To Trickle Or Not ?

[wsboyette]

Would a moderately sized trickle filter be of any benefit on a 45 gallon FOWLR setup, or would it just be a nuisance that drives the nitrates up ? Would not a simple Berlin setup with a skimmer and mechanical/chemical filtration be the best for this FOWLR ? Never was sure of the logic behind Albert Theil's methodology, as trickle filters do produce nitrates.....

 

[Wes888]

As long as you have enough LR, you don't really need the trickle filter. For a tank without any LR, then it is needed. The bacteria that convert your ammonia and nitrite into nitrate got to live somewhere you know. :)

 

[wsboyette]

As long as you have enough LR, you don't really need the trickle filter. For a tank without any LR, then it is needed. The bacteria that convert your ammonia and nitrite into nitrate got to live somewhere you know. :)

It's one of those tall 45s with the rather narrow footprint of a 30 gallon, so I'm not sure if I will be able to stack enough LR in the tank to effectively handle the full bio-load. I wonder if, say, 20-25 lbs of LR would be enough ? Is there a general guideline showing how many lbs of LR per gallon is required to handle an average bio-load consisting of a few fish and a copepod population ?

 

[Smitty]

Instead of the trickle filter, you can set up a sump...that way, you can place more live rock inside of the sump, and also not have to worry about nitrate issues.

 

[Wes888]

I believe you need 1-2 lb of LR per gallon. Not not LR are created equal though. More porous LR would have more surface area and do a better job. That's how the bioball was created to try to do the same job. Basically, if you could, pick some LR that's more porous and you should be fine with less LR.

 

[wsboyette]

Instead of the trickle filter, you can set up a sump...that way, you can place more live rock inside of the sump, and also not have to worry about nitrate issues.

It does have a 10-gallon sump tank, to house the skimmer and a Fluval submersible canister filter. But there may not be much room for LR after the skimmer, filter, return pump, etc. are installed. But every extra bit will help !

 

[wsboyette]

I believe you need 1-2 lb of LR per gallon. Not not LR are created equal though. More porous LR would have more surface area and do a better job. That's how the bioball was created to try to do the same job. Basically, if you could, pick some LR that's more porous and you should be fine with less LR.

Is that figure for a full-blown reef or a FOWLR ?
Would it be enough to operate the tank as a nano-reef ? Especially if I did find some highly porous specimens. But I really have no interest in a reef at this time. I see you employ a scrubber on your setup; they always struck me as an excellent means of bio-filtration as they break down nitrates as well. I had built one of acrylic sheet for this tank, but it way overcrowded the stand and I felt it was overkill for a mere FOWLR....

 

[Wes888]

Yea, FOWLR can have much higher Nitrate level. The 1-2lb/g is for reef tank. However, for FOWLR tank, usually people tend to keep more fish, since fish is what they want. :)

In your case, I would just run like what you have and monitor how it goes.

 

[wsboyette]

Excellent, then - What LR I can manage to stack in the confines of the tank (with hopefully a little extra in the sump) should be adequate to handle a moderate load of 3-4 small-medium size fish & copepods & some other small life. That trickle filter is external to the sump tank and its pump and plumbing take up as much room as 10 lbs of LR at least. With about 30-35 lbs of LR I would definitely be able to Berlin it without worry of inadequate bio filtration..... And ensure the well-being of any organisms that might be affected adversely by high nitrate levels.

 

[RyanG]

You'll just have to watch your parameters and let your system tell you when you are stocked or reaching your limits. When you start seeing nitrates creeping up then its time to stop adding fish. With less live rock than the formula calls for you will end up, in all likelihood, having a smaller bioload than you would normally be able to keep. If you are good about doing water changes and doing partial cleanings of the trickle filter thy can be an asset.