Filtration?

[TikiDan]

What kind of filtration do you guys use? When I first started my tank, I was told "No need for filtration, just a skimmer and a bunch of rock!"
So......I have run my tank like this for 2 years now and was wondering if I should be using some other method.

 

[jedininja]

Skimmer, LR, lots of flow are the most important things. Things like carbon, phosban reactors, and others things might help, but not as important as the other things.

 

[stubbsz]

There seems to be a move in some cirlces to go skimmerless but I know I won't be going there in a hurry.

I completely agree that the way to go is LR and Skimmer... I used to be fine with flow but when I went to SPS's I had a ton of trouble and if your coral is not getting the flow in needs can just die of in places. Sometimes as the grow bigger in fact you have to change things up as the coral blocks others.

I also run a reactor and use carbon/pura products. My wter quality has definitely been better with Carbon... if nothing else the clarity.

-Adrian

 

[rleechb]

I agree that the skimmer is the most important piece of filtration that you can have. However, this doesn't mean that any old skimmer is fine. There are a lot of skimmers out there that are almost completely worthless.

 

[Mrseptember15]

Are super skimmers anygood?

 

[Kinetic]

for your 30g i'd recommend a tunze nano skimmer.

they're basically completely silent, do a great job, and for a 30g will do well.

I run two tunze nano skimmers on a 32g m-tank, and they pull out half a cup each a week. it might be a bit overkill though, but it works =)

 

[Mrseptember15]

So the tunze is better than the super skimmer? I already have the super skimmer but i'm hesitant to use it.

 

[rleechb]

I have the super skimmer as well, and for HOB, it's as good as it gets without breaking the bank on a Deltec MCE600. That said, it skims, but is one of the most finicky and irritating skimmers I've ever used in my entire life.

By the way, a refugium is also a great way of lowering your nitrates/phosphates.

 

[Mrseptember15]

How come its irratating?

 

[Kinetic]

i think it's irritating because you constantly have to fiddle with the settings of it to get it to skim correctly. (such as adjusting the intake of water, venturi, etc).

The tunze you sort of just set and forget about. sometimes you can tweak it, but only if you want to skim wetter or less.

 

[tuberider]

So many ways to skin a cat.... I would not use the coralife skimmer HOB due to its propensity to overflow.. Also, I have seen some nice nanos with just a HOB filter without the stock media. Instead some bioballs or egg crate or other media that will allow flow, creating a cryptic environment for sponges, tuicates, pods etc. However if it were me, Tunze Nano skimmer all the way. Good skimming can mean the difference between "why do I have hair algae?" and "come check out my tank!!"

 

[TikiDan]

what would a good choice of skimmer (without robbing a bank) for a 72 gal tank with about 250 lbs or rock?