A Couple Filtration Questions

So I'm finally back on! I have a couple questions.

I am finally in possession of a 90 gallon (tempered ughhhhh) aquarium. The actual tank is going to stay dry until this spring because I want to make sure I have everything I need before setting it up.

I'm no longer doing lions as I had planned because I can't get over my love for clownfish.

I have 50lbs of dry rock so far, and am planning on getting another 20-30lbs of live rock when the time comes.

I want lots of Macroalgae, Gorgonians, and Zoanthids, and a gigantic carpet anemone. A low bio-load is the goal.

What kind of filtration would I need for a low bio-load with a reasonable amount of natural filtration?

 

You could do a HOB refugium and either buy one the comes with a skimmer or put a skimmer in one. Just go with a Berlin System: Skimmer, rock, flow. I have kept carpets in such a system even without a skimmer, low bio-load is the key.

Link to CPR HOB refugiums

CPR AquaFuge 2 Hang-on Refugium

 

do you have any firsthand experience with HOB refugiums? I've heard horror stories of people's rooms being flooded because of them.

 

Yeah I had the large CPR fuge, I put a Tunze Doc 9002 skimmer in it and grew cheato as well. Since it's tank height it is probably less prone to overflow than a sump beneath that is not plumbed into the system. I never even worried about it over flowing.

 

I second the Aquafuge. It is a relatively small water volume increase compared to the size of your system, but it is better than nothing. Growing some macro algae can't hurt (unless it caulerpa - evil, evil caulerpa).

I had one on my nano for a year and 8 months without any issues and I'm going to put it on my 55 once I clean it. The flooding you heard of was probably from their old design. The water used to return through a pipe which could easily be blocked by a turbo snail. The current design has the water flowing back down a ramp into the tank (think of a basic water slide).

The fuge itself is acrylic and really well built. Just make sure to level it perfectly so most of the force is pointing down on the aquarium brace and not on the two leveling pieces that touch the back aquarium glass.