Filtration: How many ways do you filter your reef aquarium?

[Arabyps]

1. Count how many ways you are filtering your reef tank (natural & mechanical) and tell us that number! 6

2. List all the ways you are filtering your reef aquarium and include the names of any filtration equipment that apply.

Natural: Scrubber (Rain2); Sikimmer (Coralbox 500); 4 bio bricks in skimmer chamber.
Mechanical: Filter socks (Waterbox 2 mesh, 2 felt); Reactor with carbon and Purigen (Lifeguard Aquatics R800); filter floss to polish the water before going into return pump.

 

[Auquanut]

1. Count how many ways you are filtering your reef tank (natural & mechanical) and tell us that number!
6

2. List all the ways you are filtering your reef aquarium and include the names of any filtration equipment that apply.
1. Rocks in display
2. Filter socks
3. Skimmer
4. Refugium with chaeto and caulerpa
5. ATS
6. Carbon reactor

I know it seems like running a fuge and ATS may be overkill, but it works for me and my big fat sloppy tangs.

 

[Fernthereefer]

Maybe overkill, but keeps things stable:

Filter socks
Skimmer
Refugium
Aquaforest Bio F substrate
Carbon pellets
Seachem Cuprisorb

 

[waterskiguy]

Skimmer, live rock / sand, filter socks and GFO.
I run Carbon when needed.

 

[vlangel]

My reef system is filtered 4 ways and predominantly natural. I have no special equipment except that which moves water (return pump and powerheads). My bio-filter consists of 3 filters; live rock, deep sand beds and macro algae and sponges.

The live rock contains lots of pods, worms and micro stars which is the life you can see. It also contains lots of microscopic life that you can not see. All this life is part of the nitrification cycle, which converts ammonia, and nitrites to the less toxic nitrates.

The very heavy dense live rock and the deep sand beds in the display, the fuge and the sump are part of the denitrification which helps lower nitrates.

The variety of macro algae in the display and fuge take up a lot of the nutrients from fish waste and fish food.

Finally water changes remove compounds not removed by the other methods plus replenishes calcium, trace minerals, iodine and magnesium.

These methods of filtration are probably the most economic (both in equipment expenditure and energy consumption) plus allow me to keep a large density of fish in a smaller area. I do not have to change or clean filter pads or socks, which I love. I do not have to do much testing the parameters which I also love. I do a 7-8 gallon water change every week or 2 on a 106 gallon system. It does however limit the aquarist to keeping high nutrient tolerant coral.

 

[Seadoc]

Let's see:

1. Live rock/sand
2. Filter socks
3. Algae reactor
4. Skimmer
5. Sponge between sump baffles
6. Carbon reactor
7. UV sterilizer (just arrived in the mail )

So, my answer is either 5 or 7 depending on counting the last 2 which are neither natural or mechanical.

 

[Brad Tannahill]

Large refugium with various types of macro algae,live rock and clean up crew

skimmer

1 week per Month carbon.

simple and effective

 

[Dburr1014]

Refuge
Skimmer
Live rock
Carbon (when needed)
UV (at night)
1 clam

 

[rsumner]

• Step 1: Refugium w/Chaeto
• Step 2: Filter Sock
• Step 3: Skimmer
• Occasionally Step 3-b: GAC
• Step 4: Biobricks
• Step 5: UV

 

[Voypok]

1. Mechanical - filter sock
2. Mechanical - skimmer
3. Chemical - carbon
4. Biological - chaeto refugium

 

[Crabs McJones]

I utilized
Live rock
Two filter socks
A skimmer
And a fully stocked refugium
That's it

 

[Mr_Knightley]

Protein skimmer (currently off right now), filter socks, Purigen, refugium and a sponge.

 

[34gallonSolana]

1- Mechanical - Skimmer
2- Mechanical - Filter Floss
3- Chemical - Chemi-pure Elite
4- Chemical - Purigen
5- Biological - Live rocks
6- Biological - Substrate

 

[VAFish]

3 compartment 125 gallon refugium, protein skimmer, algae scrubber, live rock

 

[Conrad Noto]

Depends what you count: 180gal display 220gal total system
Live rock
Skimmer
Old school wet/dry bio-balls replaced with bio-block and crushed rubble rock
Sock and pad on drip plate
Large canister rated for 150gal
2-55watt UV
200mg ozone per hr
Carbon and Pura Complete

 

[Fishy Art]

Chemipure Blue
Filter floss
Protein skimmer

 

[dhboiler]

1. Live Rock
2. Pre-Filter pad. Pad lays over the sock silencer to prolong the life of the sock.
3. Filter sock
4. Marine Pure Bio Balls
5. Simplicity 120 DC skimmer
6. Carbon bag between skimmer and return chamber

 

[Damian reef boi]

Just only one main:
A really really big skimmer.
well, i have a conche snail i threw in the sump and bunch of snails in the main but that’s just mainly for algae if that count as filtration.

Ok that's sexy

 

[Greybeard]

Let's see...

Live Rock
Sox
Skimmer
Bag of GAC
MarinePure Block
Zeolite Reactor
Carbon Dosing (Zeo-vit)
Course sponge/bubble trap

 

[dbowman5]

if you consider anything that removes something a filter, if it uses some form of membrane or grid to keep something from passing or allow something to pass through; if it converts one thing to another form would that be a filter or a reaction mechanism? if you include those too, the number would have to be high.
1. RODI which is four different filters in one (mechanical/chemical)
2. bacteria on or in surfaces like floss, sand, and rocks are a (biological) force consuming nutrients and producing others.
3. flow is a hydraulic filter using gravity to remove debris from the flow and to move small particles and dissolved materials to different areas, (mechanical/chemical)
4. overflow slots filter out fish and equipment (mechanical)
5. siphon filter keep debris out of drain (mechanical)
6. protein skimmer intake keeps snails out of skimmer pump (mechanical)
7. skimmer, Bubble Magus removes protein and microfauna (mechanical)
8. bubble trap (mechanical)
9. refugium settles detritus (mechanical)
10. Chaeto consumes nutrients which are then exported, allows a place for microfauna, and slows the water flow (biological/mechanical)
11. filter feeders such as worms and coral (mechanical/biological)
12. algae removes nutrients and creates rough surfaces which slow the flow on the outside of the currents which increases the drop out rate of debris that is shoved to the sides of the water flow(biological/mechanical)
13. growth absorbs light,
14. detrivores convert poop and other material (biological)
15. emerald crabs filter algae(biological
16. hermits filter out snails and convert a snail shell to a crab one(biological/mechanical)
lolololololololol