Filtration system Help?

Does anyone know if the Pro Clear 75 Wet/Dry protien skimmer combo is any good? i will be getting it with a 55 gallon tank im purchasing. and i have a question about bio balls i heard some people use other things then them is this true and does it work? or are bio balls better thanks guys

 

If you use bio balls you want them to be in air and the water to flow through them. I don't know about the combo you have mentioned but I am sure you will have several answers by the morning.

 

Depending on what your plans are for your tank, bio-ball wet/dry filters can work very well. The problem we come across when building reef tanks is that they tend to create nitrates if not properly maintained. The bio-balls filter out a lot of detritus and un-eaten food which than sits in the bio area and creates nitrates. The only way to combat this is by keeping them clean. I would recommend cleaning them once a week. To clean them just rinse them in water change waste water. NEVER rinse them in fresh water, because it will kill the bacteria.

Here is a bunch more information about different types of filtration:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/all-about-sumps-filters-fuges-79852.html
http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/basics-filtration-79766.html

 

while i never used that filter from what ive seen of it, it is a good unit. the bio ball debate is endless and i would assume to be about 50/50 in terms of people who support them. I use bio balls in my 120g FOWLR with good success just bc i didnt know better when i first bought but my tank has done very well with them... so long as you maintain them (i.e. rinse 25% of bioballs bi-weekly or something). on the other side i dont use bio balls for my reef tank, mainly bc i dont need them.
question: whats is your tank setup going to look like? FOWLR? reef? will you use a remote fuge?
I would say dont use bio balls as they can create a nitrate issue down the road and is just one more thing to maintain in your tank JMO. in place of the bioB maybe just make a fuge. but i would say they the unit your looking at is a well made, good filter and should do fine in your system.

 

im going to be using it in a FOWLR tank im so relieved to hear its good ;D are wet/dry systems hard to maintain?

 

It will be perfect for a FOWLR. Most fish can handle some nitrates so it shouldn't be an issue. They are not too bad to maintain as long as you don't forget. I would start off doing a small weekly water change. As a part of this routine after you have siphoned and filled a bucket throw the bio-balls in there and just swish them around. This has been enough to keep the bio-balls on my FW tank for years now. That's all it really takes to keep them clean and working well.