first aquarium

bootz63 · Dec 26, 2011

I am starting to plan out my first reef tank and I think i have decided to use a wet dry fillter system Im having trouble picking the right one anyone have any suggestions I have a 90 gallon freshwater tank i plane to convert.

jrwoltman · Dec 26, 2011

Fist Aquarium??? Obviously this will be an aggressive, fighting tank, right?

sticksmith23 · Dec 26, 2011

Just a question is all, but why a wet/dry system instead of a sump?

I haven't really heard much about this, but I haven't heard anything bad about it either.

Marineland Tidepool Wet/Dry Filter-2

bootz63 · Dec 26, 2011

not sure what the assumtion that it will be a fighting tank is supposed to mean but no. as for why not a sump i guess I would say why a sump what are the advantages

sticksmith23 · Dec 26, 2011

bootz63 said: ↑

not sure what the assumtion that it will be a fighting tank is supposed to mean but no. as for why not a sump i guess I would say why a sump what are the advantages
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The below quotes are from: http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/little-overwhelmed-127350-2.html

steve wright said: ↑

if your aim is to set up a reef aquarium, featuring corals, and compatible fishes
then IMO you will not need a wet dry type filtration system

unlike freshwater tanks, reef tanks do not generally need any additional form of biological filtration
reef aquariums normally feature a lot of rock (live rock/ base rock, its all the same eventually)
the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle, processing waste to ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc colonise the rock surface , the sand bed and in fact every other surface in the aquarium
the above combined with good flow, in order to deliver the nutrient laden water to the areas the bacteria have colonised , is often all that is needed in terms of bilogical filtration
so no need for plastic balls, ceramic rings or sintered glass type filter media in a reef set up

I would consider a sump or sump / refugium combo
a sump is a container of water normally placed under the reef tank, from which water from main tank runs into, and a pump in the sump returns it to the main tank

some of the best set ups, feature drilled tanks to faciliate this water run out to the sump
but you can get overflow kits to do similar job, which means no need to drill the tank

a refugium is a smaller volume of water, somewhere in the sump ( created by having baffles of barriers in the sump to only allow a small amount of the water to go through this area) the refugium is a place to have a deep sand bed for nitrate reduction, and also keeping nitrate and phosphate utilising algaes

one other thing to consider would be a good quality skimmer ( they do make skimmers that will hang on the back of your tank) if you do go the sump route , then in general the skimmers available for either in sump or next to sump are normally more efficient/ effective than the Hang on back options

in addition to the skimmer, reactors which are cannisters that water is pumped through, are a good thing to have in order to run , Carbon and GFO ( granular ferric oxide that removes phosphates)

check out a few of the set ups in the Show off your fish tank forum, and that should give you a better feel for some of the terms used above, as you will see sumps, skimmers, reactors etc, in place and that will help you visualise your own future set up

Steve
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sticksmith23 said: ↑

That is completely up to you. The bigger the better of course. One of the problems that you run into with saltwater is dissolved oxygen that fish can use. That is the main reason why you can't keep as many fish in saltwater as you can with freshwater. So with that being said, the more water total water volume you have, the better. This also helps with keeping your water quality it check. Another reason people really like sumps is because you can hide all of your unsightly equipment in them (i.e. heater, protein skimmer etc.). I know that Petco is having their $1 a gallon sale starting today as well. You could pick up a decent sized aquarium for cheap to use as a sump.

If you do a sump, look into the bean animal style overflow. Seems to be the way to go lol.
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This should give a good idea.

SwimsWithFish · Dec 26, 2011

Yep. Wet drys can become a nightmare if not kept up. There pointless IMO because your live rock does the same thing just better. You'd be much better off with a sump refugium.http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-34501-...TW8G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324959750&sr=8-2

sticksmith23 · Dec 26, 2011

SwimsWithFish said: ↑

Yep. Wet drys can become a nightmare if not kept up. There pointless IMO because your live rock does the same thing just better. You'd be much better off with a sump refugium.http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-34501-...TW8G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324959750&sr=8-2
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Lol, I forgot you could buy them already made. ;D

SwimsWithFish · Dec 26, 2011

sticksmith23 said: ↑

Lol, I forgot you could buy them already made. ;D
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Haha! I was about to get one before ingot my biocube. There really cool...

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first aquarium

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first aquarium

bootz63 Plankton

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