opinions on a three stagefiter/uv unit

[wangitytong]

Morning all , This we be short and sweeet I h ave to get to work . Drat!
Fosters and smith are having a sale and this unit caught my eye . I wanted tio get some opinions, my systme is 56 gal stretch hex with a big aqua pro skimmer rated for 75 gal, tanks a bio wheel set up without the wheel, I use it for mech fitration and for carbon. about 80 lps live rock and a 6 inch sand bed. theres no sump or fuge thats planned for the bigger systme some day.
Nitrates are always a battle. Would this be a help to me.http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...004+2032+22777

[Steven Pro]

No, a canister filter is unlikely to help with nitrate accumulation and might even make things worse. Making sure your protein skimmer is producing a cup of dark skimmate just about everyday will help. Making sure the water you use for water changes and top-off is clean, something like RO, RO/DI, DI-only, etc. Increasing the frequency and/or amount of your water changes. And possibly adding a refugium for macroalgae growth and harvesting should all help.

[wangitytong]

Thanks Steve, I pretty much knew it not that easy. Wishful thinking . I do need to get more out of the skimmer. I believe I should be a bit dryer and darker. Does te height of the intake on the skimmer inside the tank affect its performance ? it has been sitting about 3 inches from the top, but today I added more poly tubing and dropped it down more towards the middle of the tank. remora c pro 56 strech hex tanks around 20" deep.
Thanks again Ron
P.s, I use ro/di for changes and top up. And yes, my Guys dont need to eat quite as much!

[Steven Pro]

Actually, the shorter the tubing/the higher the pump the better the production should be on your protein skimmer.

[Randy]

I used to do the "canister filter" thing, but dumped that method quick once I neglected to maintain it. The filter gets real nasty. I never paid $130.00 for one though; you could do an even better job for a fraction of that price ~ http://randystacye.com/diy_canister_filter.htm

One day upgrade to a sump and filter sock, though using a filter sock doesn't have to be a full time thing. Just put one in when you feel like it.

RO/DI water changes/water replacement, good skimmer, and monitor feeding should take care of the problem.

In the meantime, though it may sound strange, you should check out this link:
http://www.hdltd.com/products/p_rightnow.html

I personally have used this stuff before and absolutely no ill affects what so ever and others that I referred it to were very happy with it too. It’s cheap; no ill affects, and seems to work for everyone who has used it. Now I don’t know that what they state in their advertising is actually possible, but it sure did bring down my nitrates. This was before I used RO/DI; I just used country well water ~ bad idea. I didn’t use the carbon tube either.

[wangitytong]

WoW