Thoughts about no filter on a macroalgae tank?

[AydenLincoln]

With the lobster tank I’m thinking about when I get the new macroalgae in to remove the HOB filter and just get a small powerhead for flow. I mean isn’t a filter kind of unnecessary for a macroalgae tank? Although I like my carbon it keeps the water extra clear. Though macroalgae helps/does the same but maybe not as well?

 

[Tamberav]

With the lobster tank I’m thinking about when I get the new macroalgae in to remove the HOB filter and just get a small powerhead for flow. I mean isn’t a filter kind of unnecessary for a macroalgae tank? Although I like my carbon it keeps the water extra clear. Though macroalgae helps/does the same but maybe not as well?

It’s even unnecessary on a coral tank. Remove it if you want

 

[AydenLincoln]

It’s even unnecessary on a coral tank. Remove it if you want

True once super established or it has very large corals for nutrient export and isn’t heavily stocked. I think I will because the tank doesn’t have a heavy bioload and I only feed him every few days or so.

 

[Tamberav]

The carbon does help remove things macro would not and macro removes things carbon would not. Water changes can remove both.

True once super established or has very large corals and isn’t heavily stocked. I think I will because the tank doesn’t have a heavy bioload and I only feed him every few days or so.

A tank never needs a filter outside of live rock and flow. The rock is a filter. There are tanks on here with no filter whatever ever, no skimmer, no sumps, nothing. The tanks run a bit dirtier and they support some interesting life since all the small life isn’t being filtered or disturbed. Fish stocking may need to be lower.

 

[AydenLincoln]

The carbon does help remove things macro would not and macro removes things carbon would not. Water changes can remove both.




A tank never needs a filter outside of live rock and flow. The rock is a filter. There are tanks on here with no filter whatever ever, no skimmer, no sumps, nothing. The tanks run a bit dirtier and they support some interesting life since all the small life isn’t being filtered or disturbed. Fish stocking may need to be lower.

The thought of that grosses me out in a heavily stocked tank although most have refugiums or other means of export! I see what the skimmer and the filter collects it’s gross haha. Plus I certainly wouldn’t want to swim and live in my own filth. I didn’t have a skimmer at first and then I got one and realized how much more fish poop and organics were in the water lol! My reef tank is also a small tank that’s heavily stocked for the size and has no refugium. I wish it did…next time. You live and you learn!

 

[Tamberav]

The thought of that grosses me out in a heavily stocked tank although most have refugiums or other means of export! I see what the skimmer and the filter collects it’s gross haha. Plus I certainly wouldn’t want to swim and live in my own filth. I didn’t have a skimmer at first and then I got one and realized how much more fish poop and organics were in the water lol! My reef tank is also a small tank that’s heavily stocked for the size and has no refugium. I wish it did…next time. You live and you learn!

Haha… skim-mate is pretty nasty looking and smells pretty bad too.

Skimmer helps with gas exchange too.

Oddly enough I read this link when people were talking about how much money it would take to drink the skimmate lol gross. It apparently doesn’t have as much fish poo/organics as I would have thought but still gross.

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water?

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. The chemical/elemental composition of skimmate generated by an H&S 200-1260 skimmer on a 175-gallon reef tank over the course of several days or a week had some surprises.

reefs.com

Btw macro algae tanks are wonderful I wish I had one going.