Do i really need one?

So before i joined here, i was on a freshwater forum when i decided to go salt. They only seemed to know a little bit about sw, so i then joined 3reef. One of the equipment that they said i needed to buy was a filter. So they suggested that i go and buy the marineland emperor 400 powerfilter so i did. Do i really need to use the filter, because shouldn't the skimmer and rock filter out everything?

 

I personally wouldn't use a power filter. My reef runs on a wet/dry and live rock. There is also a canister filter but I took out the media due to ridiculous nitrates and now its just running a filter pad.

 

also if i decided to go with no filter at all like the skimmer and rock should take care of everything, i'm trying to cut down on what i have to have and don't have to have, i think i've heard of many people using any filters

 

I run live rock and a HOB skimmer.

 

and with just the lr and hob does it filter out everything? i plan to buy a skimmer that's rated for a 60g and get 90lbs of lr, do you guys think that would be enough filteration for a tank my size, the filter wasn't that expensive compared to the price of everything else, so i don't mind if i don't have to use it

 

i have a feeling you still need some form of mechanical filtration to remove any detrius thats in the water column

 

I second that. It's always good to be able to run chemical and mechanical when needed. But I don't really recommend HOB's for saltwater tanks. Sumps or wet/dry is the way to go. In my honest opinion I find it very important to be able to add extra water to the total water volume and to be able to control evaporation in the display tank with Auto top off in the sump. And I don't really recommend canister filters for saltwater tanks. They do a great job of polishing the water but they need to be cleaned frequently or else you will have a nitrate spike.

 

only problem with sump is i can't have one with my tank

 

I have a very niced sized CuC.

I posted quite a bit about them in this thread
http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/clean-up-crew-53007.html

I believe they are a critical part of 'filtration' as it were. IME, the detritus, etc. can easily be handled by having a diverse CuC, a large amount of LR (I have almost 2lb/gal), and a descent skimmer. See mine in my sig.

Also, I run my skimmer HOB.


It's not the only way to go about it. you could add more mechanical filtration (other than the skimmer) and not have a diverse CuC. As some suggested, but you still need the skimmer to take out dissolved waste.

IMO, a large CuC is much more fun and rewarding than adding more mechanical filtration.

The extra water volume of a sump is always ideal, but not always practical (it isn't for me either).

If you want to check out my build thread to kind of see how I went about things, it is here

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/peredhil-55-gallon-thread-56156.html

Good luck.

 

pufferchick, if it helps any, I've been using 2 Emperor 400s on my 110 for nearly 4 or 5 years (cant rem how long I've lived here!). Also used a HOB skimmer and a UV sterilizer. However, I changed the filter pad/charcoal out once a month. Iotw, you can run it like that successfully. I agree with what others said though and I'd go ahead and run your Emperor, but remember to change out the pad at a minimum monthly.

But I must say this, I recently decided I wanted to 'step up' to more difficult organisms (corals/inverts) so I started upgrading everything to include the lighting. From what I've learned through here though is a sump/refugium is a better setup to run.