filtration for FOWLR
- Thread starter oakes
- Start date
Stuart60611
New member
Sometimes the printed word does not accurately reflect the tone of the message. I never intended to be insulting with my post and was merely joking about the typo which is wny I put the laughter symbol after my comment. I realize you made a typo and are new which is why I first suggested reading up on the fish a bit more and post your choices once you did a bit more research. I was just rying to help you out and sorry you took offense.
All good, but yes I do know about the eels and how they are escape artist, which is why I am making glass lids for my tank to fit perfectly out of 1/4" glass. However I did not know about the triggers and lionfish and after you mentioned that I do see the sticky on it and will read it.
I had seen a puffer fish on liveaquaria.com that gets about 5", but that's probably too small for a pred tank anyways so I might just stay away from puffers for the time being until I can get my 220 put back together. I'll also admit I should probably not rely on liveaquaria's website for info on the fish since they are just trying to sell them and make money
I had seen a puffer fish on liveaquaria.com that gets about 5", but that's probably too small for a pred tank anyways so I might just stay away from puffers for the time being until I can get my 220 put back together. I'll also admit I should probably not rely on liveaquaria's website for info on the fish since they are just trying to sell them and make money
Stuart60611
New member
All good, but yes I do know about the eels and how they are escape artist, which is why I am making glass lids for my tank to fit perfectly out of 1/4" glass. However I did not know about the triggers and lionfish and after you mentioned that I do see the sticky on it and will read it.
I had seen a puffer fish on liveaquaria.com that gets about 5", but that's probably too small for a pred tank anyways so I might just stay away from puffers for the time being until I can get my 220 put back together. I'll also admit I should probably not rely on liveaquaria's website for info on the fish since they are just trying to sell them and make money
Take a look at the thread right near yours today about small fish. Small toby puffers, like perhaps the one you were looking at, actually can do well with larger predatory fish.
Yeah, that does seem like the type of puffer I was looking at, they were calling it a "blue spotted puffer" but they had the same scientific name.
I also read a little on the trigger and lion page, glad I did not make that mistake! I did not watch the video yet but from reading, not a good combo. What can I say, I've always wanted a Lion fish since I saw the movie Deuce Bigalow for the first time, haha! Maybe I should work a tank around him, or forget the preds and start a community tank as my first SW tank. Do you think that would be a good idea?
I also read a little on the trigger and lion page, glad I did not make that mistake! I did not watch the video yet but from reading, not a good combo. What can I say, I've always wanted a Lion fish since I saw the movie Deuce Bigalow for the first time, haha! Maybe I should work a tank around him, or forget the preds and start a community tank as my first SW tank. Do you think that would be a good idea?
extreme5450
Member
liveaquaria is actually a very reliable source
Stuart60611
New member
Yep, there a several species that are generally called the blue spoted puffer. All of them are toby puffers, all look similar, and pretty much involve the same care. They will do well with some large predatory fish, but not a lion.
If you have your eyes on keeping a lion, then you do have some limitations. I would stay away from a volitan b/c they get too large for your system. A russel (may have the species wrong so someone chime in if I am naming the wrong species) I believe is the lion which looks very similar to a volitan, is also fairly easy to care for, but stays smaller and more appropriate for your size system. With the lion, you need to stock calmer fish who are decent sized so they do not get eaten by the lion. A snowflake eel I think would work well along with perhaps one other fish.
Hydrologist
New member
Stuart has guided you to some excellent posts and provided good information. I think you should decide if you want a lion or not. Russell lionfish would be the better option for your size tank or you could think about having a pair of dwarf lionfish.
Once you have made up your mind on whether or not you want a lionfish then we can help you with some nice tank mates.
You are starting things off right Oakes by asking questions and doing the research.
Once you have made up your mind on whether or not you want a lionfish then we can help you with some nice tank mates.
You are starting things off right Oakes by asking questions and doing the research.
Stuart60611
New member
Yes, because you may design things differently depending on your livestock needs. You would, for example, design things differently if you were planing to keep a lionfish/angler tank than you would a tang/trigger tank. These choices can impact many aspects of the tank and its filtration from flow, sandbed, macro algae, rock placement, and other general design choices. Also, bioload will greatly impact what equipment you choose and what filtration approach you adopt.
rinconmike
Member
Here is my filtration setup for a 150 Gallon Fish Only Tank. I have no live rock.
The tank has been set up for around 7 months.
My sump is around 25 gallons with bioballs.
I have:
an Octopus XP2000sss skimmer.
a BFS Jumbo Reactor running GFO
a BFS standard Reactor running Carbon
a Nu-clear canister Filter.
a JBJ 1/3 Chiller
Blueline 55 external return pump
The return pump feeds a TEE that goes to the tank return and then to a valve that feeds the canisterfilter, from the canister filter to the JBJ chiller, then a TEE to feed the GFO reactor and back to the sump. Then from the GFO reactor to the sump.
I used a maxjet 1200 to feed the standard reactor.
Water parameters are:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate around 30-40 PPM
PH throughout the day goes from 8.15 to around 8.3
Temp goes from 78 t0 78.8 throughout the day (I have a JBJ Chiller)
Phosphates now near zero
Salinity is 1.020 (maybe 1.0195) - using a refractometer
Fish are:
Hawaiian Trigger (4”-5”) in tank for around 6 months
Panther Grouper (4”-5”) in tank for around 6 months
Snowflake Eel (15”) in tank for around 6 months
Porcupine Puffer (5”-6”) in tank for around 3 – 4 months
Heniochus butterfly fish (4”-5”) in tank for around 3 – 4 months
Blue Tang (5") in tank for around 3 – 4 months
I do around a 30 gallon water change every 2-3 weeks.
For the nuclear, I am cleaning it once every two months (only had it for two months so did one clean). I might change that to monthly. To clean it, I am doing nu-clear's cleaning recommendation of:
"You will need to rinse the dirty cartridge with a hose, or sprayer in the sink and then bleach the cartridge overnight in a bucket with four gallons of water and a half cup of bleach. Then rinse the cartridge and soak overnight in plain tap water. Make sure to let the cartridge dry completely before reuse. It helps to have a second cartridge available so you can switch back and forth."
Hope this helps.
Mike
The tank has been set up for around 7 months.
My sump is around 25 gallons with bioballs.
I have:
an Octopus XP2000sss skimmer.
a BFS Jumbo Reactor running GFO
a BFS standard Reactor running Carbon
a Nu-clear canister Filter.
a JBJ 1/3 Chiller
Blueline 55 external return pump
The return pump feeds a TEE that goes to the tank return and then to a valve that feeds the canisterfilter, from the canister filter to the JBJ chiller, then a TEE to feed the GFO reactor and back to the sump. Then from the GFO reactor to the sump.
I used a maxjet 1200 to feed the standard reactor.
Water parameters are:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate around 30-40 PPM
PH throughout the day goes from 8.15 to around 8.3
Temp goes from 78 t0 78.8 throughout the day (I have a JBJ Chiller)
Phosphates now near zero
Salinity is 1.020 (maybe 1.0195) - using a refractometer
Fish are:
Hawaiian Trigger (4”-5”) in tank for around 6 months
Panther Grouper (4”-5”) in tank for around 6 months
Snowflake Eel (15”) in tank for around 6 months
Porcupine Puffer (5”-6”) in tank for around 3 – 4 months
Heniochus butterfly fish (4”-5”) in tank for around 3 – 4 months
Blue Tang (5") in tank for around 3 – 4 months
I do around a 30 gallon water change every 2-3 weeks.
For the nuclear, I am cleaning it once every two months (only had it for two months so did one clean). I might change that to monthly. To clean it, I am doing nu-clear's cleaning recommendation of:
"You will need to rinse the dirty cartridge with a hose, or sprayer in the sink and then bleach the cartridge overnight in a bucket with four gallons of water and a half cup of bleach. Then rinse the cartridge and soak overnight in plain tap water. Make sure to let the cartridge dry completely before reuse. It helps to have a second cartridge available so you can switch back and forth."
Hope this helps.
Mike
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Hydrologist
New member
Do you have any live rock in your tank? If so, how much?
Hydrologist
New member
If it were my tank I would leave the LR out of the sump and use a marco like Chaeto (Chaetomopha). Caulpera has a tendancy to go sexual, and when it does it will release most of the nutrients absorbed back into the tank. Many people have had no issues with it, but why take the chance? It also grows extremely fast and has a tendency to get into pumps and other places you don't want it. Get yourself a "ball" of chaeto trim it on a regular basis IMO that would be the best approach.
The reason I would leave the LR out of the sump is that it has a tendency to collect detritus as the sump area usually has little flow going through it. Without vacuuming the detritus it can become a nutrient trap. You have enough LR in your DT that you really don't need any more for the nitrification process.
Oh and about the sand. As I stated in the first part of the thread put a DSB in the sump section where you have the refugium. The DSB should be a minimum of 4" but the deeper the better!
The reason I would leave the LR out of the sump is that it has a tendency to collect detritus as the sump area usually has little flow going through it. Without vacuuming the detritus it can become a nutrient trap. You have enough LR in your DT that you really don't need any more for the nitrification process.
Oh and about the sand. As I stated in the first part of the thread put a DSB in the sump section where you have the refugium. The DSB should be a minimum of 4" but the deeper the better!
Stuart60611
New member
If you go without a lionfish and keep a snowflake eel, then options open up a bit. You could keep the snowflake eel, an Australian or Indian Ocean Tusk, and a dogface puffer for example. I think that this would be a great combination.
That combo does look really nice! Might have to take your advice on that one and get those 3!
Now for the sump, will my original idea with a skimmer in the main section, then return, then refuge still be fine for this setup?
Also Stuart, can you recommend an SRO Skimmer for my size setup that I can look at, because the warranty does seem better with their products compared to SWC.
Stuart60611
New member
I would have the sump set up so that raw display tank water feeds from the display into the skimmer section, water then exits the skimmer section and goes to the refugium, and water then passes thorugh filtersocks after exiting the refugium before it is returned to the display. Leave enough space in the return section so that you can also add a pump or two to run reactors for pellets, GFO, or carbon should you choose to. An SRO 2000 would be a perfect fit for your system.
Edit: Changed the suggestion on sump design.
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Appreciate all the help. Just need to get my stand built then get everything moved inside and working. This will give me plenty of time to decide on type of filtration method and fish selection. Might move over to peaceful fish so I can add a sandbed and get some inverts and what not to have a nice variety of fish, but who knows! I know I don't know yet, just need to make up my mind on what I want to keep, haha!
