How Much Filtration is Enough

[Richardthesecond]

Greetings,
I'm only two months into this hobby and am loving it, but getting a lot of conflicting advice. Have 90 gal. saltwater aquarium, with a sump, and bioballs, and protein skimmer. Water is chemically correct, and have just begun putting critters in. Have 20+ pounds of live :?: rock, a few small fish, corals, crabs, a feather star, shrimp. Am planning to eventually have Ocean Rider sea horses. While the water is pretty clear, there is stuff floating around in it that gets past the filter pad in the sump. My question is, should I get a canister filter to "polish" the water? It seems that a little bit of debris in the water would be good for the filter feeders. Or should I clean it up super clean and rely on feedings only? Two local shops are all ready to sell me a canister filter, the other, and the one I trust the most, says they are more trouble than they are worth. If I get one I'm considering the Magnum 350 Pro, but am open to other recommendations.
Thanks,
Richard

 

[MarkO1]

Lose the balls... you need more live rock. Make sure it's cured. Keep bioload (fish for the most part) to a minimum. The only unnatural filtration recommendations is a good protein skimmer.
Good luck.
_________________
Honda NR500

 

[suckair]

I am no expert but can only speak from my limited experience. Skimmers are a great saftey device and very helpufl when a tank is new. I am runing two systems and the one that does the best "by far" is the one with the refugium. I harvest extra algae all the time and that tank just seems to keep thriving! I have had it 3 years so far.

I don't even use the filters around the overflow tubes, and the skimmer is ran intermittently at best. There is no perfect way to run a tank but mechinical filration and bio balls don't seem very important to many people.

Thanks
Randall

 

[aquarist=broke]

welcome to Reefs.org Richardthesecond!

It would help us to know what kind of substrate you have. I think many of us here don't use or recommend Bio-balls for saltwater tanks with live rock. Bio-balls work like your live-rock and substrate. They grow bacterias that eat ammonia and nitrites and then turn them into less toxic nitrates. The more stuff that the bio-balls trap the more bacteria grows and in turn, the more nitrates you accumulate (this is bad). The local fish shops that have been trying to sell you a canister filter want $. The one that says that they are more trouble than they are worth is very correct. Many of us here don't use or recommend canister filters for saltwater aquaruims because they trap alot of nasties like the bio-balls and must be cleaned out frequently. Depending on what you have as a substrate, you may be able to get by with just your live-rock and protein skimmer(assuming it is a decent one). I am also concerned about your tank being as young as it is with that bio-load. Some of your critters (three fish and corals for ex.) may give you problems with nutrients. Missed food and waste accumulation can cause many problems ranging from hair algae all the way to dead animals. If you've only been keeping fish for a couple of months, I would recommend slowing down, reading as much as you can find, join a local aquarium club, and ask many questions here :wink: as we all do, for a good start.

there is stuff floating around in it that gets past the filter pad in the sump

Are any of your powerheads pointing towards your substrate? Maybe one of your animals is "digging" up a storm?

Water is chemically correct

Could you enlighten us to what the Chemically correct numbers are?

 

[Richardthesecond]

Wow, this is incredible! Thanks for your prompt replys and help. I did forget to mention I DO have a protein skimmer. I have a very fine sand substrate, about 2 inches deep. I did initially have an undergravel filter, and course sand, but soon had a tremendous algae bloom along the bottom. About this time I realized that if I even mentioned something the shop salesman said, yes, I sure needed that. He would have sold me Loc Ness babies if I had asked for them. Went to another shop and was advised to take out the undergravel filter and replace course sand with fine . . . which I did, and things have been going well since. I really have tried to be patient in the setup, but last week I broke down and went nuts with the credit card at two shops having a sale. Hope I, and my new coral and fish, don't live to regret it. Is there an Aquariums Anonomus organization? This is getting VERY habit forming, and hard on the self-control.

Special thanks for the suggestion about the water inlets stirring up the sand. Jeeeezzzzzzzz, I just put two elbows on yesterday to redirect the water, so of course that's why things are getting stirred up. I look forward to the day I quite making such dumb mistakes.

Thanks again
Richard

 

[wombat1]

Is there an Aquariums Anonomus organization?

I don't know, but this is a good place to get good advice. My thoughts: 1)Get more live rock SLOWLY. Usually about a pound per gallon is sufficient. Add no more than around 20 pounds each time. 2) Get rid of your bioballs, and any other sponges or filter floss or canister filters you might have. All you need is live rock, a deep sand bed, and a good skimmer. 3) Check out what kind of lighting your corals need. You didn't tell us what corals you have, but they may need high intensity lighting. 4) Say bye bye to your feather star. Sorry to be insensitive but if you do indeed have a feather star which is hard to come by in most fish suppliers it is doomed to a very short life. Even professionals and researchers have a hard time keeping these things alive. 5) Tell us as much info as you can when you post and listen to as many people's opinions as possible. Good Luck!!!

 

[ReefLion]

Another cautionary note: fish should be added slowly as well, one or two at a time and then waiting for several weeks. This ensures that your filtration system has time to adjust to the larger load.

I agree with the other advice above: no bioballs, more rock slowly over time, and maybe a bit more sand over time, as well. Skimming, live rock and live sand are all you need. Search online stores for "detrivore kits" to seed your sand bed. A lot of stuff comes on the rock itself, but I like to get a number of kits from different places for diversity.

I would take out the filter pad in the sump. A little muck in the water column is no big deal. Better that than adding a mechanical filter that will only trap detritus and produce nitrate.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

ditto on the bio balls.with your sb, alot more rock may not be necessary, though,if you want to, by all means add some.

fwiw-dump the balls 1/2 amount at a time, and wait a week or two before getting rid of the second half-this will allow the rock and sb to build up bacterial colonies to compensate for what you'll be removing on the balls.

 

[wombat1]

Vitz Nice new avatar!! I've yanked bioballs and all mechanical filtration all at once before with no ill effects, albeit on a light fish load.