Wet/dry Vs. Canister

[sonewfish]

What is the best type of filtration to have for a 120 gallon reef? I had an emperor 400 on my 55 before I upgraded and loved it. I have a maxi-reef wet dry now and hate it, it leaks/overflows. I saw the eheim wet/dry which is totally enclosed. Is that a good filter system? My LFS says they suck but I do not trust them anymore. Any suggestions?
:help:

 

[jeremyglen]

OK. First off, you have a reef. How much LR do you have in the reef? As long as you have 1.5-2# of LR per gallon, and lots of water circulation, you shouldn't need anything but a protein skimmer, theoretically.
Wet/Dry vs Canister?
NEITHER
Both are nitrate producing monsters. I would go with a refugium/sump with a good protein skimmer in it. Go out on the web and look at all the showtanks and displays in books, mags, etc., maybe one out of every 30 or 40 will have something other than a refugium.
I had an Eheim on my tank when I first started my tank and only had like .5# LR per gallon. It wokred great, but my nitrates took a nose-dive through the floor when I took it off.
If you are going to use one of the two items you are asking about, make sure you change the filter pad every couple of days, week at the most, on the wet/dry. I would also suggest cleaning the Eheim weekly if you get one. BTW, the Eheim is cool, but it surges. The water level of your tank will go up and down with the cycle of the filter. It is cool for a little bit cause it is a wave maker, but surface skimming is impossible. Good luck, whatever you decide. There should be plenty of threads about fuges on this and other sites.

 

[sonewfish]

I have about 185 pounds of live rock and 160 pounds of live sand in my tank. Is it possible to turn the acrylic box of my maxi-reef wet dry into a refugium? Also how does a refugium work and how do you eliminate floating particals with out a filter?How much move ment is enough in a 120 gal reef? Ihave two maxi jet powerheads each moves about 295gph, and of course my mag drive 950 pump that has been dialed down a bit.

 

[sonewfish]

Also would you use a UV Sterilizer? Someone gave me one for free but I feel like I should just use it if I have a disease problem.

 

[jeremyglen]

One thing that I have seen people do with old wet/drys is replace the bioballs, 1/4 to 1/2 at a time, with LR rubble and macro algae. If you do this slowly over time, you run less of a risk of shocking the system's biological filtration system.
The floating particles should be removed by the prefilter box. Removing those floating particles with the filter pads on the wet/dry is what creates such a nitrate problem.
The UV sterilizer is something I've never used, and don't know a lot about. I have heard its not good to run on a reef/SW tank unless there is a disease/problem. It kills most everything in the water, from bacteria to parasites to even the naturally occuring plankton, I think. Maybe someone else can fill you in on that one.

 

[golfish]

IME, if you asking what the "best filtration" is I would say 1-2 pounds of LR per gal and a GOOD skimmer. A DSB can also be a big plus. If you asking which is better, a canister filter or wetdry I would say a wetdry, but then I wouldn't use either on a reef, maybe the canister filter to run carbon.

 

[sonewfish]

What is a DSB? Also if I convert the wet/dry by adding macro alga and live rock with the bio balls; how high does the water level need to be? I have only been running this wet/dry for a couple of days so I do not know what the impact would be on my system if I changed.

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by SONEWFISH
What is a DSB? Also if I convert the wet/dry by adding macro alga and live rock with the bio balls; how high does the water level need to be? I have only been running this wet/dry for a couple of days so I do not know what the impact would be on my system if I changed.
You could remove all the bio balls right now and see no change. If you add macro algae you'll need to add lighitng.
DSB= Deep Sand Bed

 

[sonewfish]

10-4. What types of macro algae and lighting?Also I do not have a pre-filter. I am using overflows and the pads at the intake side of my wet/dry. If I convert do I need to continue to use the pads?

 

[golfish]

Originally posted by SONEWFISH
10-4. What types of macro algae and lighting?Also I do not have a pre-filter. I am using overflows and the pads at the intake side of my wet/dry. If I convert do I need to continue to use the pads?
Cheato (sp?) is the best I have used..I saw my local Costco had the LOA fixtures for 9.00 the other day.
I don't think you'll need the pads.

 

[harlequin]

The keys to a great looking reef as far as filtration goes are a deep sand bed and a good skimmer. Do not get a skimmer rated for your size tank. IMO they underrate them. Get one for about double, ie. since you have a 120, get one rated for at least a 200 or 240. Try Euroreef skimmers, they work awesome. Get about 3-4 inches of sand on the bottom.
- Dont use the UV filter, it kills bad things but it also kills good things in the water, which is ok for fish only, but in a reef tank corals feed on living stuff in the water.
Wet/drys are not bad for reef tanks. Maybe a little dated and not the current in-fad for reef keeping but certainly not detrimental. The thing is you have to do maintainance on them regularly to clean detritus off of the bio-balls. I hear the whole replace the bio-balls with LR thing alot. I tried it, I think its BS. Bio-balls have way more surface area in contact with both water and o2 than LR plus its much easier for detritus to get caught in LR and cause further nitrate problems. Do your maintainance regularly and you wont have any problems. That said I do think they work better on fish only tanks than they do on reef tanks just because of all the maintainance that already has to be do. On my 55 reef tank I just have a 20gal sump with a seabay skimmer(rated for approx 125gal) as my only filtration, I let the DSB and LR do the rest.

 

[sonewfish]

The damn thing leaks everywhere. Anyway I am returning it to my LFS in the morning. I thought about just having a sump with a high powered protein skimmer and maybe a canister filter. What do you think is the smart thing to do? I have the mega-flow overflows on my tank and can’t use a pre-filter. I want the easiest, cleanest, low maintenance option for a reef filter! I have a 4" sand bed at 160lbs and 185lbs of rock. Somebody give me the two best choices so I can get this system running properly before my livestock hits the curb along with the wet/dry.

 

[harlequin]

Easiest and cheapest in the long run would to spend your money on a really nice skimmer. Get a sump to put it in and you are golden. You could even get a cheap fluorescent light over the sump and grow some macro for additional filtration. Empty your skimmer and check the sponge on the return pump(if it has one) and thats about it besides filling evaporated water

 

[sonewfish]

What is the best skimmer for the money and how strong should it be for a 120gal tank?

 

[harlequin]

I think the best on the market is a Euro-reef skimmer. I dont know the exact specifications of one for you but look for one rated at 200 gallons or so. It will cost you, but then when you decided to make a 120 into a reef you probably were not expecting cheap either. If you are going to do it, then do it right the first time and get quality equipment, dont go cheap as possible because it will bite you in the

[hr]
later.

 

[mrmaroon]

YOu can use a prefilter. I have a megaflow and I just put a bag from a whisper power filter over it. Just change it every week or two. I would also reccomend a Euroreef. I have one and love it. In addition I run a fluidized bed filter with a phosphate remover and a little carbon.

 

[sonewfish]

I do not want to spend 700 on a euro. Is a ASM G2 a good skimmer?

 

[fishamajig]

just to add my 2 cents
I have not been reefing for long about 5 months now but i run a canister filter and just run carbon and purigen antd it works great for me. I do not have a skimmer but i have plenty of lr and about a 4 to 5 inch sand bed. I do a water change every weekend. my levels are good. I can see if you get lazy with it how the prefilter can be a nitrate bomb, but dont be lazy. I want to get a skimmer but i havent found one i liked yet. good luck to you

 

[ohiorn67]

I have a fairly new tank....90 gallon...with about 130 lbs now of live rock....and a very good skimmer and I do use a 2217 eheim filter and love it. It is clean, easy to clean, only have done it once in 2 months...and my nitrates have never gone over 10. Just a thought, I am very happy with that eheim, I am sure there are many different ones. Just my own experience!

 

[xnikki118x]

Just a litte piece of info for those of you who (like me) don't have a skimmer...
Breaking the surface of the water is very important. I'm not completely sure why, but it is. So besides the water going back into the tank from my filter creating a break, I have one of those bubble discs hooked up to an aerator. It does wonders for breaking up the surface, and I personally think it looks really cool. It also cost about $10 total. Yesss!