its anywone doing a Monaco style

[fefo23]

I'm going to set my ferst reef an i was wonder if any is having a Monaco style tank. if so tell me how is your expirience with it.
My plan is to put an under gravel filter then 1" of crush coral, 1or 2" of aragonite sand and a layer of live sand, also 45 lb live rock, oh i the tank is 30 gal 36"-12"-16". Tanks for your help!

 

[sir_dudeguy]

whats "manaco" style? And why put in the UGF? IMO they cause more problems than any good....

 

[cristhiam]

Ask Paul B in this forum he uses a reverse UGF for more than 35+ years do lot's of reading on it, I would skip the crush coral and do sand all they way.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

oh a reverse one. I think i know what you mean now. I was thinking you were gonna do something else

 

[fefo23]

Yes i may skip the crush coral but not the UGF

 

[cristhiam]

Ohh his name is PaulB do a seach on his threads it's an amazing tank

 

[fefo23]

Thanks i will

 

[Paul B]

My plan is to put an under gravel filter then 1" of crush coral, 1or 2" of aragonite sand and a layer of live sand, also 45 lb live rock, oh i the tank is 30 gal 36"-12"-16". Tanks for your help!

This stuff will all be mixed up in a week or two.
What the hell is a Monaco Tank?

 

[TropTrea]

I have used UG's for years in fresh water tanks and untill I went to reverse flow I thought they were basicly garbage. Now with the reverse flow I did find I had clean the gravel repeatedly however the bad stuff was on the bottom and not visibaly on the top.

For a salt water tank I do not think it would work to well with either fine aggrivate or a deep sand base. However with a 1" or 2" base using medium to course sand it might work out. However I would make sure you have an exceptional skimmer to take over in cases biological filtering in the sand bed crashes on you.

Note for the Monoco tanks it was an old principle in the late 60's that I vagely remember as using UG filteration with various types of filtering media in the gravel or sand base. I believe the perfecto UG filters were the only ones that worked with that system and it required a reverse flow for normal operation and a suction for routine cleaning under the "UG plate.

There was another system at that time which was publicized that ran reverse flow by using a canister filter and sending the filtered output under a UG plate. I tried that one and found it to another idea that never did what it claimed to do.

Dennis




Dennis

e the

 

[Paul B]

As to the RUGF I designed mine to work very slow with a sponge filter on the inlet. It has been working since 1972. I cleaned it once after 25 years.
It will not work well with any type of sand. Crushed coral or aragonite will be fine.

 

[bertoni]

A Monaco-style tank has a plenum, not a UGF. I wouldn't use a plenum, but a UGF can work. I use live rock, macroalgae, and protein skimming, though.

 

[fefo23]

Tanks guys for your help I tink the i'm going to do is to have a 2or 3" sand bed to start also I order an Aqua remora protein skimmer so hope to work good.