ADVICE in filters and my set up

bina770 · 11/17/2007, 09:26 PM

you guys, I have a 55 G and its going trong for 6 months, however I think my filter sux, a have a Whisper filter, and a Thyphoone Skimmers with one powerhead. Everything works fine but inorder to get the BEST, what i am using is it Good??
I have about 55 pounds of LR 6 fish, with some frags and hoping to get some corals soon. Should I upgrade the filter?? To WHat

Mojo Jojo · 11/17/2007, 09:31 PM

Throw it away

bina770 · 11/17/2007, 09:43 PM

throw what out, and then what

-=Efrain=- · 11/17/2007, 09:43 PM

If you have room under the stand you could go with a sump/refugium configuration.

bina770 · 11/17/2007, 09:46 PM

show me a picture of what the Heck you are talking about???

Mojo Jojo · 11/17/2007, 09:54 PM

You dont need a filter thats why I said throw it away. You could try making it into a fuge? Maybe the DIY forum can help out with that.

dohc97 · 11/17/2007, 10:45 PM

First i have to ask, what are your goals with regards to the tank?
what is it that you intend to keep, softies, lps, sps? all 3? Depending on what you want to keep, there are different suggestions. Try and give us your goals and we all help from there. Is that typhoon skimmer skimming for you? im just asking because i had one and it never did skim but did manage to flood my floor a couple times.

Jose

kimoy · 11/17/2007, 10:59 PM

dump the filter and the skimmer. they are worthless IMO.

bina770 · 11/17/2007, 11:34 PM

My goal for my tank is to have a heathy beutiful tank with all sorts of corals, and tangs and clowns, etc.. I am an addict and you guys are not giving me my pics...

kimoy · 11/17/2007, 11:39 PM

with the size tank you have you are only limited to 2-3 tangs...

moon jelly · 11/17/2007, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kimoy
with the size tank you have you are only limited to 2-3 tangs...

just don't let the tang police catch you

kimoy · 11/17/2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by moon jelly
just don't let the tang police catch you

SShhhhhhh...

mnestroy · 11/18/2007, 12:29 AM

Like mentioned what you can upgrade to kinda depends on your tank/stand layout. If you have room under your tank inside your stand you could put a smaller tank (like a 20Gal L) and create a fuge, and store you filters and heaters down there.

Having a fuge is nice for a ton for lots of reasons... but do a lot of research before you buy cause nothing is more frustrating than regretting a purchase. Basically you can get a skimmer that hangs on the back of your tank or one that goes in your sump(tank below your main tank).

If you got some pics of your tank post em, it will help people give u the best advice.

-=Efrain=- · 11/18/2007, 12:35 AM

One of the things that plagues most aquariums is the dreaded nitrates. There is no easy way to reduce these chemicals without a large amount of plants or water changes, but most people don't like having plants in the display tank. Or, in some cases, the livestock in the display tank will savagely attack the plants until none remain.

What can be done? One of the answers is to add a refugium or sump. What is a refugium? It is essentially a second smaller aquarium that is placed inside of the stand. This allows several benefits. For one thing, you can add things to the refugium that you couldn't add to the display tank, such as a very deep sand bad, extra live rock, plants, and even small invertebrates such as copepods.

The refugium is connected to the display tank via two pipes. Water can be sent into the refugium via two methods. The first (and arguably the best) is to drill the tank and insert a pipe into the side of the display tank that acts as a drain. The other method is to add an overflow to the display tank, which acts as a siphon. If you use the overflow box method, you should ensure that you get a type that will continue syphoning even after power is lost and resumed.

To return water from the refugium, you need a water pump that has a higher output than the siphon. For example, if the overflow or drain siphons at a rate of 700 gph, you need a pump that can handle, say, 800 gph. You will then have to match the flow to strike a balance between the two pipelines. This can be accomplished by placing a valve after the water pump and closing the pipe until the water level in the refugium remains constant.

But what happens if power is lost and water reverses its way through the pipeline and back into the refugium, causing a flood? This scenario can be preventing by placing a check valve after the water pump, which will only allow water to flow towards the display tank. You could also mount the spout going to the display tank above the waterline, but this would be much more noisy.

Now that the plumbing issues are solved and you have a failsafe design, you have to decide what to put in the refugium. One thing that is recommended is a deep sand bed of 6 inches or more. This depth will allow a large amount of bacteria to accumulate that will remove nitrates from the water. You can also add live rock rubble to the refugium to help filter ammonia and nitrites. A more beneficial use of the refugium, however, would be to add aquatic plants, such as chaeto, a macroalgae. The plants will effectively filter nitrates and keep you water quality very high. An added benefit of the plants is that you can feed them to your fish if they become too numerous.

The refugium can also serve as a breeding ground for tiny food such as copepods. These tiny creatures are food for mandarin dragonets and blennies, but can easily become extinct in the display tank. In the refugium, they can reproduce without the threat of fish and spread to the display tank via the return pipe.

The refugium can also serve as a holding tank for aggressive fish or invertebrates that you don't want in the main tank. For example, if you have a yellow tang that is attacking a new addition to the display tank, you can move the tang to the refugium until the new addition gets used to the tank. Or, if you have a crab that starts attacking your fish, you could put it in the refugium where there is nothing to attack.

Another benefit of refugiums and sumps is the ability to hide your bulky and unsightly equipment. You can put everything from heaters to protein skimmers in the refugium, reducing the amount of space occupied by equipment in your display tank. You can also use larger equipment, such as giant protein skimmers, by placing them in line with the refugium.

In conclusion, it is clear that refugiums offer a wide range of benefits. For a small amount of money, you can create a permanent filter that needs little or no maintenence and will greatly reduce the amount of nitrates in your aquarium.

Pufferpunk · 11/18/2007, 01:06 AM

I had a 55g for 3 years & all I ran on it for filtration was the live rock & a Coralife Super Skimmer 125. If you want to keep it super simple, that's all you need but be prepared to be doing larger water changes if not using a fuge & forget about most SPS.

After that, I upgraded to a 90g & added a 20g sump & 20g fuge. Now my nitrates are around 1 & I do very minimal water changes on it.

esdayal · 11/18/2007, 02:42 PM

What is a good fuge for non drilled tank... I have a 50g acrylic bow tank and I am using a Emperor 280 biowheel filter with CPR bakpak2r+. I have 130 lbs of LR with 3 small fishes but lots of softies and SPS. What is the best configuration for me ??

Mojo Jojo · 11/18/2007, 02:54 PM

esdayal - While its not really cool to hijack a thread. Look into getting an overflow. Niles is not too far out from Coral Reef. They have them there for something like 50 60 bucks. Pretty good price considering they cost about the same online when shipping prices are added.

glassbox-design · 11/18/2007, 03:02 PM

if you want something simple check out PSam's FS thread...HOB refugium and skimmer in one. most HOB equipment in general is not good enough, and with almost all HOB equipment fish stocking should be kept light unless you are up for weekly water changes.

esdayal · 11/18/2007, 03:36 PM

Mojo, dont take it personal. I admit i am a newbie. I asked it cuz i thought my situation was similar to bina770. I ll ask my questions at some other forum.

MrMexReefer · 11/18/2007, 06:10 PM

Okay... simple answer:

I have a similar water volume that I am using for my system. Currently, the BAK PAK 2 skimmer from CPR works really well for me. However, you will need that skimmer to run on a MJ1200 powerhead to get it to work well. Also, you need to incorporate a refugium to help reduce nitrates by growing cheato. CPR makes a nice one that I have also used successfully on my previous tank. Heres a link to the refugium so you can read a little about it:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...y_Code=Special

11/17/2007, 09:26 PM	#1
bina770 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: chicago Posts: 251	ADVICE in filters and my set up you guys, I have a 55 G and its going trong for 6 months, however I think my filter sux, a have a Whisper filter, and a Thyphoone Skimmers with one powerhead. Everything works fine but inorder to get the BEST, what i am using is it Good?? I have about 55 pounds of LR 6 fish, with some frags and hoping to get some corals soon. Should I upgrade the filter?? To WHat

11/17/2007, 09:43 PM	#4
-=Efrain=- Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,895	If you have room under the stand you could go with a sump/refugium configuration. __________________ Reefing! Complicated enough to tickle my brain but not complex enough to give me a headache. ><((((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸.•´¯`•...¸><((((º> •´¯`•.¸. , . .•´¯`•.. ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 125 GL, Mixed Reef, Yellow, Hippo, Sailfin, Powder Blue, Kole Tangs, 2 Onyx Clowns, 4 Firefish, Midas Blenny, Malenarus & Yellow Coris Wrasse 3 250W MH 14K DE, 250Lbs LR, 150 Lbs LS, 2 Korilias 4s, 45g Sump/Fug, Carbon Reactor, Cal Reactor, Skimmer

11/17/2007, 10:45 PM	#7
dohc97 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 4,183	First i have to ask, what are your goals with regards to the tank? what is it that you intend to keep, softies, lps, sps? all 3? Depending on what you want to keep, there are different suggestions. Try and give us your goals and we all help from there. Is that typhoon skimmer skimming for you? im just asking because i had one and it never did skim but did manage to flood my floor a couple times. Jose __________________ "I upgraded my lighting to HID with angel eyes" Current Tank Info: IM 25 lagoon, diy stand, kessil A360we, mp10 wes qd, apex jr

11/17/2007, 10:59 PM	#8
kimoy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Huntley, IL Posts: 2,317	dump the filter and the skimmer. they are worthless IMO. __________________ 120 Gal pico reef tank Aqua C-EV180, 30 gal sump/fuge, 2X250 DE 12k Reflux with 2X54 Geisman Actinic+ T5's, K2R calcium reactor,Phosban reactor Current Tank Info: 120 gal mixed reef almost a DAY old

11/17/2007, 11:39 PM	#10
kimoy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Huntley, IL Posts: 2,317	with the size tank you have you are only limited to 2-3 tangs... __________________ 120 Gal pico reef tank Aqua C-EV180, 30 gal sump/fuge, 2X250 DE 12k Reflux with 2X54 Geisman Actinic+ T5's, K2R calcium reactor,Phosban reactor Current Tank Info: 120 gal mixed reef almost a DAY old

11/17/2007, 09:31 PM	#2
Mojo Jojo Moved On Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,495	Throw it away

11/17/2007, 09:46 PM	#5
bina770 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: chicago Posts: 251	show me a picture of what the Heck you are talking about???

11/17/2007, 09:54 PM	#6
Mojo Jojo Moved On Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,495	You dont need a filter thats why I said throw it away. You could try making it into a fuge? Maybe the DIY forum can help out with that.

11/17/2007, 11:34 PM	#9
bina770 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: chicago Posts: 251	My goal for my tank is to have a heathy beutiful tank with all sorts of corals, and tangs and clowns, etc.. I am an addict and you guys are not giving me my pics...

11/18/2007, 12:29 AM	#13
mnestroy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Aurora, IL Posts: 2,216	Like mentioned what you can upgrade to kinda depends on your tank/stand layout. If you have room under your tank inside your stand you could put a smaller tank (like a 20Gal L) and create a fuge, and store you filters and heaters down there. Having a fuge is nice for a ton for lots of reasons... but do a lot of research before you buy cause nothing is more frustrating than regretting a purchase. Basically you can get a skimmer that hangs on the back of your tank or one that goes in your sump(tank below your main tank). If you got some pics of your tank post em, it will help people give u the best advice.

11/18/2007, 12:35 AM	#14
-=Efrain=- Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,895	Sump / Refugium One of the things that plagues most aquariums is the dreaded nitrates. There is no easy way to reduce these chemicals without a large amount of plants or water changes, but most people don't like having plants in the display tank. Or, in some cases, the livestock in the display tank will savagely attack the plants until none remain. What can be done? One of the answers is to add a refugium or sump. What is a refugium? It is essentially a second smaller aquarium that is placed inside of the stand. This allows several benefits. For one thing, you can add things to the refugium that you couldn't add to the display tank, such as a very deep sand bad, extra live rock, plants, and even small invertebrates such as copepods. The refugium is connected to the display tank via two pipes. Water can be sent into the refugium via two methods. The first (and arguably the best) is to drill the tank and insert a pipe into the side of the display tank that acts as a drain. The other method is to add an overflow to the display tank, which acts as a siphon. If you use the overflow box method, you should ensure that you get a type that will continue syphoning even after power is lost and resumed. To return water from the refugium, you need a water pump that has a higher output than the siphon. For example, if the overflow or drain siphons at a rate of 700 gph, you need a pump that can handle, say, 800 gph. You will then have to match the flow to strike a balance between the two pipelines. This can be accomplished by placing a valve after the water pump and closing the pipe until the water level in the refugium remains constant. But what happens if power is lost and water reverses its way through the pipeline and back into the refugium, causing a flood? This scenario can be preventing by placing a check valve after the water pump, which will only allow water to flow towards the display tank. You could also mount the spout going to the display tank above the waterline, but this would be much more noisy. Now that the plumbing issues are solved and you have a failsafe design, you have to decide what to put in the refugium. One thing that is recommended is a deep sand bed of 6 inches or more. This depth will allow a large amount of bacteria to accumulate that will remove nitrates from the water. You can also add live rock rubble to the refugium to help filter ammonia and nitrites. A more beneficial use of the refugium, however, would be to add aquatic plants, such as chaeto, a macroalgae. The plants will effectively filter nitrates and keep you water quality very high. An added benefit of the plants is that you can feed them to your fish if they become too numerous. The refugium can also serve as a breeding ground for tiny food such as copepods. These tiny creatures are food for mandarin dragonets and blennies, but can easily become extinct in the display tank. In the refugium, they can reproduce without the threat of fish and spread to the display tank via the return pipe. The refugium can also serve as a holding tank for aggressive fish or invertebrates that you don't want in the main tank. For example, if you have a yellow tang that is attacking a new addition to the display tank, you can move the tang to the refugium until the new addition gets used to the tank. Or, if you have a crab that starts attacking your fish, you could put it in the refugium where there is nothing to attack. Another benefit of refugiums and sumps is the ability to hide your bulky and unsightly equipment. You can put everything from heaters to protein skimmers in the refugium, reducing the amount of space occupied by equipment in your display tank. You can also use larger equipment, such as giant protein skimmers, by placing them in line with the refugium. In conclusion, it is clear that refugiums offer a wide range of benefits. For a small amount of money, you can create a permanent filter that needs little or no maintenence and will greatly reduce the amount of nitrates in your aquarium. __________________ Reefing! Complicated enough to tickle my brain but not complex enough to give me a headache. ><((((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸.•´¯`•...¸><((((º> •´¯`•.¸. , . .•´¯`•.. ><((((º> Current Tank Info: 125 GL, Mixed Reef, Yellow, Hippo, Sailfin, Powder Blue, Kole Tangs, 2 Onyx Clowns, 4 Firefish, Midas Blenny, Malenarus & Yellow Coris Wrasse 3 250W MH 14K DE, 250Lbs LR, 150 Lbs LS, 2 Korilias 4s, 45g Sump/Fug, Carbon Reactor, Cal Reactor, Skimmer

11/18/2007, 01:06 AM	#15
Pufferpunk Moved On Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Franklin Park, IL Posts: 21,027	I had a 55g for 3 years & all I ran on it for filtration was the live rock & a Coralife Super Skimmer 125. If you want to keep it super simple, that's all you need but be prepared to be doing larger water changes if not using a fuge & forget about most SPS. After that, I upgraded to a 90g & added a 20g sump & 20g fuge. Now my nitrates are around 1 & I do very minimal water changes on it. Last edited by Pufferpunk; 11/18/2007 at 01:24 AM.

11/18/2007, 02:42 PM	#16
esdayal Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Niles IL Posts: 485	What is a good fuge for non drilled tank... I have a 50g acrylic bow tank and I am using a Emperor 280 biowheel filter with CPR bakpak2r+. I have 130 lbs of LR with 3 small fishes but lots of softies and SPS. What is the best configuration for me ?? __________________ Delivery hospital bill - 11,000.00 Diapers for the next 3 years-2,350.00 Baby Formula for 1st year - 1,900.00 Being a Dad - PRICELESS Current Tank Info: 46g, pair of nemo, firefly goby, Rbta,mated pair of Pistol Shrimps,Yellow watchman goby, Rain'sford goby, Lawnmower, Six line Wrasse,Pepperment shrimps, 40 lbs LS, 100+LR

11/18/2007, 02:54 PM	#17
Mojo Jojo Moved On Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago Posts: 2,495	esdayal - While its not really cool to hijack a thread. Look into getting an overflow. Niles is not too far out from Coral Reef. They have them there for something like 50 60 bucks. Pretty good price considering they cost about the same online when shipping prices are added.

11/18/2007, 03:02 PM	#18
glassbox-design Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: SF Posts: 3,041	if you want something simple check out PSam's FS thread...HOB refugium and skimmer in one. most HOB equipment in general is not good enough, and with almost all HOB equipment fish stocking should be kept light unless you are up for weekly water changes. __________________ GLASSBOXDESIGN the modern reef blog LEDs are a 50,000 hr investment. Choose wisely. Current Tank Info: ...a new glassbox is coming Last edited by glassbox-design; 11/18/2007 at 03:07 PM.

11/18/2007, 03:36 PM	#19
esdayal Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Niles IL Posts: 485	Mojo, dont take it personal. I admit i am a newbie. I asked it cuz i thought my situation was similar to bina770. I ll ask my questions at some other forum. __________________ Delivery hospital bill - 11,000.00 Diapers for the next 3 years-2,350.00 Baby Formula for 1st year - 1,900.00 Being a Dad - PRICELESS Current Tank Info: 46g, pair of nemo, firefly goby, Rbta,mated pair of Pistol Shrimps,Yellow watchman goby, Rain'sford goby, Lawnmower, Six line Wrasse,Pepperment shrimps, 40 lbs LS, 100+LR

11/18/2007, 06:10 PM	#20
MrMexReefer Moved On Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,093	Okay... simple answer: I have a similar water volume that I am using for my system. Currently, the BAK PAK 2 skimmer from CPR works really well for me. However, you will need that skimmer to run on a MJ1200 powerhead to get it to work well. Also, you need to incorporate a refugium to help reduce nitrates by growing cheato. CPR makes a nice one that I have also used successfully on my previous tank. Heres a link to the refugium so you can read a little about it: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...y_Code=Special