Filtration without Live Rock: How are you getting more with less?

[bkreitler]

Simple question today regarding filtration. LIVE ROCK is the number one way most of us "filter" our reef tanks but the trend in aquariums these days is less is more when it comes to aquascaping. But less aquascaping means less rock and less rock means less filtration so we have to make up for it somewhere. Let's talk about it today!

1. In what ways are you filtering your water besides live rock?

2. What ways of "non-liverock" filtration have you found to be most successful?


image via @Ricardo Prata

 

[kels64]

Simple question today regarding filtration. LIVE ROCK is the number one way most of us "filter" our reef tanks but the trend in aquariums these days is less is more when it comes to aquascaping. But less aquascaping means less rock and less rock means less filtration so we have to make up for it somewhere. Let's talk about it today!

1. In what ways are you filtering your water besides live rock?

2. What ways of "non-liverock" filtration have you found to be most successful?


image via @Ricardo Prata

In my 125 gallon reef tank I have a balance of filtration that comes from my live rock as well as massive amounts of biological media (I prefer marine pure and have 2 blocks under my sump drawers and 2 drawers filled with about 1.5 gallons of the balls) in my homemade sump filter and an FX four power filter as my auxiliary/additional/back up. It’s a balance between the three and it has kept my tank really stable.

 

[BigSkyRich]

Simple question today regarding filtration. LIVE ROCK is the number one way most of us "filter" our reef tanks but the trend in aquariums these days is less is more when it comes to aquascaping. But less aquascaping means less rock and less rock means less filtration so we have to make up for it somewhere. Let's talk about it today!

1. In what ways are you filtering your water besides live rock?

2. What ways of "non-liverock" filtration have you found to be most successful?


image via @Ricardo Prata

I just started cycling a new Cube 20 this morning to use as a QT as well as to house my (hopefully) soon to be born Banghaii's. Don't plan on using any LR. I did add live sand to the build. Waterbox includes carbon and bio balls so I'll see how that does. I'll have minimal nutrients in this tank, so my response may not be as applicable to the question at hand

 

[BigSkyRich]

I just started cycling a new Cube 20 this morning to use as a QT as well as to house my (hopefully) soon to be born Banghaii's. Don't plan on using any LR. I did add live sand to the build. Waterbox includes carbon and bio balls so I'll see how that does. I'll have minimal nutrients in this tank, so my response may not be as applicable to the question at hand

Oops - also, there is a sponge that they provide and a filter sock which are both being used

 

[bkreitler]

I often wonder if I have too much filtration for my 310 gallon display tank? I have a 2-3" sand bed, a lot of rock for my aquascaping and then a large sump that includes: 2 filter socks, a large skimmer, UV sterilizer, refugium with sand bed, rock, bio balls, 2 large bio bricks, chaeto, then an algae scrubber.... I have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates and I wonder how this is negatively affecting my coral growth? My parameters overall are good: 1.025 salinity, 77-78 degrees, alk is 8.8, Ca is 370, MG is 1300, PH is around 8.1. I sometimes remove the 2 filter socks, but there is still a lot of filtration. Do you think this is too much? Is it going to negatively affect my long-term coral growth? Thanks!

 

[Trever]

Jake Adams just did a talk with Reef Bum (see YouTube).

He said he wants less porous rock, less of it, etc.

I think the idea he was trying to promote (can't speak for him, and you can look for yourself) is that a lot of sacred cows supposedly based on sound biology aren't.

 

[Subsea]

I often wonder if I have too much filtration for my 310 gallon display tank? I have a 2-3" sand bed, a lot of rock for my aquascaping and then a large sump that includes: 2 filter socks, a large skimmer, UV sterilizer, refugium with sand bed, rock, bio balls, 2 large bio bricks, chaeto, then an algae scrubber.... I have 0 nitrates and 0 phosphates and I wonder how this is negatively affecting my coral growth? My parameters overall are good: 1.025 salinity, 77-78 degrees, alk is 8.8, Ca is 370, MG is 1300, PH is around 8.1. I sometimes remove the 2 filter socks, but there is still a lot of filtration. Do you think this is too much? Is it going to negatively affect my long-term coral growth? Thanks!

Zero nitrate & zero phosphate are recipes for the uglies. Perhaps you should feed more instead of removing filtration.

 

[Subsea]

50% live 50% caribsea in my 120.
After 1.5 years they all look the same.
Caribsea is not as porous as live but some live rock nowadays is not very porous either.
I have only 35lbs of live in my 120.
I do not think you need a full tank of live like we used to run.
I have many sps, 14 fish, snails, shrimp, britle stars, 2 urchins, and a few crabs that are slowly being relocated.

Other filtration.
7" filter sock
1 cup carbon in a small reactor 24/7
3 liters of eheim substrate pro in a bag
Properly sized skimmer
Oh, and bare bottom
Thats about it for 20 months now.

When you have that much coral, it becomes it’s own biological filter. Kudos to your display.

For certain it’s all about surface area and bacteria will
colonize on top of other bacteria. I can’t agree with the assumption that pound per pound live rock has equal surface area as grains of sand. Because most hobbiest don’t perform adequate sand bed maintenance, porosity thru substrate suffers, but live rock porosity can suffer in the same way. Because I use my sandbed to grow live food for filter feeders, I prioritize sandbed flow with reverse flow under gravel filter with 1” of CaribSea Special Reef Grade aragonite at 0.1-1mm in diameter.

 

[Shadowfax]

I am using filter socks, skimmer, UV and two bio blocks on the sump, that way I can keep a more "negative space" aquascape

 

[Jfast]

I like a little of everything. But mostly live rock . I have a mix of half Fiji and Haitian. Also have a large marine pure block , good skimmer , large sump full of cheato, UV , two 4 inch cups that I run pinky filter floss that’s changed about once a week . I feed heavy an keep my nutrients
Alk 9
Cal 440
PO4 .06
NO3 5-10ppm

 

[Jfast]

 

[Acroguy]

I have mainly thick pieces of tonga rock with 2 pieces of more porous live rock.
I do think that Acropora and SPS in general take up ammonia directly from the water when it is released by the fish etc.
I use just a skimmer, chaeto reactor and a filtersock and bare bottom.80 ish gallons 13 fish and mainly acros.
I will actually move those 2 live rock pieces to my frag tank wich is connected but will add those bioblocks from maxspect.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

As shown in all the post there is so much used for filtration and bacteria that is why a minimalistic tank can work. I have done bare bottom but next system will have sand since I like sand dwellers. I prefer enough rock for hiding places for the fish and coral placement. I don't want a fish only or coral only tank. Much of the equipment today is better than 20 years ago. People today have to worry about nutrients getting to low where 20+ years ago it was hard to keep them low enough.

 

[Andrescol87]

I think you can do it without live Rock (natural Rock) but you must seed porous materials as bricks, matrix or those kind of things and put them in your sump.

 

[Minor4reef]

I feel your best filtration Is your corals. The corals will uptake ammonia, nitrate, phosphate. All the hard surfaces like glass, sand, and the structure you mount the corals will have bacteria so more coral less fish is my belief.

 

[JustJoan]

I recently added a skimmer, the jury is still out on that.... I have ceramic rings, bio balls, a large block of marine pure biomedia. filter floss, sponges and sand (crushed coral).

 

[Buckster]

Tank is 10 months underway. The fish need a place to hide so therefor they love an ample amount of rock. I also have three socks in the sump. Different opinions and measures but that's why two tanks are not alike. Every tank has ourselves in them. I wish Mine could look like some of the incredible photos posted.

 

[sp1187]

no live rock, or dry rock in the system.

started out with MarinePure Bio blocks in the sump. removed them after a high aluminum reading in an ICP.
now using SeaChem Matrix in the sump.

 

[paul barker]

I know the rule of thumb is 1.5 lbs per gallon so the all most 300 lbs in my 180 build I have a 120 lbs in a fish only tank and 40 lbs in my mix reef tank that what going to work with for the new build the sump may have some bio media and see how it goes

 

[DaddyFish]

I am a heavy user of and big believer in Seachem Matrix.