tat2tillidie
New member
can someone post a poll or just post here on what they think is the best way to filter a reef tank.
please and thank you
please and thank you
best filtration method for a reef tank?
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tat2tillidie
New member
can i convert my wet/dry to a fuge? i think its a 20g wet/dry and the display tank is a 90g
Jocephus
New member
There are always people on here saying "take down the wet dry"
I really don't understand the logic involved there. The knock is always that they become nitrate factories, but you have to have fuel for those nitrates. If you have enough nitrite/ammonia to fuel the nitrates, I prefer to have it converted as quickly as possible. Presence of nitrifying bacteria should be good, along with regular maintenance, and some sort of export system. But many will disagree.
I really don't understand the logic involved there. The knock is always that they become nitrate factories, but you have to have fuel for those nitrates. If you have enough nitrite/ammonia to fuel the nitrates, I prefer to have it converted as quickly as possible. Presence of nitrifying bacteria should be good, along with regular maintenance, and some sort of export system. But many will disagree.
firecrackerbob
New member
I agree with Jocephus... you will get a ton of opinions on this one and there are so many ways to set up tanks.
the only dig I can see for a wet dry is running bio balls. I dont think they add much to a reef system. IMHO just replacing the bioballs with Chaeto and putting a clip on lamp on the outside is a fine conversion of a wet dry for saltwater usage.
Tat2- after seeing your system I think that adding cheato to the compartment underneath your chemical filtration(the bioball compartment) and keeping your skimmer running should be a good way to go. in essence you will then have chemical filtration, a refugium with biological filtration, and mechanical filtration-all types available. I forget, do you run charcoal? personally I run polyfilter and charcoal.
oh, YGPM
Cheers,
Eric
the only dig I can see for a wet dry is running bio balls. I dont think they add much to a reef system. IMHO just replacing the bioballs with Chaeto and putting a clip on lamp on the outside is a fine conversion of a wet dry for saltwater usage.
Tat2- after seeing your system I think that adding cheato to the compartment underneath your chemical filtration(the bioball compartment) and keeping your skimmer running should be a good way to go. in essence you will then have chemical filtration, a refugium with biological filtration, and mechanical filtration-all types available. I forget, do you run charcoal? personally I run polyfilter and charcoal.
oh, YGPM
Cheers,
Eric
Gordonious
Active member
Probably don't want to hear this word, but "depends" on opinions and the type of system you have. Your system except for the recent incident has run well for a while for you. In this case I would say, "If it ain't broke don't fix it". I wouldn't make a dramatic change.
The additional filtration of a fuge probably wouldn't harm though.
If you could find a way to light cheato in the compartment Eric was talking about with out it being sucked away by a pump that would be great.
My opinions on filtration are to use a large over sized skimmer to take out proteins before they convert to ammonia then for anything you missed or the ammonia the fish give off in their waist biological filtration in the form of a fuge or LR/sand bed.
Don't worry too much about the different opinions, especially if what you have has been working for ya.
A poll would probably do no good for you because anyone could post and the most active posters/voters on this forum are newbies. If you get a majority of newby opinions your not really getting too far. If you tried to get the experts to vote you would get my response again: "it depends".
The additional filtration of a fuge probably wouldn't harm though.
If you could find a way to light cheato in the compartment Eric was talking about with out it being sucked away by a pump that would be great.
My opinions on filtration are to use a large over sized skimmer to take out proteins before they convert to ammonia then for anything you missed or the ammonia the fish give off in their waist biological filtration in the form of a fuge or LR/sand bed.
Don't worry too much about the different opinions, especially if what you have has been working for ya.
A poll would probably do no good for you because anyone could post and the most active posters/voters on this forum are newbies. If you get a majority of newby opinions your not really getting too far. If you tried to get the experts to vote you would get my response again: "it depends".
a1amap
New member
Man that Guy is full of it. :lol: The knowledge he brings is par non. I could not have said it better. And yes EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION. Most people today can't form there own opinion because they can't speak from experience. Non of them have tried a wet/dry, same as they have never tried a plenum. All of these systems have benefits and drawbacks. Ken will swear up and down that plenums are the greatest(I agree they are good), and he can show 50 web sites for people who swear by them(Garf being one). But there are just as many people bashing them as nitrate factories. Most of these work (wet/dry, plenum, cheato) but when they get out of wack they all will leach nitrates back into the tank. Even cheato. It can go asexual and it will drop a ton of nitrates into the tank.
Every meeting we talk about little differences between tanks. Take sand, when we compared what was being used around the room, it went from 1" to 5" Now every one was having good results.
If you are filtering the water before it gets to the bio balls with floss there shouldn't be that much organic waste to settle on the balls. Now if you don't change your floss regularly and it has food sitting on there. Well thats a nitrate factory.
firecrackerbob
New member
thats what i have heard as well... never heard of cheato going sexual, but im no expert... ive had culerpa in my tank( and still do in one..) and not had any problems... but cheato is probably a safer way to go...
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