Canister and lighting

Ricky1066

New member
Hello I am up and cycling 6 days now posted my readings on another post all replies where everything looks ok. BUt.

I was told not to use what came in my canister filter? That confused me I have the fluval 405 if I am not supposed to use what is in there can someone be speciafic on what i should go buy? to put in the slots? I was also told to remove the sponges also
I am confused on the fliter system in salt water tanks I read the areas on here about them but get confused when I read I don't need a filter I can use the rocks/
So will the tank not get filthy?

Also have the rocks Pic attached and read alot on lighitng saw it in my lps Petland basic 4 foot fixtures won't work? Or is it the bulbs Because I was told to go to home depot and buy bulbs? Can someone help me on that also?
I see alot of different fixtures But Not sure if the bulb is the issue or the fixture I plan on keeping mostly fish not coral
Also in the pic someone mentioned they saw algae should it be there so soon?

Thanks for any help
The background is not real

 
Your live rock is "live" because it is loaded with bacteria that help remove some waste like ammonia from your water. As far as your concern with your rocks getting "filthy", this is one reason for having such high flow in these systems. Also why it's good to blast your rocks off with a turkey baster from time to time. You want to keep the fish waste kicked up and not settling on your sand or rocks. Keeping it in the water column makes it so it can flow to your skimmer and that piece of equipment can help export it. Filters tend to get gummed up quickly in SW and require very diligent, regular cleanings if you use them. Otherwise, they begin to become a detriment to the tank rather than a help.
 
Ok so does that mean I should have the powerheads blowing righ across the rocks?
the tak is only 6 days old so there is no fish waste yet so should i still blow them off daily?

I am also figuring to remove the sponges from my filter?
 
You should just have generally good flow througout the tank to keep things from settling anywhere. I do the turkey baster thing maybe once or twice a month. As far as what to do with your filter, I've never tried to use one for anything but holding some PO4 media and carbon, so don't know what to tell you about what to do with the sponges, other than that you need to make sure you keep them rinsed out well if you leave them in there.
 
See this is whay I could have used you guys first ,The guy in the store said you need a good filter So I bought a $200 filter From what I read here I can turn it off .
 
yeah, sadly, many of us have been taken by sales driven LFS's. Loose the cannister, sell it on ebay if you can, and spend the money on a skimmer. That's waaaaayyyy more important for saltwater than a cannister ever thought about being.
 
Ok just to make sure before I do something wrong I do NOT need any filter in my Tank?
I can turn off the filter canister and let the tank work on its own?

I am really confused what Is going to keeo the tank clean?
 
The protein skimmer and live rock will do most of the work. Good flow in the tank will keep things from settling and allow the skimmer to do it's job.
 
I have no sump I am not looking to add that right now I bought the fluval 405 by the store recomendations I have the fluval 4 plus in the tank empty for movement Ihave not bought a skimmer yet. Because there are somany out there i have to think which one to buy unless you have a recomendation for a 75 gallon
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11630203#post11630203 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ricky1066
I have no sump I am not looking to add that right now

Are you planning on using a HOB overflow to get the water to the sump? I'm asking this simply because you are still at a point right now where it would still not be terribly hard to take this tank down and either a.) see if you could trade it back in for a reef ready tank, or b.) have this tank drilled to make it reef ready. You could keep your rock and water in a tub while you were making the switch. Just something to think about. Otherwise, you're looking at HOB overflow.

As far as skimmers go, my Euroreef has been doing great for me for over 2 years now. I know there are a lot of choices out there, but beware cheap prices, as you often get what you pay for.
 
Ok now we are going some place else now . I was also told I did not have to drill the tank which I was not looking to do either.
Now I am hearing I have to?
 
Not at all. If you don't want a sump you don't drill the tank. You will just have to get a HOB (hang on back) protein skimmer. Like the 2 I linked to.
 
You don't "have" to, it's just that many of us have sumps and keep our gear like skimmers, heaters, etc there. Not having one just changes the choices you have with regards to this equipment. If you don't have a sump, then you significantly trim down the choices for skimmers, as you will need one that is HOB.
 
I would strongly suggest that you research equipment like skimmers before you buy. Like ask questions for recommendations in the equipment forum here on RC as one example. Remember, like I said, you often get what you pay for. ;)
 
I'd suggest taking a look at the Aqua C Remora Skimmer. I've seen people with similar tank size as yours have very good luck with them.
 
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