Filter recommendations - 29 gallon DT

Right now I'm running a HOB Bio Wheel on a 29 gallon FOWL tank that's about 3 weeks into the cycling process. I have 2 damsels, about 35lbs of live sand, 20lbs base rock and 10lbs live rock. The water test from yesterday ( 10/08/2008 ) were; Ammonia .20ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, Nitrates .25 ppm and Ph 8.4.

Eventually "I think" I'm going to have upgrade the filtering if I don't plan to change the water religiously every 2 weeks or so. Poking around on the inter-web has made me very distrustful the people at the LFS so I thought ask some of you folks for you help. The LFS guy said that I could get by with a protein skimmer/powerhead combo and give or take away the bio wheel down the road. Is there any truth to that? I'd love to just leave the Penguin on there as long as I can, but I can't find a whole lot of feedback on people using HOB filters w/saltwater aquariums to forsee what obsticles they will bring later down the road.

I've read around these boards that a sump/refugrium is a good choice. The problem I have with that is that I don't have a whole lot of room under my stand for that. Cost is a conern but not a major issue. Space is the major issue. This wet/dry system has caught my eye and seems like I can accomodate it fine under my tank. How will this one fare in my setup.

As usual, thanks in advance for your advice!

 

Look into a Canister Filter, something like a Cascade 700 or 1000. I always overfilter when it comes to saltwater. Whatever the suggested volume is, make sure its atleast times 2 your tank volume. Cascade 700 is rated for 60g, and the 1000 is rated for like 100g. I use a Cascade 1500 on a 75g(rated for 200g).

 

A Canister Filter looks like it may work for me. Thanks for the suggestion. I like the price of the Cascade, but I'm a bit concerned that replacing parts or media will be a chore because some of the major sites that I would prefer to buy from aren't carrying the Cascade series for whatever reason. I'll check to see if they have them at LFS.

I think I'm eyeballing either the Fluval 205 or the Eheim ECCO. Are these sufficient filters?

 

On ebay, search for "cascade 1500", theres somebody on there that sells them for $120 shipped. You can pick up the media for them from places like petsmart/deathco, and a lot of the other canister filter media's will work with it. Ive gone as far as using a pantyhose to hold a lot of extra carbon in one before when I was in a pinch cause a super huge snail died and I didnt notice it(baseball sized snail, ask mikey about it, haha).

 

I would use this (Bak-Pak 2 Hang-On Protein
Skimmer by CPR Aquatics )

Bak-Pak 2 Hang-On Protein Skimmer by CPR Aquatics - AquaCave

 

Oyea and Tron was my favorit movie when I was a kid

 

So are you suggesting that I can get by with this skimmer and a powerhead or with this skimmer and the penguin? Or neither?

I loved that movie to when I was a kid. When I was a kid I use to tell the other kids in my class that movie was named after me personally because I was so good at Pac-Man.

 

The CPR will be a bio filter/Skimmer in one good up 2 60gal tanks also the power head is included. I personaly have used this in the past.

 

Im not a big fan of the BakPak's. I think they are overated, not to mention the one I had leaked, and I know of a few others that leaked.

 

Yea I bet its because they over tightened the Bulkhead. I made that mistake once.