HOB Mechanical Filters

[x19]

Hey all, I'm just through the first week of cycling my tank and have progressed to the point of a red cyanobacteria covering most of my tank. Didn't think I'd ever be excited to see a red slime.. but at lease now I know my tank is doing something :-)

Anyway, thanks to the foster and smith aquarium builder (which aslo recommended the shoddy SeaClone skimmer which I've replaced with a reef octopus, thanks biff) I bought a MarineLand BioWheel 350 skimmer for my 30 gallon tank. I've been reading a lot and I recently read that I shouldn't mix filtering processes. I've got about 23 pounds of live rock plus 25 pounds of dead rock.

Anyway, the question is should I remove the biowheel filter?

Thanks.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, you don't need it if you have live rock and sand. And especially if you have a good protein skimmer. In fact, biowheels tend to lead to high nitrates unless they are meticulously maintained. And why give yourself even more maintenance to do each week? Instead, I'd recommend bumping up your live rock until you have 1 to 2 lbs per gallon in your tank (so 30 to 60 lbs). Live rock and a skimmer will be all you need, and you'll have fewer pieces of unsightly equipment hanging off the side of the tank.

 

[x19]

Sounds good I'll pull the filter off the back. I'm trying to save some money with the 25 pounds of dead rock which should be live before too awful long right?

 

[yote]

Right.
It wont take long for the dase rock to become live.In 6 months,you wont know the difference.

 

[x19]

Follow up question. Removing the filter, I also removed the chemical filtration from the carbon filters. Is carbon filtration needed?

 

[reeffreak]

You will find that some people don't run carbon,some who do part time(me) and others who run it 24/7.IME,if you plan on keeping soft corals in the tank then at least run carbon a few days a month.Soft corals do use chemical warfare to keep other corals from improaching on their space.

 

[sen5241b]

The only problem with mechanical filtration is that it collects detritus in the apparatus. If you clean them frequently they are fine and will do a good job filtering stuff out of the water. The problem is most people get lazy and then they become a problem. If you get something bad in your tank you may want to use mechanical filtration like a canister on a temporary basis with the right media in it.

 

[x19]

Thanks all.

 

[rwynn]

I converted a HOB filter into a fuge since I do not have a sump, works wonderfully.