filtration

[zanoshano]

RECOMENDATIONS : would you prefer canister filters over hang on filters? i am kinda on a budget, but i am going to have LR, so will that affect whcih fliter i should go with? any input will be helpful, thanks

 

[KahluaZzZ]

hang on is cheap. I use 2 ac 500 and now there is only bio-max and substrate inside. Hang on have more gallons per hour .

 

[S.Reef]

Hang ons dont carry as much media as canisters. With live rock you generally dont need biomedia so I would go with the Hang on models.

 

[DSK]

hand on !!!!! cheaper

 

[zanoshano]

old fw filter

for hang ons, is it possible to use fresh water ones, or do saltwater hang ons have seperate requirements?

 

[KahluaZzZ]

same thing. In my opinion your just need to get rid of the activated carbon often included with the filter and replace it with something that will do bio filtration.

 

[dbacksrat]

if you are on a budget, a HOB filter will probably do enough mechanical filtration to get by--but with a canister, you get more mechanical, chemical, and biological media area for your money

 

[S.Reef]

I personally like the HOB filters. I have both, but they are a lot easier maintance...and cheaper.

 

[wayne]

I like cannisters, but HOBS are unavailable to me anyway - they don't exist in europe. You can do better things with water input/output with a cannister

 

[zanoshano]

thanks guys -

here's my status now: today i bought a Tetra "whisper", power filter 40. it says for both FW & SW. 210 GPH. It says Mechanical, Chemical, and Bio filtration, Looked like a good deal to me, got it for 50 bucks. But i wanted to get some input before i set it up? another question - ive heard ppl saying to remove the carbon from the filter, what is the reson for doing that? thanks again.

 

[zanoshano]

link

heres a link to the filter that i just got -

http://www.tetra-fish.com/catalog/product.aspx?id=278

 

[S.Reef]

hmm...have a bigger one of these running my eel tank...pretty reliable filter.

 

[zanoshano]

cool, what kind of eels do you have?

 

[zanoshano]

today i got my LR and Live sand. Im wondering, am i supposed to take the carbon filter out? (its a HOB). I remember someone saying something about how its best to remove it? I havent read anything about it, but im just wondering if its true, and if so why?

 

[1979camaro]

i would remove the carbon because it is designed to absorb trace elements which you will want...i would also remove the mechanical filtration...personally, i have found no need for it, and if you do not clean it frequently it can cause nitrates to build up quickly

 

[zanoshano]

so u think i wouldnt even want any filtration out of it, just use ot for water circulation??

 

[S.Reef]

I would keep it in for a few weeks to remove the detritus that accomnies the live rock.

I have a Yellow Headed Fimbriated Eel.

 

[zanoshano]

nice, how big?

 

[S.Reef]

About 26inches.

 

[wayne]

Camaro - I'm going back to carbon use more often as I want to remove yellowing from my water. I do enough water changes I don't see any need for trace element supp.
I would say that if you're not changing carbon enough to stop it being a nitrate inducing biofilter you're not changing enough for it to be effective.
I would say the benefits of carbon far outweigh any scare stories about removing wanted stuff that are hard to prove or disprove and are purely anecdotal