroreef in the general reef discussion forum and you'll find that I'm not only in this opinion. Other skimmer people like are Precision Marine Bullets and AquaC skimmers. They're all in the same price range and all will serve you well.
I'm a HUGE euro-reef fan. It's one of the simpliest, most effective, and most efficient skimmers I've used, and I've used well over a dozen different skimmers
I will promise you that you will not be disappointed with this skimmer. Do a search for Euroreef in the general reef discussion forum and you'll find that I'm not only in this opinion. Other skimmer people like are Precision Marine Bullets and AquaC skimmers. They're all in the same price range and all will serve you well.Len":2j3q0scj said:I'm a HUGE euro-reef fan. It's one of the simpliest, most effective, and most efficient skimmers I've used, and I've used well over a dozen different skimmers
No need to do a search, here's another Euroreef fan chiming in.. :wink:
Great advice Len, only other thing I can think to add is a couple of good books to check out..
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 1890087025
and
The New Marine Aquarium:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 1890087521
Welcome to RDO Mike!
Norm
Amiracle, who makes the Maxi-Reef, also makes Berlin sumps. Not sure why they are harder to get, my distributor does not carry them but I can get them by special order through my distributor -- so they are out there. If your LFS stocks Amiracle products you should be able to get one of their Berlin sumps.
http://amiracle.com/Filters_BerlinSeries.htm
HTH
Jenn
http://amiracle.com/Filters_BerlinSeries.htm
HTH
Jenn
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