Just 2 Hangon Filters!?

[kraken]

ok,i know someone whos has the most gorgeous(i believe its a 29g)reef tank,with a little more fish than hes allowed for the size of the tank for 3 years.beautiful purple corelline algae infesting his rocks,healthy coral and his fish were in amazing condition,with the most vibrant colors,and all he has as filtration is a penguin hang on with a bio wheel.no skimmer niether.can i set up a 55 gallon with the same deal and expect the same results?i have 2 penguin biowheel filters,each can deal with a 55 gallon tank.so both together can filter 110 gallons.i have two powerfull power heads i can incorporate in the reef setup.i wont go with too many fish though like he did,but i do want the purple algae and the coral.i was thinking maybe he was lucky somehow with that one tank, but about a year ago he set up another 40 or so gallon bowfront and his doing the whole hang on filter thing,it appears hes getting the same results.

[Ninong]

It's possible to operate a reef aquarium, especially a smallish one, without a protein skimmer or sump or other typical equipment. The live rock and the sand bed are very important elements in the natural biological filtration capacity of the tank. Protein skimmers are nice and most people consider them a worthwhile investment but it is possible to get by without one, especially if you really watch your bioload and go slow.

Another thing that will make tanks like this viable are frequent water changes. If you change 10-15% of the water every other week (or maybe every three weeks), that will go a long way in keeping the tank trouble-free.

The hang-on filter in a situation like this is nothing more than a means of aeration and perhaps something to hold a carbon filtration pad -- the carbon acting as chemical filtration. What's more important than the hang-on filter are the live rock and sand bed. And you would want something to provide decent water movement in the tank. There are a lot of really nice powerheads now that produce a lot of flow while drawing very little electricity.

[kraken]

"The hang-on filter in a situation like this is nothing more than a means of aeration and perhaps something to hold a carbon filtration pad -- the carbon acting as chemical filtration"....so the "filter pads"(there usually the blue ones) dont actually filter?the carbon does?

[Ninong]

You have two things going there: mechanical filtration in the sense that the filter pads trap stuff and chemical filtration in that the carbon inside the filter pads absorbs stuff chemically.

The live rock and the sand bed are much more important.

[Ninong]

In other words, you could get by without a hang-on filter if you had ample water flow inside the aquarium to provide good aeration and good water current throughout the tank. Then, maybe once a month, you could put in a small bag of carbon in a spot what it would be in the line of strong water flow and leave it for just 24-48 hours.

There is nothing wrong with going with a hang-on filter, it's just that the live rock and the sand bed are much more critical in the overall scheme of things.

[kraken]

hmm interesting.another question about the possibilty of not having to use ro/di..if your willing to spend ten dollors each for bottles of seachem,is it safe to use tap water.will the annoying hair alge still grow?oh another thing,is the thicker the sand bed,the better?

[Ninong]

Tapwater is a risky proposition. You can always buy R.O. water from your local Wal-Mart for just 25 cents a gallon if you bring your own containers. They usually have a "drinking water" dispensing machine in the front of the store. That water is R.O. water that passes through a UV sterilizer as it is dispensed. It's 25 cents a gallon if you provide your own containers or about 59 cents a gallon if you purchase the stuff by the gallon container.

Or you can use distilled water, which is usually about 75 cents a gallon. Just don't buy any so-called "drinking" water or "spring" water in containers because most of that stuff is not pure enough.

Or you can buy either R.O./D.I. water or saltwater from your local LFS at many places, especially in Florida. Some places even sell natural seawater that has been filtered.

I would avoid tapwater if I were you. It's too risky.

[Ninong]

Sand bed depth is a difficult issue to address in a few simple sentences. A lot depends on what you want and the size of your aquarium. All things considered, a nice 3" or even 4" deep sand bed would be great. If that's not what you have in mind, you can still get by with less than that, it just won't be quite the same. You can still get important denitrification benefits from a sand bed that is only 2" deep.

My recommendation would be to go for a 3" DSB if you can make that work. I don't think I would go much deeper than that in a smallish tank. I had a 6" DSB in my 120-gal tank but my tank was 27.5" tall. As far as I'm concerned, the deeper the better but within limits.

[kraken]

thank you so much,youve taught the new guy on the block alot.i was reading a book yesterday that a good option was to use no live sand and build rocks to the front of the tank to hide the glass floor.

[Ninong]

You're welcome.

[kraken]

oops i edited and added to my last post,lol

[Ninong]

i was reading a book yesterday that a good option was to use no live sand and build rocks to the front of the tank to hide the glass floor.

A bare-bottomed tank is one option. It has advantages and disadvantages. Some people prefer it because they don't want to deal with a sand bed but a sand bed is a very interesting part of a reef tank, in my opinion. Without a sand bed, you will be limited in your selection of livestock. Some fish and some anemones cannot be kept without a sand bed. And a sand bed is populated by a lot of critters, most of which are too small to see without a microscope.

A sand bed adds a nice element to a reef aquarium but it is possible to get by without one. After all, the Germans, who started the so-called Berlin Method, did not employ any sand bed at all in the beginning.

[Ninong]

Scott Zachow (Reefland) talked about sand beds and bare-bottom tanks in this article. Whether you have a sand bed and the depth of the sand bed and the particle size of the sand in your sand bed are all topics that provide hours of interesting "discussion" on the boards.

[kraken]

ninong,any questions i have about setting up my new tank,will be reffered to you if you dont mind.you gave me more answeres than anybody else.thank you.

[Lance]

Smaller tanks require more attention. IF he doesnt have a skimmer then regular water changes and very low stock with proper feeding may work. But if stock is iffy and feeding is to much then your risking it. Fish can live in terrible conditions but low O2 and high ammonia are not . If you have fish that would eat your CUC then BB would be a great idea. But if you have a CUC and good flow then a SB wouldnt only be fine but beneficial.

[Ninong]

Do you already have the 55-gal tank?

I really hate that size tank for a reef tank because of the dimensions. I think a 40-gal breeder (36"L x 18"W x 16"H) is a much better choice in a smallish tank or a 75-gal (48"L x 18"W x 20"H) is a much, much better choice in a slightly larger tank. In my opinion, a 55-gal (48"L x 13"W x 20"H) is just not a good choice for a reef tank. You don't have enough space front-to-back to squeeze in the live rock and corals.

[harris51]

How about lighting.......?

The type and number of bulbs will greatly effect the tank.