Canister filter ?

Do you have any pic of the way you have it set up?

 

not ATM. but here is a ****ty 2 minute paint drawing
The blue line is the drain from the tank and red is back to the tank

Excuse the crudeness. haha the middle section in the sump would normally be the refugium, but I have carbon, gfo media reactors in it instead so I run them in the day and the skimmer at night.

 

Would you put some bio balls in the middle spot and the skimmer would go in the inlet side? I like the way that it's set up i dont know if I would have room for all that but I really like that idea and does a bigger refuguim mean better filter

 

I'd stay away from bioballs. They can realease a lot of nitrates over time. And yes skimmer goes in the inlet, bigger refugium means more live rock which in turn adds more biological filtration

 

I had great success with the eheim (sp) canister filter I had. No bioballs but I did use filter floss

Sent from my zombie ninja pirate.

 

Bioballs are no different then live rock rubble. Both will collect detritus so you need to clean them every now and then so they dont become nitrate factories.

 

Totally disagree a sump being cheaper then a canister filter. Add it up! Tank, pump, plumbing, overflow. I do agree with a sump/fuge being the best way to go. However if your starting with a *fish only with live rock* FOWLR a good skimmer and a canister filter filled with carbon and a good micron filter floss would suffice. Just keep it clean Your LR will act as your biological filtration. Great thing about a canister filter is when you blow your LR off the canister filter sucks the free floating detritus right up and out of the tank. Ridding your tank of the buildup. I do this monthly using a Magnum 350 canister filter.

 

+1. Sump is the better way, but until then the canister as long as you keep it clean will do fine.

 

I think you guys have made my mind up but for the next ? What is a good overflow kit to go with I know glass holes but I really didn't want to drill the tank.

 

My whole filtration system cost less then $100 thats one 10 gallon, one 20 gallon, return pump, and plumbing and baffles. you just have to know who to talk to so actually it can be a lot cheaper.