Where to put all the filter pumps

[muscle]

I just recently set up my saltwater tank and I bought an overkill of filters and pumps I think. I have a Cyclone Protein Skimmer, a Bio Wheel filter, a UV Sterilizer, undergravel filter system with 2 power heads at the end of the tank, all this for a 55 gallon tank, so I guess my question is, where do I put all my hoses and pumps and tubes it seems like alot of it has t be in the water and it looks so loaded up with all of this stuff, did I just buy way to much, when I look at it it just looks like way to much clttering up the back of the tank, I don't know any suggestions??? How can I hide these things, and set the tankup right to where it looks good, I can only put so much into a 55. ANYONE???

 

[chrisd]

its sound to me like you went alittle over board. Like my felf i have to have pumps and heaters in the tank , it makes it look un-natural. I would have just when with a wet-dry filter and thats it , you dont need bother an undergravel filter and a wet-dry. As far as hiding things. I put my heater compleatly under water, inside my wet-dry filter and i put the protine skimmer inside the part the is hanging in my tank. you have to make things fit , try to make thing fit in places that they would not normally go.
Good luck

 

[krazzydart]

not to bad but it depends if you are doing fish only or a reef set up!!!!! that is the first step .... read up on saltwater fish and remember that they cost a hell of a lot more than freash water does.... this is what i have for my combo setup....(125 gal)100 lbs live sand, 100 lbs live rock, 50 lbs of mixed crushed coral and shells and dolimite, a protein skimmer, 2-300watt heaters, hydro-sponge,4 power heads(water circulation) Emperior filter,top is a twin tube atinic and 10000k ,sigle tube that came with tank, 6 cleaner shrimp,6 pepperment shrimp,75 different hermits, 2 brittle stars,sea cuc. , 3 percs,3 skunk clowns, 6-line wrasse, 3 raccoons, 1 flame, 1 mandrerin, 6 different anemones,12 feather dusters, 15 turbo snails, blenny, goby, 4 fire fish, 2 cleaner wrasse, 1 naso tang, 4 blue green chromis, 2 emeralds crabs, 1 horse shoe crab, it has been set up for about 3and a half yrs now and is doing great....Good LUCK

 

[stig]

Hi. There may be such a thing as too much.
I had an interesting conversation the other day; my local fish store owner told me about the best filter system in the world. All it consists of is a very long hosepipe. You just hook it up and plug it in somewhere near Hawaii and you're away.
Basically, since you have it hooked up into the ocean, all you need is one tube. To hell with all the wet/drys and everything else, all you need is the ocean in your living room.
Excuse me if I seem a little sarcastic. I'm just a little fed up with the idea that the only way you can make a go of things is to buy as much as possible.
I think basically, all you have to do is sort out which of the stuff you bought is necessary and which isn't. Now that in itself is a tall order.
From my medieval knowledge of saltwater fishkeeping, it seems that you are aiming for 3 main kinds of filtration. (1) Mechanical-this basically involves stuff that you can see being removed from your water. (2) Chemical - this usually involves some kind of carbon in the area where water flow through your filter is most vigorous. (3) Biological - this one escapes me a little since I am not a marine biologist. I think what you are aiming for is some kind of interaction between anaerobic micro-organisms and .........sorry I don't know.
I, myself, not living in the 1st world, have as basic a set up as I just outlined to you.
You can never re create the ocean and if you try,as you have found out, you will get yourself tangled in too many wires........
There are many wise people on this board who will no doubt continue and correct what I have written. I wish you luck........

 

[stig]

And, by the way: who really gives a monkeys to read Crazydart's entire tank inventory? I thought the point of this board was to offer help. What works for you may not work for the rest of the world.

 

[kris]

Stig is right-- you basically need the three types, and then buy the equipment that matches these requirements and your budget. It also depends on whether your doing reef or f/o. The pet stores will have a field day with you if you walk in and tell them "what do I need" If you haven't used the stuff yet, take back the sterilizer, and probably the back filter and see if you can get a canister (canisters with the right media will cover the biological end and the chemical) to go with your skimmer. Or better yet a small wet-dry that you can put your heater in, then stick the power heads on top of the lift tubes, and put big plants in front of those lift tubes. Or if you get a canister stick the intake tube inside one of those lift tubes and just use one powerhead on the other side. p.s. if you're planning a reef you don't have alot of options other than the wet/dry coupled with your skimmer. Hope this book I just wrote helps. Good Luck

 

[stig]

Sorry if I got a little carried away above.
Didn't mean to let my sarcasm get the better of me. The conversation I mentioned was actually between me and my local fish store owner. I have asked him many times about additional filtering for my tank and he mentioned the hosepipe to the sea idea. Of course, he wasn't suggesting that this is possible or practical. Interesting coming from a guy who sells this stuff for a living. I think what he was suggesting was that, although of course people buy this stuff for their livestocks' benefit, there is always something you can get to make the system better and better and then where does it end? From the original post that I replied to, it seems to end with people spending a fortune for loads of gear that they don't have room for, let alone the cash.
Sorry if I caused offence.

 

[mithrax]

Have you thought of a DIY sump? This will take some of your clutters out of your main tank (skimmer, heater, hang-on filters, etc).You can utilize this sump also for growing macroalgae which will aid in reducing your nitrates. Also, I would suggest get rid of the undergravel filter and use DSB seeded with LS.