Filter or not

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

Just to clarify - you are still filtering your tank when using live rock and skimmer. Live rock provides a place for beneficial bacteria to colonize, same as a sponge, ceramic media, etc. in a canister filter (or hang-on-back filter, etc.). Generally canister filters are not maintained frequently enough which can cause nutrient spikes, which is why most people do not run them on a reef. A protein skimmer is also another type of filter... it removes dissolved organic waste from the water column before they have a chance to break down, which is why they're favored in reef aquariums.

Make sure you do your research on skimmers, GFO and other media before jumping into anything...

 

[Reefing Madness]

To further clarify. That is why we advise people to get at least 2lbs of Rock per gallon. you can get less, but being as it does your filtering for you, its best to fill er up.

 

[Dana]

Just to clarify - you are still filtering your tank when using live rock and skimmer. Live rock provides a place for beneficial bacteria to colonize, same as a sponge, ceramic media, etc. in a canister filter (or hang-on-back filter, etc.). Generally canister filters are not maintained frequently enough which can cause nutrient spikes, which is why most people do not run them on a reef. A protein skimmer is also another type of filter... it removes dissolved organic waste from the water column before they have a chance to break down, which is why they're favored in reef aquariums.

Make sure you do your research on skimmers, GFO and other media before jumping into anything...

Yeah i have a fowlr tank and using a eheim filter.
I just got a reef octopus bh90 skimmer and am very happy with it.
The tank is 30g with about 30lbs live rock and had been running for 5 years.

 

[Dana]

Of the three products what is the best. Also what can I do about filtering debris when cleaning my tank? Add floss pad then remove the day after cleaning? Thanks again guys

 

[Mike J.]

Been doing saltwater tanks for over 20 years (back when we used underground filters and thought that was "in"). The single best thing I have ever done was to grow chaeto in the sump. I remove about a soccer ball size clump every two months. My tank is clean and algae free.

 

[Dana]

If there were a way for me to turn my canister into a refugium that would be nice, but really there is no way to get a light in there

 

[ACEofNONE]

Dana...isnt it funny how you can never get a straight answer about filtering all the debris out of the tank? Ive been asking this same question on this forum for almost a month. Everyone says LR and a good skimmer is all you need. Well, i tried that for the first 25 days with no luck. I dont have room for a hob filter so i went out and bought myself a canister. So i know how you feel. I hope you get it figured out


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[Dana]

Dana...isnt it funny how you can never get a straight answer about filtering all the debris out of the tank? Ive been asking this same question on this forum for almost a month. Everyone says LR and a good skimmer is all you need. Well, i tried that for the first 25 days with no luck. I dont have room for a hob filter so i went out and bought myself a canister. So i know how you feel. I hope you get it figured out


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Lol yeah, I mean, I figure I can just throw a floss pad in there when I do cleaning and take it back out the next day, or just leave it in there.

 

[Reefing Madness]

If your using it for cleaning debre, I'd not leave it run a week after its collected all the garbage, that will cause you issues.

 

[Dana]

If your using it for cleaning debre, I'd not leave it run a week after its collected all the garbage, that will cause you issues.

I hear ya, I'm hoping with the addition of my skimmer and some purigen in the filter it will drastically reduce the amount of major cleaning I will need to do

 

[Dana]

Well I picked up some chemipure elite at my lfs today. You shoulda heard the girl there when I told her my plans to stop using my filter as is and run this stiff in it instead. She must have spent 10 minutes trying to convince md of the advantages of running the filter as is, then talking me in circles about chemicals and what not and showing me all the different products to do this that and the other thing. Geez

 

[Dana]

Ok well I removed everything in the canister and put a bag of chemipure in there. See how it does

 

[Mike J.]

Dana...isnt it funny how you can never get a straight answer about filtering all the debris out of the tank? Ive been asking this same question on this forum for almost a month. Everyone says LR and a good skimmer is all you need. Well, i tried that for the first 25 days with no luck. I dont have room for a hob filter so i went out and bought myself a canister. So i know how you feel. I hope you get it figured out


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I'll give you a straight answer. I have lots of live rock. I skim agressively. I have chaeto in the sump. I use a filter sock that has to be changed every three days. And, I think I have an outstanding tank, at least we're happy with it. It takes a couple years to get a tank to mature. Patience is SO important.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I'll give you a straight answer. I have lots of live rock. I skim agressively. I have chaeto in the sump. I use a filter sock that has to be changed every three days. And, I think I have an outstanding tank, at least we're happy with it. It takes a couple years to get a tank to mature. Patience is SO important.

 

[46gReef]

I have always ran some sort of mechanical filtration on all my SW tanks.....I have a 46 gallon bowfront with 65# of LR between my DT & fuge, I have a seio prop pump, my return pump is a pondmaster 900, I have a deltec MCE300 HOB skimmer & I run a marineland HOB canister filter with carbon that I change religiously every 2 and a half weeks.....is it necessay to have a canister or HOB filter? IDK that there is a straight answer to that question honestly, ask 10 different people you may get 10 different answers as with so many things in this hobby, all I know is I've always done it that way & to be honest I'll have a reef tank til the day I die & will always run some sort of mechanical filter. If you do decide to use your canister with carbon & filter pads I would suggest being very regimented when it comes to cleaning it out & changing that carbon....my $.02

 

[mike007]

I aree totaly if you choose to use mechincal filters thats great if you change the media frequently (period). If you neglect it you will have problems. Thats why we don't mess with them. Your tank your choice. We are just trying to convey what we have experienced. in our years of reef keeping.

 

[46gReef]

Same here, wasn't trying to be argumentative at all, hard to read tone sometimes. I agree there are some awesome tanks that have no mech. filtration whatsoever, definitely a personal choice.I do it to help polish the water and also with all the corals I have I just feel safer with some carbon in the mix!