L/R For Filtration In A Eclipse 12?

[steveohh]

I bought an Eclipse 12 aquarium & it is currently setup as a FOWLR system, but I might change to a reef system in the near future. My question is can I remove the carbon cartridge that Marineland includes with the system & replace it w/ a foam sponge & l/r below it for my main filtration? Do I have to use carbon for filtration in a saltwater tank? I've also got a Fluval 1 internal filter in the tank for additional filtration & a Powersweep 212 powerhead for additional water movement. The tank has about 7-8 lbs of live rock in it already. I'd like to avoid buying a new cartridge every 3-4 weeks & use somthing a bit more "natural" (like l/r) for filtration. If this idea of a setup doesn't work, does anybody have any ideas how to "modify" the Eclipse filtration? Thanks in advance for the help & replies. :jumping:

 

[steveohh]

Anybody?

 

[promisetbg]

I modified my eclipse 3.First..cut out the entire filter tray..bio-wheel thing.Leave an opening in the back of the lid to accomodate the size of the hang-on filter you will use.Next,I added a fountain pump for internal circulation...a MJ 606 or something equivelent would probably work fine.
Next,I cut out the stock lighting and replaced it with a small power compact set-up with remote ballast. Then I added a 2" 12V fan to the back of the lid..I ran it off the converter from a mag-light flashlight.added a 25 wt heater...some LR and LS.The filter was just used for circulation,the LR and LS did all the filtration.I did run some carbon in the tank occasionally,it helps to eliminate ammonia,and keeps the water clear...which will yellow from soft corals.

 

[promisetbg]

I upgraded this sytem to this JBJ12 DX...it's glass whereas the eclipse was plastic{a pita to clean}...there was'nt any room in the eclipse to get my hand in for cleaning...so I like this tank better..Good Luck!

 

[steveohh]

I'm not sure I want to fully retro-fit my Eclipse, just wondering if I could rid myself of the cartridge that has to be replaced every 2-3 weeks..............Thanks for the reply...........Anybody else have any suggestions?? :thinking:

 

[steveohh]

I've read where certain members say to remove the bio-wheel from the Eclipse filter assembly due to it creating high amounts of nitrates. Is this true? If I do remove it, should I replace the bio-wheel with bio balls or something similar?

 

[promisetbg]

No bio-balls they can also increase nitrates.Give your LR and LS a chance..it's the best filtration available IMO.

 

[jdragunas]

i completely disagree. If you have a sponge before the bio-balls, you'll be fine. The only time bio-balls can be a "nitrate-factory" is if the water is just pouring into the bio-balls without anything to catch waste and whatnot. The waste gets caught in the bio-balls and causes nitrates to increase because they're not being removed from the system. But if you have something to catch this crap before it enters the bio-ball area, you'll be fine. Also, bio-balls have a LOT of surface area, and can therefore hold a lot more of the dentrifying bacteria than most other filter-media. I have a wet/dry filter with bio-balls and my nitrates are constantly at 0.

 

[jdragunas]

also, you don't have to run carbon. Carbon is just to remove chemicals from your tank, such as any cleaner or anything. It's also meant to keep you water clear. IMO, the only time you need carbon is when your water starts looking discolored (green or white tint), or if you accidentally get something in the tank, or if an anemone dies (or any creature that secreats toxins upon death)...

 

[steveohh]

After speaking with a few different LFS employee's, I decided to modify the Eclipse 12 filtration a bit by removing the bio-wheel & replacing it w/ a half pound of LR. Water comes thru the mechanical & chemical filtration before flowing over the LR. Now it's time to upgrade the lighting to allow for a full reef nano.

Just a few pics from tonite after I added about 2 more pounds of LR.

 

[promisetbg]

I recommend that you remove that camelback shrimp if this will be a reef.They are not reefsafe.
It looks great!