Anyone Useing Tidepools?

[Shawnts106]

Hey, I have used a tidepool for about 5 years now on my current mixed reef tank.

At my work we use Tidepools for the coral tanks there...

I have never had any problems at work or at home with useing these filtration systems, in fact I really like them because they contain a HUGE bacterial storage wheel that allows you to change out filter cartriges or other media in the trays without disrupting the tanks balance...

I have never had a nitrate problem with useing these systems unlike the proclear aquatics sumps with the bio-balls... they seem to be nitrate factorys...

All of our coral displays at work have no detectable nitrates...
same as my reef at my house.



Anyone else using them?

They seem to be very efficient and worth the cost...

I just dont see why people stick a tank under their aquarium and dont baffle it or anything... thats not a sump, its a waste of money and energy!

So who else likes and uses Tidepools?

 

[FEEDERFISH]

I use the tidepool overflow boxes not the sump portion, I have 3 of them running and have never had a problem for 3 years now, I had to build covers for them because they started growing algae when I added my MHs.

 

[annewayne]

I had a tidepool bout 3 years ago, my only problem with it was the sides actually caved in to a point where i cut acylic to reiforce them.. but they worked okay.. i did have nitrates

 

[Joshua1023]

I use a tidepool sump. I like it just because of how easy the setup and maitenance is on these. The drawers make it real nice. I've stopped using the tidepool filters in favor of the corralife 100 micron felt filters and a filter bag w/ carbon. The only reason I keep the bio wheel on is to reduce the noise of falling water. That's the only aerobic filtration I have on my 90. On the down side, I don't have any room in there for any kind of fuge, so I am considering building a larger sump w/ baffles and the whole 9. I just have to find a breeder I can squeeze under there.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Something you can do to help with excess nitrification is to stop the rotation of the biowheel. I used one of these on my previous tank, and just jammed a chunk of live rock bewteen the weir and the wheel. The wheel didnt spin, and helped in minimalizing the nitrate backup. It also made for a nice littel refugium, save, as soon as the water spilt over the wier, there was the skimmer, waiting with claws wide open. lots of sponges and such, though.

 

[Joshua1023]

Another idea I had was to maybe take a piece of thin acrylic and mak a sort of angled ramp down towards the front of the sump so that would leave that little compartment open to add some rock or something.

 

[drives300]

I used one. It was ok. Liked the trays for phosban/carbon. Sump was too small for a skimmer though. Barely fit the red sea skimmer I had and return pump. Ok sump for beginner/fish only.