MOST EFECTIVE FILTRATION METHOD

[saltwater newby]

Hello, like the title says. What’s the number 1 most effective form of filtration? I have a 75 gallon Red Sea reefer and I am upgrading to a 108 gallon reefer525 xl. I currently have 15 fish that I’m going to be transferring over and I want to make sure I use the best method of filtration. Is it a well sized refugium, algae scrubber or a chaeto reactor? I have used an algae scrubber and I am currently using a skimz chaeto reactor. I also dose nopox and occasionally gfo and carbon. I’m dealing with algae problems right now and I’m treating it with fluconazale . So I don’t think the chaeto reactor is doing the job with my heavily stocked 75 gallon system. But I am leaning towards a Santa monica rain 2 algae scrubber but I want to see what experiences and recommendations you’ll may have on the forum. Thanks in advance.

 

[Dogtown]

Refugiums, algae scrubbers and cheato scrubbers can be supercharged with increased water flow. If you already have these, consider simply increasing your flow. I run a 700gph pump through an ARID reactor nowadays. Used to run a 200gph pump. As soon as I upgraded the pump, PO4 reduction dropped to 0 and I had to turn it off for several days just to start getting a reading again. The same rule of flow applies to your refugium and algae scrubber.

Considering what you already own, I would not spend any money on an SM scrubber.

Also get yourself a bottle of iron/magnesium. I use kents. Algae and cheato soak it up fast!

 

[mtraylor]

The best is what creates a perfect eco-system for your inhabitants. It will vary and change for every aquarium. The aquarium will let you know what it needs in other words. Start posting all your parms etc, so we an decide what type of issue you may or may not have. Include all tank equipment, feeding habits, etc.

 

[saltwater newby]

Refugiums, algae scrubbers and cheato scrubbers can be supercharged with increased water flow. If you already have these, consider simply increasing your flow. I run a 700gph pump through an ARID reactor nowadays. Used to run a 200gph pump. As soon as I upgraded the pump, PO4 reduction dropped to 0 and I had to turn it off for several days just to start getting a reading again. The same rule of flow applies to your refugium and algae scrubber.

Considering what you already own, I would not spend any money on an SM scrubber.

Also get yourself a bottle of iron/magnesium. I use kents. Algae and cheato soak it up fast!

The best is what creates a perfect eco-system for your inhabitants. It will vary and change for every aquarium. The aquarium will let you know what it needs in other words. Start posting all your parms etc, so we an decide what type of issue you may or may not have. Include all tank equipment, feeding habits, etc.

 

[saltwater newby]

Yesterday my no3 was 10 going on week 2 no water changes. Po4 was 0.03.
I’m currently feeding live black worms 2 times a day and lrs once. I feed a small nori sheet in the mornings. I dose 6 ml of nopox via a dosing pump at 6 am every morning. I also run a bubble magus curve 7 protein skimmer and a chaeto reactor.
Live stock
6 chromis
2 clowns
1 starry blenny
1 flame hawk
1 mallenarus wrasses
1 copper band butterfly
1 yellow tang
1 pijama cardinal
1 Bandai cardinal
I normally do 10% water change every 2 weeks.

 

[Dogtown]

how old is your tank?

 

[[Cameron]]

Refugium with fairly high turnover is the "best" at least in terms of natural filtration. They buffer against nuisance algae, support a massive amount of reef life and on a reverse light cycle keep ph more consistent. Algae Reactors are a solid pick if space is an issue. Not a fan of scrubbers compared to the other two.

 

[saltwater newby]

Refugium with fairly high turnover is the "best" at least in terms of natural filtration. They buffer against nuisance algae, support a massive amount of reef life and on a reverse light cycle keep ph more consistent. Algae Reactors are a solid pick if space is an issue. Not a fan of scrubbers compared to the other two.

Why not algae scrubbers? Any bad experiences??

 

[saltwater newby]

2 years old

how old is your tank?

 

[[Cameron]]

Why not algae scrubbers? Any bad experiences??

Nothing wrong with them but in my view they are the least of the three you mentioned. Refugiums are great because they support a host of lifeforms that are beneficial to the tank and allow for a more consistent ph. Algae reactors are great because they have most of the benefits of a refugium, have more mounting options and typically save space. Algae scrubbers are fine but aren't going to filter nearly as well as a full size fuge or a reactor and do not allow for a more balanced ph on their own.

 

[Dogtown]

What Cameron said.

I started in this hobby 7 years ago and bought Santa Monica's best scrubber at the time. It was the SM100. The maintenance was a pain in the you know what. It wasn't consistent in the nutrient pulling power either. Po4 would rise and fall with each cleaning of the screen. Do they work? yes. But I've found that a refugium and cheato reactor combination delivers a steady, more powerful, and more consistent solution.

Nowadays, I overfeed my tank 4 or 5 times a day and end up with 0 PO4 and 0 NO3. In fact, I have to dose PO4 and NO3 to keep nutrients in the system. That's ok because its a smaller problem to deal with than having too many nutrients. The fish are fatter and the corals grow faster too.

 

[Josh@ClearWaterScrubbers]

Nothing wrong with them but in my view they are the least of the three you mentioned. Refugiums are great because they support a host of lifeforms that are beneficial to the tank and allow for a more consistent ph. Algae reactors are great because they have most of the benefits of a refugium, have more mounting options and typically save space. Algae scrubbers are fine but aren't going to filter nearly as well as a full size fuge or a reactor and do not allow for a more balanced ph on their own.

Those are false statement about algae scrubbers. Actually your PH stays more stable due to the scrubber lights being on longer and also it usually increases it due to the increased air transfer on the screen. A scrubber is far more efficient at removing nutrients than a fuge any day. And finally Scrubbers can grow pods just like a fuge.

 

[[Cameron]]

Those are false statement about algae scrubbers. Actually your PH stays more stable due to the scrubber lights being on longer and also it usually increases it due to the increased air transfer on the screen. A scrubber is far more efficient at removing nutrients than a fuge any day. And finally Scrubbers can grow pods just like a fuge.

Algae scrubbers pull most of the CO2 from the air not the water. You actually mentioned this in your response about air transfer. In theory scrubbers cannot compete with a fuge/reactor that pulls CO2 mostly from the water column rather than the air. The conversion of CO2 from water while the main tank is dark is the reason ph is more stable. Also, fuges allow for a high volume of water to pass through them. It is difficult to get that same turnover in a scrubber. I am sure someone is pumping 10x volume through a scrubber but I haven't seen one. The higher flow through a fuge means faster turnover of excess nutrients to a fuge. These are some of the reasons a fuge is preferred in the Triton method over scrubbers.

I believe that chaeto is one of the best pod hotels of any algae. Ulva probably beats it out but that can be put in a fuge as well. Fuges are not limited to specific types of algae and can house all sorts of critters not just pods. Also a fuge can hold additional live rock, mud, etc. Scrubbers simply cannot compete with the flexibility of a fuge. As a note, chaeto is so good at housing all sorts of critters it often comes along with the bad kind which is why clean chaeto from a known source is the only chaeto I would put in my tank.

Another advantage, fuges generally require less maintenance in my experience. A person can put a ball of chaeto in a fuge and basically leave it alone for months on end. Most algae scrubbers need to be periodically cleaned. The downside of a fuge is space and if space is limited a scrubber can be a very beneficial addition but its dead last in the fuge, reactor, scrubber natural filter list in my opinion which isn't meant to stated as fact.

 

[Fumanchu]

I'm definitely running over a 10x turn over and have 3 types of Macro and a large mass of hair algae I'm running an 80 watt Amazon light I bought to $39 I have 18 fish in a 75 three of them 4+in Tangs. My PO4 is at .01 I feed 3 times a day and dose A.P and use reefroids evry other day

 

[Fumanchu]

My Ph at its lowest but I also run a hose from outside to my skimmer 40 dollar grow light best thing I ever did couldn't grow anything b4 that

 

[Captmcfly]

I have tried a few methods my exp tells me the fuge is top contender. I started with the canister then a trickle filter with carbon pad then went with a sump with filter socks. And no fuge then went fuge with socks still in play then went triton with no socks and a good size and verity of algae’s .. fuge with no socks had worked out best by far for me so far

 

[Dogtown]

PH stays more stable due to the scrubber lights being on longer

You are a vendor but, for the sake of fun, I'll comment. All three methods have the same flexibility in lighting period. In fact, I actually use a refugium as the primary source for nutrient reduction. The ARID reactor is set to only run a couple hours a night right now. If PO4 ever creeps up, I just bump up the lighting schedule and PO4 drops like a rock. No need to wait for a screen to "kick in".

I will agree that algae scrubbers are very effective for the small amount of space that they use. I'm not limited for space so other factors are a higher priority. Not wanting to down algae scrubbers. I was using them before most even knew what they are. I know how compact and yet powerful they are under the right conditions.

 

[Dogtown]

I have tried a few methods my exp tells me the fuge is top contender. I started with the canister then a trickle filter with carbon pad then went with a sump with filter socks. And no fuge then went fuge with socks still in play then went triton with no socks and a good size and verity of algae’s .. fuge with no socks had worked out best by far for me so far

I haven't tried the no sock approach long term. Probably because I don't keep my refugium chocked full of cheato like the triton method calls for. Do you find that your triton style refugium reduces the amount of debris floating around? Sort of acting like a debris filter? I only ask because I would like to eliminate sock cleaning but I don't like seeing particulates in the water column. Might give it a try for a few months depending on feedback.

 

[Dogtown]

dupe

 

[Windy]

Nothing wrong with them but in my view they are the least of the three you mentioned. Refugiums are great because they support a host of lifeforms that are beneficial to the tank and allow for a more consistent ph. Algae reactors are great because they have most of the benefits of a refugium, have more mounting options and typically save space. Algae scrubbers are fine but aren't going to filter nearly as well as a full size fuge or a reactor and do not allow for a more balanced ph on their own.

I would like to know your background on algae scrubbers. I find them to be far superior to refugiums or reactors. I run a fish breeding system and all I use is an algae scrubber.