Newbie filter advice....

uk-sub

uk-sub

New Member
Hi All you Marine aquarium guru types...
I was looking for a bit of advice regarding filters..
I'm hoping to set up a 125 or 150 gal fish only tank housing a small number of fairly large fish (2 Volitan Lion fish, 2 Moray's, 2 triggers (Picasso, Blue Jaw) and a specled Grouper)...
I really know very little about the different filter types on the market....My question is, can I maintain a healthy set up like this using canister filters a skimmer and uv light? Or do I really have to look at a wet / dry sump type installation. If possible I'd like to steer clear of sumps as they seem quite noisy, this set up would be in a family room and needs to be fairly quiet....
Any ideas / advice would be gratefully received...
Thanks in advance
UK-SUB
 
cal559

cal559

Member
I've heard more people don't like canister filters thats much because you have to clean them weekly or something like that?
Someone with more experience should reply soon...
Try searching the forum using "canister filter". I'm sure theres post about them on here.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
a canister still takes water out and water in except it is a closed system
do you plan on a hang on skimmer.
with that many big fish you are going to need a large skimmer and it wont be too attractive to look at.
a sump is imo a far better set up.
it adds alot more water volume and you can hide the skimmer,heaters ,phosphate reactor which i would recomend for big fish without live rock and return pump in it.
not many hobbists dont run a sump.
i have never run a canister but i am sure you will find a few here to ge thier opinions.
i just like that dont have equiptment hanging all over the tank.
if you get a tank with overflows which is where the noise comes from you can stuff fiber media in it so almost eliminates the noise.
 
uk-sub

uk-sub

New Member
Thanks for the reply deejeff....
"it adds alot more water volume and you can hide the skimmer,heaters ,phosphate reactor which i would recomend for big fish without live rock and return pump in it."
Can I use Live Rock and return pump? Just dumping a load of Live Rock in there would be benificial would it? How would I rig up a return pump and what would that do?.....Please accept my apologies for my ignorance.....I think I have an awful lot of searching to do before I buy anything!!
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
i guess you are really starting out.if you are going to use lr which is the filter system money can buy get at least 100 lbs for a 150 gallon.
shop around for it cause it is expensive.
i sump is simple get as big of a rubbermaid tote that will fit under your fish tank.the more water volume you have the more fish you can have in the dt.
if you have a 150 gallon get a pump of at least 900-1000 gph .run 3/4 inch sprinker pipe up and over the tank back into the dt.overflows into the sump thats it.if you are going to buy a tank get a predrilled and it will come with all the pipes and fittings and hide the pipes.i would got to a lfs and look at the tanks to see what i mean.
remember saltwater is a very slow process add fish slowly and do alot of water changes.
there is alot more to it than i explained but i dont know the amount of knowlage of this sport you have.
also wet/dry is old school dont bother with them.
search refuge to see the perfect natural filter next to lr.
 
djnsocal

djnsocal

Member
I used to use canister filters regularly. But, they are such a pain to remove, open up, and clean. I always get water everywhere unless I take it to the bathroom. Getting the pump inside to work and all the air bubbles out of the system after a cleaning is "fun" to... I used to end up putting it on its side or at an angle to help out.
Sump, refugium, protein skimmer, live rock... that works the best for me.
If you want to have a little canister to fill with carbon to occasionally clean the water (it does make it sparkle)... it might be okay. I'd still go with regular water changes and a refugium any day.
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
my 125 is running with one 110 aquaclear which has been on this tank for 8 yrs i used to run 2 until my son broke it(i had it off for cleaning) as of not i have one and a rena canister filter and one large powerhead.. no skimmer at this time hasn't had one in yrs..
regular water changes and filter cleaning will keep all levels at prime conditions no matter what type of filter system you are using... this is your option on which one to use .as an aggressive tank water changes are a must as it is they are messy eaters and keeping a good clean up crew isnt easy when you house crustation eaters.. if you want a good cleaner for that tank get a silver scat they are neither predator nor prey .. they are sold as brackish but can be easily acclimated to full marine as they are marine fish as adults in the wild.. but they are venomous making them a great addition to any aggressive tank( and a great clean up crew in one fish( he eats everything)
 
uk-sub

uk-sub

New Member
Thanks for the advice guys....
The really great thread LP 4 Life gave and the other input only goes to confirm my assumption that I need to do a whole lot more research into the hobby before I even start planning what set up would be successful for me, I'm starting from a zero knowledge base! But it does seem like I need to read up on a sump / Refugium type system with live rock and a skimmer....
Is this the sort of setup that a beginner could put together successfully, or would it perhaps be better to shoot for something a bit less ambitious?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
you can buy a refuge already to go but a bit pricy compared to build yourself.
this sport is expensive thats for sure.
 
dustyboy316

dustyboy316

Member
I'm no expert but it all depends on 2 variables really. Time and Money.
If you have the money then by all means go for it. This means you were already looking at a larger tank probably.
If you have the time to do it right then do it, but it will cost a lot to do it right.
If you want to just hgave a starter aquarium like a 10 gallon then it will be a lot easier and you won't need a sump or refugium. A nano protein skimmer, some water changes and maybe a carbon filter like a power filter will do in this scenario if you keep up with water changes.
 
unleashed

unleashed

Active Member
this hobby does not have to cost an arm and a leg as for equipment goes unless your gonna try going full blown reef.
my first tank set up for marine was 125 gal 6 ft tank. i purchased cc 2 inches worth .a couple lbs of dead rock not even live..came with 3 18 in 24 watt light strips glass tops
I had no clue what i was doing what so ever the store i purchased this tank from was selling fresh water fish only..but hubby got a great price on this tank ..so for filters we baught 2 aquaclear 110's then known as 300's and the aqualcear 500 powerhead oh yeh and the skilter. lol what a joke that one was.once this tank was cicled about 2 months we baught our first fish and yes like everyone else had our casualties as we didnt know which fish were hardier than others or compatible. i bought books first being conscientious aquarium by Robert Fenner ( even got an autographed copy hehe)..I didnt know about group forums then so I had to do my own research i googled anything and everything i could possibly think of .. this picture was of my aggressive tank sorry its a bit small .. I cant make it bigger.this tank ran with this filter system for 4 yrs before i made any updates on filteration other than ditching that stupid skilter. then i went to wet dry./ then i went to canister/ then i went to sump fuge with skimmer. these changes all being made in the last 8 yrs . the last 2 yrs this tank has been running on the very same aquaclears i started with .one broke as above post stated. this is a link to my photo bucket of some of the tanks i have had set up previously .I sold all but 2 of them 2 yrs ago.i had well over 80 thousand dollars wrapped up in all my tanks combined.in less than 2 yrs. yes i read my bank statements
.. dont do that lol
.. i know what you can do with the extra spending but i also know what can be done with little spending .. both can work and work well..
http://s360.photobucket.com/albums/oo44/unleashed-13/
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
wow talking about jumping in with both feet.nice!!!!!!
i agree you can definitly set up a 150 gallon for less than $1500 maybe a thousand
search for used tanks there are alot of people just trying to get rid of them who gave up on the hobbie.
i found a 220 gallon for $400.
dont need huge lighting system right off.build a sump/fuge for under $100
pumps a couple hundred ,sand and some lr $250,skimmer $200,a few other things and there you go.
just need to look around local paper and c-list.
i an looking for a quarintine tank set up now,i found a bunch of 40 gallons with the stand for around $100
 
pete159

pete159

Member
get as much live rock as you can, that will be the best filter, as well as a good protein skimmer, start saving your pennies!, and 50's and 100's
 
uk-sub

uk-sub

New Member
Ok chaps
I think I'm getting there on the learning curve front!
My feelings on an aggressive fish only setup have been evolving the more I read and get advice from this and other forums...
I'm thinking the biological load of my original idea of stocking the tank with 7 fish which could potentially get to around 10 to 12 inches in size might be a bit high in a 150 gal tank no matter what filtration I have. So I'm now thinking of FOWLR 180 gal set up with sump / fug and the biggest skimmer I can fit under the tank...
Would that be enough to keep the water quality good for my 7 inhabitants? Anyone have any ideas on alternative stock? My original list was:
2 Volitan Lion fish, 2 Moray's, 2 triggers (Picasso, Blue Jaw) and a speckled Grouper...
Any ideas chaps??
Thanks in advance
Regards
UK-Sub
 
ca161406

ca161406

Member
with that stock list it shld be fine. yet id cross out the humu trigger with lions. but remember a 180 is only a few inches bigger then a 125 so theres not much more swimming room
 
uk-sub

uk-sub

New Member
I just realized I definitely screwed up a bit on the Speckled Grouper choice apparently they can get to 4 feet!!
Can anyone advise on the proposed filter set up? What quantity on live rock should I have in a 180 gal tankl? Also, I'm looking at a DIY sump as big as I can fit in the space under the display tank (I'm thinking possibly about 42x18x12 which would give near 40 gal total sump vol and 220 system vol right?) and the biggest skimmer I can fit down there too, do I really need a fug in a FO setup? and what type of filtration should go in the sump?
Anyone got any ideas on a good skimmer?
Thanks again for any advice / ideas
UKSub
 
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