Wet/dry versus canister filter

[rohnds]

I have canister filter 304 and wet/dry filter (15 gal) for my 65gal SW tank. I want to take the wet/dry filter and add another 304. My question is, what is more effecient, wet/dry with 304 or 2 304s?
Second question, is 304 canister filter enough (adequate) filteration for my tank (provided minimum stocking and small number of corals)?
Please explain your answers?

Rohn

 

[wayne]

Frankly I wouldn't use either. I would take the wet dry, and use the pump, 'box' and plumbing to make a sump and keep macroalgae in it.

Both of those setups are going to be great biofilters, but the end products will be mucho nitrate. Unless you want to go down the route of a very complex, messy dentraification filter, you are ineviteably going to get algae problems. For fish the above could be made to work, for corals it will be hard, hard work. These setups went out of fashion for a reason.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

corals = no wet/dry and no 304 with media unless you wanna produce nitrates ( wich aren't good ). They harbor high oxygen bacteria responsible for the transformation of ammonia to nitrite, then nitrates.
The accumulation of nitrates means your water is polluted. Nitrates aren't as deadly as the other ones, but if you accumulate too much, you'll stress your inhabitants and the problems starts.

You may want a protein skimmer as main mechanical filtration and live rock for biological filtration.
Protein skimmer info : http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/proteinskimmers/a/aa052200.htm
Live rock info : http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/filterselection/a/aa111901.htm

The skimmer removes a good percentage of crap before it turns toxic.
The live rock, like your wet dry, can convert ammonia to nitrite then nitrates but...nitrates are converted to nitrogen...wich is good ..
The live rock harbors both high oxygen bacterias and low oxygen ones. Low oxygen bacterias are responsible for the transformation of nitrates to nitrogen. So...you have both with live rock.

 

[saltwater84]

So you suggest that I should take out my pengiun 200 which is a wet/dry filter since I have a protein skimmer(just start using it today) and let my live rocks do the filtering for me. Will my wet/dry stop dumping a enmorous amount of nitrates into my tank if I just remover the bio wheel?

 

[KahluaZzZ]

Will my wet/dry stop dumping a enmorous amount of nitrates into my tank if I just remover the bio wheel?

well it's really what you get at the end. It's written on their website so yeah.If you got enough LR why not remove 'em. I used bio-balls and ran into nitrates problems...removed them..no more.

 

[rohnds]

This why I hate posting on these forum for answer.
Thanks for everyones replies, but none of the replies answered by question.
My question again, is what is better (for filteration) wet/dry (with sump) and canister filter (304) or 2 304 canister filters? I am not worried abouyt other advantages such hiding equipments in the sump etc ... but only as far as filteration is concerned.
Again please explain the reasons.

Rohn

 

[wayne]

And the answer is still the same. I wouldn't use either. Of the 2 the wetdry is ultimately the better at removing ammonia and nitrite, but both will still leave you to deal with accumulating nitrate.
So yes, use your skimmer to remove most of the crud before it enters the nitrogen cycle, and let your live rock act as your filter material

 

[rohnds]

Are you suggesting that I take out both filters and simply use my skimmer and LRs for my skimmer.
If this correct, why is it that almost all the SW tank I have seen use some kind of filter. If I were to take out my filters, how do you generate adequate water movement? powerhead?

Rohn

 

[wayne]

That's exactly what I suggest. I don't know where you're seeing lots of tanks using cannisters, wet drys and so on, because most of the tanks I see don't have that stuff. Why don't you go to www.reefcentral.com and go thro' a few Tank of the Months, and see what they do. Many use a sump, but 'freshwater style' filtration is the exceptio, not the rule, as it doesn't fix the nitrate problem.

What movement is easy. Frankly if you're relying on the returns from the cannister and/or wet/dry to do this , you are 'underflowed'

 

[xtrik8ifc]

Thanks Wayne, you just saved me some bucks. I'm running stricktly LR and a skimmer. I was thinking of adding a Bio filter before going reef but, from what i get from your last post I'd only be throwing money away. I guess the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" comes into play.