HOB filter In salt water

[Dusty79]

Starting my first reef tank this week. I had a friend give me a new 29 gallon kit. It has a whisper power filter. Could i use this in my tank . I plan on buying 30 pounds of live rock. sould i buy more??
is there anything i realy need other then a light and heater for equipment .

 

[LetItReef]

I have a standard 29g myself. You may use that filter. 30#Liverock or Dry are good. You will need a Powerhead- Hydor 425, Jebao RW4 or WP10 to name a few. Sand, unless you are planning bare bottom, Test kits and a Refractrometer.

 

[Shep]

It would not hurt he tank and if you changed the carbon monthly it would without a doubt help some.

 

[Dusty79]

with a 29 gallon how many power head should i get 1 or 2.
How long after the cycles can i put my first coral in, what type would you recommend for a beginner

thank you

 

[LetItReef]

I have one powerhead, Jebao WP10. I added my first Coral after 5 months of my cycling could be a long time but that's just me. Soft corals like Toadstool, Shrooms and Neon green Nepthea then LPS-Frogspawn.

 

[Shep]

with a 29 gallon how many power head should i get 1 or 2.
How long after the cycles can i put my first coral in, what type would you recommend for a beginner

thank you

The amount of flow depends on the type of corals you want to keep and once the cycle is over you can start putting in corals right away. I would go slow just incase something happens.

 

[Dusty79]

thank you

 

[cymonous]

You can go with 1 or 2 powerheads. How much flow is what matters. You want a minimum of 15x flow in your tank. (15x 30=450gph). If you are wanting sps corals, you will want higher flow of around 25x. After your cycle and you make sure your tests are good(Ammonia,Nitrites,Nitrates=0, Phosphates=<.25, Ca=4-500, Alk=8-10dkh, Mg=12-1300), I would say a couple weeks. You will want to wait at least 6 months if you want an Anemone. And that is if you have good lighting as well.

 

[saltyphish]

I used one in my 10g. Good place to run carbon or whatever media you want.

 

[Pete polyp]

29 gallon
Penguin 150 hob
Jebao wp25
Aqueon pro 150w heater
40 lbs caribsea ocean direct sand
20lbs caribsea arag alive Fiji pink
20 lbs tukani live rock
15lbs dry Fiji rock
6x24w t5

 

[Shep]

29 gallon
Penguin 150 hob
Jebao wp25
Aqueon pro 150w heater
40 lbs caribsea ocean direct sand
20lbs caribsea arag alive Fiji pink
20 lbs tukani live rock
15lbs dry Fiji rock
6x24w t5

Well if that is not proof that you can use the filter, I don't know what is. That is a stunning tank!

 

[st1doppelganger]

I prefer aquacleer filters for HOB filter choice since they are affordable and have stackable media vs a cartridge that gives you freedom to use different medias.

 

[AdamNC]

I prefer to use a hob filter just to catch the floating stuff as much as possible and to run carbon. Just make sure to clean out the filter pad/floss weekly and change the carbon monthly. As far as flow goes, what others have said that it depends on the type of corals you want to keep. Fish are adaptive for the most part. In my tank my flow rate is about 2500 - 2800gph on random flow and my tank is SPS dominated with 1 RBTA, 1 hammer, 1 Duncan, a few zoa colonies and 18 different SPS. Also no matter what type of salt tank you get an Auto Top Off ( ATO ) is well worth the investment. A decent one will run you about $90.00 - $150.00.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

There is nothing wrong with using a power filter. You just want to make sure you maintain it regular. You may want to consider a protein skimmer in addition to it down the road.