Bio Wheel filter

[tusken]

Greeting,
Ive been lurking here for a while.
My wife has finally givin me the OK to get a tank.
I will be getting a 80 gallon after work today!
Anyhow my LFS recomends Bio Wheel filters. Is there any reason not to go with this?
We plan on having LR LS and probably the seaclone 100 skimmer. Eventually we plan on keeping a clown and an anemone (sp?)etc.

 

[jester]

That's a great beginner setup. Emporer 400 for the bio wet dry. It works awesome and is silent. The Seaclone is also ok. It's not the best, but it is silent, dependable and works. If you want to keep an annome, make sure you get antic and daylight bulbs. This is a good start.

 

[stacy]

I use the emperor 400 without any complaints. I have them on 3 of my tanks. I also ordered the seaclone, should be here in a couple of days. I would shop around a little on the filtration and the skimmer. I've found them considerably cheaper online than at LFS. I try to support my LFS as much as possible, but when I can order online for half the price thats a big savings. Also what type of lighting setup are you going to get?

 

[jester]

Shop online for your equipment. I've seen the emporor 400 for $44, and the seaclone for about $70. Most LFS will charge $90 to 120 each.

 

[stacy]

I've seen a couple of sights with the emperor on sale for $34.99. At that price I ordered a couple just to have as spares.

 

[tusken]

Thanks, I have priced the filter and skimmer online and will compare that to my local shop tonight.
As for the lights I havn't done alot of research on them yet. The tank I plan on getting comes with some cheapo light im going to see if i can upgrade to something better that will handle the anemone. Ive got antic and daylight writen in my notes.

 

[oracledba72]

I have a emperor 280 and my friend has the emperor 400. They are both great. He has used his for a couple years now. No problems at all, plus very reasonably priced online.

 

[grayne]

I would have to agree that the Emperor is a solid filter unit. I have had mine for quite a while and haven't had the slightest problem. In my opinion the Sea Clone is a good skimmer as well. Mine is constantly drawing a lot of "sludge" from the water. The only thing that may give you a few problems is getting the sensitive airflow adjustments made to keep the SC from making your tank look like you just dumped a box of Alka-Seltzer in it. Once you get the peculiarities down though you will love it.

 

[richard rendos]

Let me ask a question. What happens when power goes out? Don't the wheels stop spinning? If they dry out, don't you loose the bacteria that were living on the wheel? I personally think a Millenium 2000 or 3000 is a better filter because the bio plate is always under water even if the power goes out. Please let me know your feelings on this.

 

[grayne]

I'm not a bioligist, but won't the bacteria live on a dry whell for quite some time? You can but the bacteria to "seed" a tank that comes in a dry form..is it the same? Also, I believe the manual to the Emperor says it is fine to take the biowheel out and let it set for quite some time.

 

[tiffbritty]

make sure you get 80 gallon long tank it will be better for the fish , they will have more room to swim.

 

[tusken]

I got the the tank, stand, and the Emporer 400. Im going to order the skimmer, some power heads and a few other misc items online.
Hopefully ill be able to add some rock this week end.
Speaking of rock.. The book i have recomends placing the rock directly on the bottum of the tank so stuff doesnt burrow under and cause rockslides. The instructions that came with the tank said to make sure and place the rocks on sand. <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />
Last thing i want to do is break my tank. Any opinions?

 

[stacy]

Tusken,
Just noticed that you just a little south from me. Small world. Anyways as to your question, I don't think that it really makes that much of a difference. I myself put the rock on top of the sand, but I have also seen alot of people put it right on the bootom of the tank. If you have fish, or other creatures, that do burrow then it might be a good idea to lay it on the bottom of the tank.

 

[marine fanatic]

Emperor 400's have been great for me....I picked up 2 of them for $69.99/ea. at Pet-Co.

 

[byrself]

the bio wheel sumps are good too. more expensive but allow you to do some things different if you want. the hang ons are sufficient though. you will definitely need alot of lighting for an anemone to survive long term. good luck, sounds like you got a good idea about it. we're always here to help out.

 

[tusken]

I ended up placing sand down first. My wife said i could go get 20 lbs of Live rock. Well i ended up coming home with 26lbs LR, 20lbs of sand, and a power-head thinking i would be in trouble. Well i was for a minute, then she saw what that looks like in a 80 gallon tank and asked me why i didnt get more! So we went back together and got 27 lbs more
Tonight we are sitting there staring at the rock and figured we better add some more rock now befor we get some fish. I think we are going to pick up about 25lbs more tomorrow ( charge cards are great).
Ill post some pictures of what it looked like at the various ammounts when i get a chance.
Thanks all for the advice. And a wave to Stacy in Merced.

 

[byrself]

ahh, the good old days. another live rock tank is born! it is best to go ahead and get more live rock now if you can. will definitely thank yourself later, believe me. glad to see the wife is interested also. hope to see those pics soon. good luck!

 

[ckkihei]

In response to Richard's question about the bacteria dying if the power goes out and the wheels dry.........simple solution, put the wheels in the water while the power is out. I always do this while I clean the filter.

 

[richard rendos]

What if power goes out while you are at work? Millenium filters Bio plate is under water even if the power goes out. Milleniums are also cheaper.

 

[stacy]

The best solution for power problems is a backup of some sort. If money is tight you can get a large backup power supply, and just have your filters plugged in and nothing else.