Decisions...

Hi All,
Well my 46 bow is doing pretty well so far but it is time to move forward a little. Right now I have only two fish two corals and a few snails in there. I'm still running my Emperor 400 and nitrates are less than 10 ppm. I want to add more goodies to the tank so I know the filter is not going to cut it. I don't have a ton to spend so in the opinion of my fellow 3 Reefers, whats my best move....hob skimmer next or hob refugium?
Thanks as always !!
Matt

 

well in my opinion you're definitely going to want a skimmer if you dont have one currently. fact, if i had a tank with a HOB filter unit and nothing else i would make priority #1 a skimmer.

im not sure what you're hoping to spend, and im not sure what you mean by adding more goodies to the tank. for example, if you said you wanted SPS corals well then a whole bunch of other flags go up, like how much flow, lighting, etc you have.

if you have the room for it, i would plan out some form of sump that way you can also plan in a refugium if thats what you had intended on. otherwise yes you can put a HOB skimmer, HOB emperor, HOB refugium, but i doubt you'll have enough place to hang all that from unless you dont mind using the front of the tank

 

+1 to the skimmer. It's the best piece of equipment you can get at this point.

I would go with a sump + skimmer if possible, but some kind of skimmer should be a priority.

 

I just want one more fish and a few inverts yet. Nothing too drastic. I was hoping to get rid of the emperor and just use a skimmer and rock. Unless some one knows of a small inexpensive sump that might fit into the stand.. its a closed stand but tight. Since it's in my living room too noise is a factor.

 

You should keep the emperor; it'll let you run carbon, which you can't do without it or a reactor.

Most DIY sumps are built out of a fish tank, so you could measure out your stand and find one that will fit. Premade sumps may not be as good for the purpose; you can't always use them as a refugium.

 

if thats all your doing id keep the emperor 400 for any chemical filtration you want to do, get a good HOB skimmer, give the tank a month to settle down. once all the params are in check then id add another fish, monitor params for another month, then add something, monitor params.... you get the point.

adding 4 fish at once, never a good idea, especially in an unestablished habitat

 

Thanks for the advice Blackraven. Thats a good point about the emperor...can an overflow be made pretty quiet? Sorry for all the questions..

 

no need to be sorry for the questions... thats what the forums here for. yes an overflow can be made quiet.

the cost may be more to build your own sump, but it is worth it in the end. you'll have more water volume, another place to put a skimmer so you're not limited to having to buy a HOB style, and potentially a refuge for growing macros if you want to have a biological method of export.

if moneys tight id go the route of getting a HOB and keep things very simple and add fish very carefully and keep a watchful eye on the parameters.

sorry if my tone was negative in my prior posts.... ive had a rough morning with my own tanks catastrophe of a powerhead falling into the sandbed while i was asleep and causing a huge issue with nitrates.

 

Not at all bje, thanks for the help. Sorry to hear about the tank mess.

 

I agree that a skimmer is a must. Whether HOB or in sump, definitely look into one. I like the AquaC remora HOB. I had one on my 55 and it worked very well. It is incredibly easy to setup and use too. I also agree that you should be running carbon, whether it be in you filter or in a sock someplace. If you get a sump, you can just stick a bag in your overflow or return area. Other wise, run the carbon in the filter and make sure to keep the pads clean. Depending on whether you do water changes with RO/DI water or tap, you nitrates lead me to believe that you are either over feedings or not cleaning your filter enough. The skimmer should help with that though, at least to some extent.

BTW, where are you in Pa? I'm in West Chester.