So many questions.....

[fryebaby9431]

I am running a 40 gallon breeder tank. Water parameters ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates between 5 and 10. I do weekly 10% water changes and monthly 20% changes. I have 5 fish 4 zoanthid frags and a starfish. I started out running a hang on the back filter and an air stone. Now I have two powerheads for flow, the hob filter and a hang on the back refugium with chaeto, live rock and live sand. I just put a hang on the back protein skimmer in the first chamber of the fuge because it caused so many micro bubbles in my main tank. I want to get rid of the hang on the back filter. Will the fuge and the protein skimmer with weekly cleaning be enough? Air stone or no air stone? Protein skimmer in main tank or refugium ? Will the micro bubbles bother my chaeto? I don't want to mess up this tank I just want great filtration and I am not in the market for a sump. Please help


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[billdogg]

The HOB filter makes a great particulate filter, so keep it if you want to. Just remember to clean it frequently so that gunk doesn't build up and begin to decay. I ran a 60g cube for 22 years using nothing more than a dual biowheel HOB and a canister filter. It did just fine that way. Be sure to stay up on the water changes as well.

I would lose the airstones. There should be no need for them and the bubbles breaking at the surface will cause lots of salt creep. If you haven't already, angle the power heads so that they are pointed up towards the surface to agitate it. You will get ample oxygenation that way.

Micro bubbles won't bother the chaeto at all, so whichever you prefer is just fine.

hth

 

[sdbc]

It's hard to predict. You could turn your HOB filter off and see how the tank does over the course of a month or two. If everything stays good, remove it permanently. If it degrades, put the (cleaned) filter back online. I use one on my tank now for GAC and GFO instead of a reactor. Those things are versatile.

 

[devildog999]

Out of curiosity, why sump not an option? I've been where you are and it makes life so much easier. Especially with smaller systems which I have found are more difficult to keep stable because the smallest things change everything.

 

[Jon0807]

Many people run a skimmerless system. But you gotta make sure you're pretty religious about your water changes and making sure you vacuum out any detritus. And like billdog said, just point one of your powerheads twords the surface to cause some agitation and you should be fine