Filtering not enough or too much?

leadian

leadian

Member
On my 55g I have a fluval 304, prism skimmer, 2 maxi-jet 600's, 60lbs of Bali and Marshall Island well cured LR(1/2 the weight of Fuji), and a CC substrate(if I had to do over, next one will be LS). I currently have all media in the canister.
Should I be removing the Bio-media?or all media
Should I get a sump?why?
Should I run it 24/7?
Can I take the canister off completely?
tanks been up a few months and no probs so far but have another tank I'd like to use the fluvall on.
I know this is alot but im an anemone for information.:help:
 
arjayl

arjayl

Member
I also have a 55 gal with alot of filtration....My vote is the more the better.
Should I be removing the Bio-media?or all media
** I would never remove or clean every filter at the same time. There is benificial bacterial in the filter...Do one at a time JMO
Should I get a sump?why?
** Adding a sump would add to your overall water volume (which is good) and allows you to run your skimmer and heaters under the tank. You also have the ability to run a sump/fuge combo that would allow you to have plants in the fuge. This will reduce nitrates and give you a place to put those pesky critters that you don't want in your main tank. JMO
Should I run it 24/7?
I run two of my filters 24/7, but turn off the powerheads and BioWheel at night. The ocean is calmer at night and I'm just trying to simulate that JMO
Whats your depth of the crushed coral...is it shallow enough to use as a base and put some LS on top of it?
Hope this helps you out :D
 
jlem

jlem

Active Member
It's not really a good idea to mix sand and C/C. People do it just fine but usually it will cause more problems.
If you have live rock then your most of your biological filtration won't be on your filters and cleaning them at the same time won't affect your system negatively.
I went through some pretty wild nights and calm days when I was in Guam. By causing less circulation you can cause Co2 build up in your tank and lower PH levels. If you have algae or plants in your display tank they will take in oxygen at night so less circulation would mean less oxygen by those means also.
Arjayl, Sounds like your system is working good for you. I am just giving different points since all systems are different.
 
leadian

leadian

Member
Thats just it, some say my bio-media will mess with my LR and my mechanical filters and carbon will strip the water. I will definately be building a sump w/ ref, but what kind of media would i use in it?just carbon once in a while? or should i use complete wet/dry trickle?
BTW i have 2.5" aragonite mostly fine, some shell dont want to mix LS heard too many bad things, but all new setups or if I ever replace substrate(I hope not) I will Def go w/ LS
 
arjayl

arjayl

Member
I run a wet/dry trickle over some bio balls prior to the water getting to the fuge? It works for me? I dont use any media besides a prefilter (not counting the bio balls) on the back of the tank for the sump/fuge. I also have a Fluval 304 which has the carbon filter as well as a Penguin Bio Wheel which also has carbon media. The only problem I ever has was my NitrAtes were a little high....hence the fuge was built and stocked...@ 0 now. This is just my setup and it has worked for me.
I bought the WetDry off ---- (wish I had built it) and built the Fuge from plexi from Home Depot and Weld-On #3 and #16
P.S. I have a CC base (1/2 inch) with 3" of LS on top of it. Maybe thats why my nitrAtes were always a little high (10-20). But since I put the Fuge in, they're all gone. Ive always felt that the CC gives the LR some strong base to stand on in case a fish or crab starts to burrow and remove the sand from underneath it. JMO
Here is a pic of the setup
 
salty rob

salty rob

Member
Hey Arjayl,
I have the same tank & cabinets. Wish mine looked as sweet. I just got turned onto this section of the board and am glad that I did. My new goal is to get a setup like yours. SWEEEET!
:happy:
 
leadian

leadian

Member
Hey Arjayel,
That is sweet, do you ever have to do water changes?
I def have to get a sump and fuge not sure if I want to buy or build if I have to buy any reccomend?not sure about Bio-balls either I hear they lead to nitrate problemsI wish I could see more in action, anyone else wanna show off there stuff?
 
arjayl

arjayl

Member
Thanks...I do a 5gal week water change week. I find myself wanting to keep a nice a tidy tank. I always use Reverse Osmosis water. Once I changed from regular tap water, the tank blossomed like a flower.
Not sure about NitrAte problems from Bio Balls....but if they do create NitrAtes then the Culpera will take care of that :D
I just caught a Gorilla crab a couple hours ago
and he's been demoted to the fuge (damn hitchhikers)
:scared: :mad:
 
arjayl

arjayl

Member
leadian
I bought the WetDry from E**Y. I think it was around $225..Which included all the pumps and tubing.
I would build it all if I could do it again. There are a bunch of threads on building fuges. Its actually easy and I would suggest that. With a 55gal, you don't have much for cabinet space. If you custom make it all, you can optimize the amount of water in the fuge and wetdry.
JMO
PLUS ITS CHEAPER IF YOU MAKE IT!!!!!
:cheer: :D :jumping:
 
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