Filtration recommendation

[zukester]

Hi:

New here, old to fish. Owned an aquarium/fish company in Los Angeles years ago (12 to be exact) and today I got a used 180 gallon tank, with overflow, drilled. Came with a wood stand and canopy for only 400 smackeroonies. Anyways, mostly always did freshwater years ago and once did salt. I was thinking of doing a marine tank, since the tank is now furniture in the living room and not just a "tank".

I wanted to know about the latest technology, as I remember the aquarium industry was always innovating.

I will most likely start with hardy, small fish and underpopulate, but later on jump up to maybe invertabrates and delicates.

Wet/Dry?
Canister?
Power filter?
Under gravel?
Something new
Protein skimmer?
Live Rock?
Just fish?

Also, good online sources for supplies would be welcomed. I found Marine Depot thus far.

Thanks So Much
Zukester,

*PEACE!*

 

[prettypleco]

I do not know anything about saltwater however bigalsonline.com is the place to shop. CHEAP!

 

[KahluaZzZ]

wet/dry : good when you wanna fight ammonia/nitrites...end product is nitrates so no very good overall.

Canister : almost useless, unless you wanna put some media in it. No bio-max and substrat-crap like this or it's another nitrate trap.

power filter...same as canister, but creates good flow on the surface of the tank.

undergravel : high maintenance and can clog easily

Protein skimmer : well...this is the way to go...only mechanics, no chemical products.

live rock : the precious biological filter that can harbour both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, along with zillions of mysterious creatures. That mixed with a skimmer ( you can add plants too ) is the most common filtration in SW.
SW tanks require some good water flow..powerheads, return pumps can handle this. In your case, since it's drilled, a good powerfull return pump from the sump will be great.

Just fish : combined with live rock and skimmer...go ahead

 

[dbacksrat]

I do not know anything about saltwater however bigalsonline.com is the place to shop. CHEAP!

the prices here are very similar to drsfosterandsmith.com...marinedepot.com has much better prices for saltwater equipment

I'm sure the others will chime in on cheaper places, as there are a few more

 

[S.Reef]

I would recommend marinedepot.com...they have really good products and a wide variety for larger marine tanks. Umm...I would definatly recommend some type of sump system...either a wet/dry for fish only, or a sump and live rock for reef...either one should have a good protein skimmer...one that could go in the sump.

 

[zukester]

OK. So I just bought a wet/dry off of EBAY for 249.......I next need a good protein skimmer, all inclusive and complete. Any recommendations as to type? I see that there are different sorts of skimmers. I want a sump one but am not sure if it should be Venturi, etc.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idProduct=AC1131

<<"The revolutionary AquaC protein skimmers do not use venturis, downdraft tubes, or air pumps; they employ the patented "Spray Induction System." This innovation allows the protein skimmer to efficiently draw in much more air than any other of the top protein skimmers. This coupled with the superiorly designed compact reaction chamber yields results that will literally blow the waste out of your water.">>

Is this one good or hype?

Also, how do I do use powerheads without an undergravel? Let them hang? I have done that before but fish tend toget stuck to the inlets sometimes.

Lastly, on the live rock. Over the net or drive to NYC to a good shop to get it?

Thanks Again to All,

Zukester

wet/dry : good when you wanna fight ammonia/nitrites...end product is nitrates so no very good overall.

Canister : almost useless, unless you wanna put some media in it. No bio-max and substrat-crap like this or it's another nitrate trap.

power filter...same as canister, but creates good flow on the surface of the tank.

undergravel : high maintenance and can clog easily

Protein skimmer : well...this is the way to go...only mechanics, no chemical products.

live rock : the precious biological filter that can harbour both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, along with zillions of mysterious creatures. That mixed with a skimmer ( you can add plants too ) is the most common filtration in SW.
SW tanks require some good water flow..powerheads, return pumps can handle this. In your case, since it's drilled, a good powerfull return pump from the sump will be great.

Just fish : combined with live rock and skimmer...go ahead

 

[zukester]

OK. So I just bought a wet/dry off of EBAY for 249.......I next need a good protein skimmer, all inclusive and complete. Any recommendations as to type? I see that there are different sorts of skimmers. I want a sump one but am not sure if it should be Venturi, etc.

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idProduct=AC1131

<<"The revolutionary AquaC protein skimmers do not use venturis, downdraft tubes, or air pumps; they employ the patented "Spray Induction System." This innovation allows the protein skimmer to efficiently draw in much more air than any other of the top protein skimmers. This coupled with the superiorly designed compact reaction chamber yields results that will literally blow the waste out of your water.">>

Is this one good or hype?

Also, how do I do use powerheads without an undergravel? Let them hang? I have done that before but fish tend toget stuck to the inlets sometimes.

Lastly, on the live rock. Over the net or drive to NYC to a good shop to get it?

Thanks Again to All,

Zukester

wet/dry : good when you wanna fight ammonia/nitrites...end product is nitrates so no very good overall.

Canister : almost useless, unless you wanna put some media in it. No bio-max and substrat-crap like this or it's another nitrate trap.

power filter...same as canister, but creates good flow on the surface of the tank.

undergravel : high maintenance and can clog easily

Protein skimmer : well...this is the way to go...only mechanics, no chemical products.

live rock : the precious biological filter that can harbour both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, along with zillions of mysterious creatures. That mixed with a skimmer ( you can add plants too ) is the most common filtration in SW.
SW tanks require some good water flow..powerheads, return pumps can handle this. In your case, since it's drilled, a good powerfull return pump from the sump will be great.

Just fish : combined with live rock and skimmer...go ahead

 

[S.Reef]

Okay...good...wet.drys are really nice, i find if you do reef and have a nitrate problem removing the bioballs gets rid of it. For a skimmer the aqua c is a really nice brand...that particular one is nice...also look into the Precision Marine and euro reefs both excellent choices...on the pricier side.

Powerheads, most come with a strainer ...the aquaclears need a little bioball on the bottom to act as a strainer.

With the live rock people usually have good success with online stores...live aquaria.com has fiji for a really good price.

 

[aresgod]

It depends on how much LR your going to buy, I have done it both ways, cherry picking from a store and ordering online. For a 180 I would definetly order online, with that much rock you should get alot of different selections for shapes and sizes. my suggestion is to mix a couple different kinds, fiji, Tonga branch, tonga deep water, marshal island ect... and if you are trying to aquascape and you dont have a piece you need you can just drive to a store and find something. That is also a nice skimmer, I have used it before and it works well.

 

[zukester]

Filtration recommendations

OK I got the AquaC EV-120 Protein Skimmer with JG fitting, only I do not know what a JG fitting is. I guess I will figger it out.

So I have the wet/dry and skimmer, and dibs on the rest. I should be OK. I will get a good powerhead locally and look into the lvie rock.

When they sell it, is it by the _pound lot? I would think $89 is for quite a few pounds, as I remember it was like $ per pound in the early 90s.

Zukester

Okay...good...wet.drys are really nice, i find if you do reef and have a nitrate problem removing the bioballs gets rid of it. For a skimmer the aqua c is a really nice brand...that particular one is nice...also look into the Precision Marine and euro reefs both excellent choices...on the pricier side.

Powerheads, most come with a strainer ...the aquaclears need a little bioball on the bottom to act as a strainer.

With the live rock people usually have good success with online stores...live aquaria.com has fiji for a really good price.

 

[aresgod]

yea it is sold by the pound, you should get a powerful return pump for your wet/dry and that should help with circulation, try to do dual returns to the main tank if possible, and more than one powerhead in the tank would be good. LR can run anywhere from 2.75-9.00$ per pound depending on where your getting it from, the more expensive stuff is usually from the LFS(pay for being able to cherry pick it) and is usually already cured.

 

[aresgod]

The John Guest "Speedfit" fitting is a great feature you will only find on AquaC ozone-equipped skimmers. This fitting is standard on models EV-240 and above, and can be ordered on the EV-120/180 ($5.00 option). Aquarists may also connect their calcium reactor effluent line to the skimmer`s speedfit connection. The pH of a calcium reactor effluent typically falls between 6.5-6.9, and over time the addition of this low pH effluent can have a deleterious effect on the system`s pH level. By dosing your effluent directly into the skimmer, excess CO2 will be "blown off" into the atmosphere and the tank pH will remain unaffected

thats what JG stands for, Oh and I hope you got the Mag drive pump, it is defenitly worth the extra cash. I hate Rios, but some people say there not too bad.