strong filter
- Thread starter only1bec
- Start date
chris17
Member
How long has your tank been up and running for??? Is the Wisper the only filter you have for the tank? Do you have a protein skimmer? Is the tank a 40 high or long? LR? Fish? Do you have all the equipment that u are going to need? What do u plan on putting in there later on??? The more information u give the more anybody on here can help you out. You will need some kind of biological filter, or u will just be pushing water around with the filter u have.......... hope that didn't sound too harsh .........
only1bec
New Member
hi sorry about that, my tank has been up for 7 days i literally just started it, i only have the whisper2 filter (from my fresh tank days), i have the hood with two 20" inch regular lights, the stand, its a 40 long. And a bunch of stuff(plants, buildings a air punp, food) left over from my frsh water tank. i was told by the local pet store to start out with starter fish for about 4-6 weeks and then get more fish. I rinsed out the live sand but it was still pretty damn cloudy!!
LR=live rock? no rock yet. i can put in anythign in my tank that doesnt require new lights (cant afford em yet) is a biological filter for plants only? harsh? naw ur just trying to help and ohh boy do i need it lol
THKS!
:help:
LR=live rock? no rock yet. i can put in anythign in my tank that doesnt require new lights (cant afford em yet) is a biological filter for plants only? harsh? naw ur just trying to help and ohh boy do i need it lol
THKS!
:help:
chris17
Member
I have only been in saltwater for a lil over a month but I have done tons of research on it........ I started with just my frsh water filter too, bad idea. You really need a filter that has some kind of biological filtration with it. I would go with nothing smaller than an Emperor 280 ( if u decide to buy an Emperor ) I only paid about $60 for mine, but if u get one leave ur other filter on for about 2-3 weeks so what-ever bacteria u already have can colonize the new filter, dont put any fish in yet, I waited about 2-3 weeks before I added my first fish, but I also had a few lbs of LR in there. If you get LR , get some that has nothing growing on it yet, u wont need expensive lights for it untill u decide to put animals in there that need it. I only have frsh water nutri-gro plant lamp lights in mine right now, but I will get more algea and stuff b/c I dont have the right lighting right now. But I would let the tank cycle for a few weeks with nothing in it except ur gravel and LR ( if u get it ) Do u plan on going reef or fish only? And find out if u buy LR if it is cured or not..... that will make a big difference in what u do next......... Have fun with it , it is very interesting to see what starts to grow , exspecially if u get the LR ,,....:jumping:
shawnhardy
Member
Saltwater is a lot more complicated than freshwater. From the sound of your post, the best thing you can do right now is read. Biological filtration is a fundamental concept to a saltwater aquarium and it seems that you did not know about it. I am not trying to be harsh here, I am just trying to save you A LOT of money. Hope this helps and don't take it the worng way.
bdhough
Active Member
hmmm. when you said you bought live sand what did you rinse it with? fresh water i hope not? i will explain filtration in saltwater tanks.
over time and especially in tanks with live rock you will not need the "filtration" power of your filter. the bacteria that builds up on your live sand and rock, or anything in the tank takes care of all the filtration you need. you will not vacuum the sand like you would do with a freshwater tank. instead invest in organisms that go through the sand for you, there are plenty of snails and starfish that will do that. the traditional filter is more a means of moving water around and providing oxygen in the tank. the higher the water flow the better circulation in the tank. you will need to invest in at least one power head to create water flow in the tank. i would suggest one that does at least 2-300 gph. you will also need a protein skimmer as there are much more organic wastes in your water than a freshwater tank. the skimmer is also another means of water flow.
as for the sponge/catridge in your filter. they will be optional once your tank is cycled. ive run both of my tanks without the cartidges for a while now. no ill effects seen. what you can do with that space in the filter is occasionlly use a catridge with carbon, or any other filter media, such as ammonia or phosphate absorbers. if you do choose to use the catridges that come with the filter make sure to thoroughly rinse the sponge every couple of weeks. im currently running carbon which absorbs impurities to an extent. so there you go. hope that helps.
i would suggest your next purchases be a power head and some live rock btw.
over time and especially in tanks with live rock you will not need the "filtration" power of your filter. the bacteria that builds up on your live sand and rock, or anything in the tank takes care of all the filtration you need. you will not vacuum the sand like you would do with a freshwater tank. instead invest in organisms that go through the sand for you, there are plenty of snails and starfish that will do that. the traditional filter is more a means of moving water around and providing oxygen in the tank. the higher the water flow the better circulation in the tank. you will need to invest in at least one power head to create water flow in the tank. i would suggest one that does at least 2-300 gph. you will also need a protein skimmer as there are much more organic wastes in your water than a freshwater tank. the skimmer is also another means of water flow.
as for the sponge/catridge in your filter. they will be optional once your tank is cycled. ive run both of my tanks without the cartidges for a while now. no ill effects seen. what you can do with that space in the filter is occasionlly use a catridge with carbon, or any other filter media, such as ammonia or phosphate absorbers. if you do choose to use the catridges that come with the filter make sure to thoroughly rinse the sponge every couple of weeks. im currently running carbon which absorbs impurities to an extent. so there you go. hope that helps.
i would suggest your next purchases be a power head and some live rock btw.
only1bec
New Member
shawn hrdy no prob i just wanna do this right so anything u give me is cool, so far i have noticed alot of people do it diff. i asked a ton of questions at the fish store but got very little help, thats why im here. i think im goign to do what bdhough said get a lr and a pwr head. bddough when i wen tto the fish store he told me to rinse the live sand he said it 3 times without emphasizing how, so one would naturaly assume with h2o...did i assume wrong if so how is the right way? and does this mean my sand is screwed??
its been 3 days and the tank is clear i have a salinity of 1.022 i think my lr is next and my pwr head im also gonna thorw in some snails...sound cool? ohh if anyone has anything to say you dotn need to appologize i can use ALL the help i can get
so rock on and keep fishin hehe
its been 3 days and the tank is clear i have a salinity of 1.022 i think my lr is next and my pwr head im also gonna thorw in some snails...sound cool? ohh if anyone has anything to say you dotn need to appologize i can use ALL the help i can get
so rock on and keep fishin hehe