Do I really need a HOB filter?

ShrimpDemolisher · Sep 8, 2019

My tank is a 75 gallon FOWLR. Will do some softies in the futute. Bioload is gonna be medium to heavy. I have 70lbs of live rock in the tank. Do I really need a HOB filter? The Aquaclear 70 I'm using is very noisy and it splashes water sometimes, so it's annoying. I have an Aquamaxx HOB skimmer too. No sump at the moment.

WV Reefer · Sep 8, 2019

ShrimpDemolisher said:
My tank is a 75 gallon FOWLR. Will do some softies in the futute. Bioload is gonna be medium to heavy. I have 70lbs of live rock in the tank. Do I really need a HOB filter? The Aquaclear 70 I'm using is very noisy and it splashes water sometimes, so it's annoying. I have an Aquamaxx HOB skimmer too. No sump at the moment.

None of my reefs have filters, skimmers or sumps so it is totally doable.

Bbfishb81 · Sep 8, 2019

Your rock is your filter. It does help for certain situations to have one tho, if you dont have a sump. If you wanted to run carbon or use some kind of phosphate media it could be beneficial, but you could also just use a reactor for that instead of a filter. All personal preference in the end.

ShrimpDemolisher · Sep 8, 2019

WV Reefer said:
None of my reefs have filters, skimmers or sumps so it is totally doable.

What? You don't even have skimmers and sumps? Awesome man. How are the fish wastes and nutrients exported though?

Chefwheredyougo · Sep 8, 2019

Wrong thread!

WV Reefer · Sep 8, 2019

ShrimpDemolisher said:
What? You don't even have skimmers and sumps? Awesome man. How are the fish wastes and nutrients exported though?

Water changes.

My tanks have a heater, lights and powerheads........ that’s it.

ShrimpDemolisher · Sep 8, 2019

WV Reefer said:
Water changes.

My tanks have a heater, lights and powerheads........ that’s it.

Then I might have to go with thr filter then. Doing wc every week on a 75gal seems tedious to me. I was planning in doing that every month though...

WV Reefer · Sep 8, 2019

ShrimpDemolisher said:
Then I might have to go with thr filter then. Doing wc every week on a 75gal seems tedious to me. I was planning in doing that every month though...

I change the water in my 75 once every month or so.

ShrimpDemolisher · Sep 8, 2019

WV Reefer said:
I change the water in my 75 once every month or so.

Oh ok. At first I thought you meant you had to do wc more frequently

WV Reefer · Sep 8, 2019

ShrimpDemolisher said:
Oh ok. At first I thought you meant you had to do wc more frequently

Not more frequent , more consistent. Consistency is key.

BeejReef · Sep 9, 2019

Unless controlling for nutrients via frequent water changes, you'll probably want to run some sort of filtration.
True, well established rock will continue to process ammonia. Actually, all sorts of little critters will fill niches to process various things into various other things.

The thing is, even poop eaters poop. As do the eaters of their poo. Without any filtration, nothing is ever coming out of the tank. It's just building up inside.

A HOB skimmer might get you by, but you're describing your desired bio-load as "heavy." A HOB (or sumped) fuge might work for you. You can clean the skimmer cup and trim the macro-algae growth. Both will remove nutrients from your tank.

ShrimpDemolisher · Sep 10, 2019

William DeCoursey said:
Unless controlling for nutrients via frequent water changes, you'll probably want to run some sort of filtration.
True, well established rock will continue to process ammonia. Actually, all sorts of little critters will fill niches to process various things into various other things.

The thing is, even poop eaters poop. As do the eaters of their poo. Without any filtration, nothing is ever coming out of the tank. It's just building up inside.

A HOB skimmer might get you by, but you're describing your desired bio-load as "heavy." A HOB (or sumped) fuge might work for you. You can clean the skimmer cup and trim the macro-algae growth. Both will remove nutrients from your tank.

Thank you sir. But I heard that the live rock help break down the poop, then skimmer takes it out?

BeejReef · Sep 10, 2019

The bacteria on the live rock does break down waste further, but bacteria excrete waste as well.

Imagine you have a garden and you fertilize it. It grows great. At the end of the season, you don't harvest any of the vegetables or prune the plants. You just leave it to rot over the winter and plant more seeds the next spring. They grow. Rinse and repeat. After a few years, you won't be growing plants anymore, you'll have a compost pile. Lots of nutrients in and none coming out.

It might be that some nitrogen processing bacteria that live in oxygen starved spots in the tank actually process nitrate into nitrogen gas that can bubble out of the tank. A lot of people swear there are. I can't say either way for sure. Even if there is though, there is phosphorous and pretty much any other waste molecule that is not nitrogen.

You're not wrong. The skimmer skims out scum. The rock processes ammonia into nitrate. It may even gas out nitrate as nitrogen. It's just a matter of degree. We usually have to match the filtration with the demands placed upon it. You're saying "heavy" bioload. A HOB skimmer isn't typically considered "heavy" filtration.

It's not to worry though. It doesn't mean you need a HOB filter now. Maybe you never will. You might though, so I'd keep it around and keep your setup compatible with it in case the need arises.