I was wondering what the best filter would be for a 50 gal

[nofriendsbz3]

Im new to the hobby and i want to set up a 50 gallon setup and i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a filter for a 50 gallon reef and fish setup. Money is not a huge issue, but i dont want to spend a million dollars. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

nick

 

[Len]

Permit me to copy this over the New Reefkeepers forum as well, Nick.

I think you'd be best served with a simple hang-on skimmer to perform the bulk of your filtration. Something like the Precision Marine HOT-1 or AquaC Remora Pro would be my personal picks. They are fairly affordable and will do your tank (and yourself) a great service for a long time. Money well spent IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

Im new to the hobby and i want to set up a 50 gallon setup and i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a filter for a 50 gallon reef and fish setup. Money is not a huge issue, but i dont want to spend a million dollars. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

nick

To me the best filter is plant life. So I recommend settng up a refugium and getting the plant life started and thriving as the first thing. Chaeto macro algae is a good choice. And an in tank refugium does not have the flood potential of external sumps/refugiums.

I also use an external filter which is currently a sump/refug. The overflow water enters the sump/refug through a DIY filter box with landscape lava rocks and crushed oyster shells. It mechanically filters out lotsa stuff as the weekly rise water testifies too. And has helped maintain my calcium at 400-425ppm.

 

[ChrisRD]

I agree with Len. IMO/IME, the simplest/best setup for reef filtration is some good quality live rock and a good skimmer. Good circulation is important as well (ie. throw in a few powerheads).

If you do some research (you can start by using the search button at the top of the page here at RDO) I think you'll find most experienced reefkeepers would recommend against trying to rely soley on algae for filtration - especially on your first reef tank.

 

[nofriendsbz3]

i appreciate all of your guys' help. I was wondering what i could use that would somewhat not be visible, like not be hanging on the back of the tank. I have heard alot about the bio-wheel setup. What is a good non visable skimmer setup all and any help is greatly appreciated.

thanks alot

nick

 

[ChrisRD]

If you're interested in concealing equipment, IMO your best bet is to setup the system with a sump where you can put your skimmer, heater, etc. This also has other advantages - one being that you will be less restricted on skimmer choices.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

>...The overflow water enters the sump/refug through a DIY filter box with landscape lava rocks and crushed oyster shells. It mechanically filters out lotsa stuff as the weekly rise water testifies too. And has helped maintain my calcium at 400-425ppm.

Bob, you know you are going to bankrupt the whole pet-aquarium industry if you are correct? I strongely suggest you investigate and see if this is patentable... never know, but I feel someone with such innovative, counterinitive, unconventional idea should be paid big bucks!

 

[Len]

Your tank has to be have an internal overflow box in order to not have anything protruding from the back. Otherwise, you'll have to use a hang-on filter for a sump setup. If you haven't bought a tank yet, buy one that is "reef ready." These have internal overflows built in.

The Bio-wheel by Marineland is really a freshwater filtration device designed at providing more surface area for aerobic bacteria to grow. You won't have this problem in reef tanks since live rock has extremely high surface area. Live rock with a good skimmer is about all the filtration you need.

 

[blastermqn]

A good skimmer like the Remora Pro is worth more than 10 mechanical filters if you ask me.

Put your money into live rock.

 

[nofriendsbz3]

anyone have a hidden setup on their tank that is working great for them. If so what are you guys using and how much did it cost.

Thank you guys for all of your help that have posted reply's to my question.

I really dont want to be a pest or bug.

I just want to be successful at this and have a successful hobby.

thank you

nick

 

[Anonymous]

i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a filter for a 50 gallon reef and fish setup.

Live sand is the best filtration IMO.

Algae is a great nutrient export if it's in a seperate but connected container but it's not much on filtration.

Avoid Lava Rocks at all cost. Some can contain heavy metals that are lethal to crustaceans.

 

[Anonymous]

Im new to the hobby and i want to set up a 50 gallon setup and i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a filter for a 50 gallon reef and fish setup. Money is not a huge issue, but i dont want to spend a million dollars. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

nick

To me the best filter is plant life. So I recommend settng up a refugium and getting the plant life started and thriving as the first thing. Chaeto macro algae is a good choice. And an in tank refugium does not have the flood potential of external sumps/refugiums.

I also use an external filter which is currently a sump/refug. The overflow water enters the sump/refug through a DIY filter box with landscape lava rocks and crushed oyster shells. It mechanically filters out lotsa stuff as the weekly rise water testifies too. And has helped maintain my calcium at 400-425ppm.

A word or two about Beaslbob's advice to new reefers. Bob's methodologies might work for him (has not been proven), but they're unorthodoxed and not recommended by most (actually all) experienced hobbyists I know. The RDO staff recommends new reefkeepers stick with tried and true methods like those successful systems you've seen featured in print and online magazines.

 

[Ben1]

A good book will do you wonders. Have you picked any up yet?

If not try The Reef Aquarium Vol 1 for starters, this is a bit older but very good, solid proven info.

I also use a sump but have a Non reef ready tank. This means I have to use a HOT overflow. I also have a skimmer and kalkreactor that sit next to the tank.

 

[mountainbiker619]

nofriendsbz3,

Here is the setup of my past 60g.

 

[gabemerrill]

I've got a 50g with internal overflow, and all the filtration occurs in the 30g sump.

My advise: read up and keep it simple

I'm running:
3x96 watt pc (I'm only doing soft corals, but thinking about adding a MH)
A skimmer plumbed into the sump(get a proven one)
A reverse lit fuge (lit by a 26 watt pc shoplight from Home Depot. Its set up with some macros and LR this is a predator free zone, mainly to grow macros for the tang and keep the pod and mysid shrimp population up)
A QuietOne 4000 return pump

and plan on plumbing in a closed loop in the next month to get more flow. I got the skimmer and tank used (they don't wear out), built the sump and got the return pump online for pretty cheap.

I'd also look into RO/DI water for setting everything up, top offs, and water changes. You'll grow less algea early on and won't introduce more bad things as time goes on. I got a filter and 5 sets of filters for about 200 bux

HTH

 

[Fozza]

Im new to the hobby and i want to set up a 50 gallon setup and i was wondering what you guys would suggest for a filter for a 50 gallon reef and fish setup. Money is not a huge issue, but i dont want to spend a million dollars. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thank you

nick

To me the best filter is plant life. So I recommend settng up a refugium and getting the plant life started and thriving as the first thing. Chaeto macro algae is a good choice. And an in tank refugium does not have the flood potential of external sumps/refugiums.

I also use an external filter which is currently a sump/refug. The overflow water enters the sump/refug through a DIY filter box with landscape lava rocks and crushed oyster shells. It mechanically filters out lotsa stuff as the weekly rise water testifies too. And has helped maintain my calcium at 400-425ppm.

A word or two about Beaslbob's advice to new reefers. Bob's methodologies might work for him (has not been proven), but they're unorthodoxed and not recommended by most (actually all) experienced hobbyists I know. The RDO staff recommends new reefkeepers stick with tried and true methods like those successful systems you've seen featured in print and online magazines.

True and False, I do advise a good refugium, plant life is a great filter. But I don't advise it as the one and only filtration for your system, good live rock, live sand and clean-up crew are also essential.

Skimmers are a great asset and would recommend one to anyone but are NOT a necessity.

 

[ChrisRD]

True and False, I do advise a good refugium, plant life is a great filter. But I don't advise it as the one and only filtration for your system, good live rock, live sand and clean-up crew are also essential.

Skimmers are a great asset and would recommend one to anyone but are NOT a necessity.

IMO it's just two different philosophies really...

Some prefer to remove the wastes before they break down into nitrogenous compounds (ie. skimmers, mechanical filters, activated carbon, etc.).

Some prefer to let the wastes break down and then deal with the resulting compounds via other means (DSBs, algae filters, etc.).

And then of course, many (probably most these days) do a bit of both...

IMO/IME for a newcomer having a skimmer is a good safety net and I highly recommend one. It's also a great tool in a setup where very low nutrients are the goal (like an SPS dominated tank).

 

[Tackett]

You guys have to think, this guy probably has no clue about what a refugium or what half of the stuff that we are talking about even is. I think he is wanting a simple one line answer, but dude, its really not a simple answer at all. First off dont listen to bob, what he says is not compeletly wrong, but its like righty said, if it works for him then more power to him but it doesnt seem to work for anyone else but him. (this is by no means a personal insult bob.) If your just starting out you need to stick to tried and true methods. First off I will tell you what I'm doing and you can draw your own conclusions about what YOU should do based on everyone else's responses. I have a tidepool biowheel filter (you can check out www.liveaquaria.com for product descriptions of what we are talking about.) This filter is a trickle filter (aka: wet/dry) with different trays that slide out for different mediums. Now, you dont have to buy store bought mediums (like porcelin and the other crap that they sell.) I use crushed coral in all of my trays. It was like 20 bucks for a 30 pound bag. I have a magdrive 5 pumping the return line from the sump of this filter back to the aquarium. I have a overflow running from the aquarium to the tidepool. This setup works just find for me. Everyone else will probably have better set ups though. However I would not bother setting up a refugium untill youve had some amount of aquarium plumbing experience. (but hell you might be a plumber for all I know.) In anycase. You have to make sure you have proper lighting, proper salt, and proper water to use (do not use tap regardless of what anyone says to the contrary.) Any again these are not easy answer questions in themselves. Hope this helped a little..

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

If you're trying to save money, check out www.petsolutions.com for the best prices on supplies. No matter which direstion you go with your tank you're going to need a good sourse for food, meds, equipment, books, etc. I support my LFS (local fish store), but It's a good idea to shop around and see whats out there before you buy. Read, read, read, and gather into BEFORE YOU BUY!!! ANYTHING!!!That goes for live stock too. Best of luck.

 

[ChrisRD]

I like to buy from our sponsors whenever possible - helps keep our board running.