trickle filter

[fatman]

I seem to be missing some thing here. What type of tank is being set up? If its primarily a fish tank, on fish only trickle filters are good, great actually if the fish are messy fish. It would take a tank almost completely filled with live rock and a deep sand bed to handle a large load of really dirty fish. Plus fish can handle a lot more nitrate than coral. Of course I might have missed where he said he was starting a tank for principally corals. If you are going for a dirty fish tank, meaning fish that are generally predatory and messy feeders, not a tank that Will intentionally be dirty, Get a large container that will sit at a level lower than your tank. Put a bulkhead in it near the bottom. Build a platform to hold your bio material at least 4 to 6 inches off the bottom using something like light grating, PVC pipe and fittings, fill to within a couple inches of the top and place a plastic laid on top of your bio materials. Drain water into your bio filter with an overflow and pump out with pump plumbed in outside of your bio filter at your bulkhead fitting. I have seen them made of everything from 300 gallon water plastic water hauling tanks, to plastic trash cans, with everything from hair curlers to rocks used as bio materials. The plate at the top of the filter spreads the flow of your water over a broad area, creating "trickles." The plate should have a grid work of holes drilled in it. The larger the filter, the larger a dirty load that can be handled. All a bubble creator you mentioned would do is aerate your water and the trickle filter will better handle that function as well as filtering. Of course I often come in late after missing something, and if so.......never mind. A deep sand bed is usually only considered a "deep bed" wheN it is over 3-3 1/2" deep. The benifits bacteriologacally for anything shallower than that is usually best handled by live rock, and the medium for sand stars , most worms, wrasses and such is usually considered better when deeper than 2'.

 

[dannyboy]

I think I'll start with a fish only tank for now till I learn whats up. I'm gonna start building a 29 gallon refugium with skimmer and heater tomorrow. I'm no where near being cycled so I'm taking mt time and researching all I can. Thanks for all the info and I'm sure I'll have another question tomorrow.

 

[dannyboy]

One last thing for now, i saw this skimmer recommended (coralife super skimmer needle wheel) and was wondering, if in a 75 gallon tank the system for 65 gallon tank would do because it is like 75 bucks cheaper then the next step up. I don't wanna sound cheap but that's kinda a big difference.

 

[yote]

I ran the 65 on my 75gal for nearly a year.You would be off with the 125 though.
The reason I say that,Since I got my CSS125 my tank has cleared up some and my SPS corals have started getting brighter colors.

 

[fatman]

It really depends on the bacterial load you will have in your tank as to what size skimmer to use, not really the gallonage of your tank. The more fish, the higher the load, the larger capacity skimmer you will need. Generally the manufacturers rate their products for a light to medium load. Where an all coral (unfed/seldom fed) tank might do just fine with the small skimmer, the same tank with a moderate to large load of fish would probably be to heavy a load for the small skimmer. A trickle filter would easily allow you to get by with the smaller skimmer with an all fish tank, but it is really not a good idea to use a trickle filter in a principally coral tank. If I was worried about the expense I would use the small skimmer, no trickle filter and put in a sump with return pump. That will allow for higher amounts (not levels) of pollutants between water changes, and could over time be turned into a refugium. Also consider as much live rock as you can swing, and start establishment of an active live sand bed through time and by begging a little live sand off other reefers to get good diverse life forms in your sand (get live sand from as many sources as possible). By using very fine sand you can please life forms, from fish, to bacteria and nearly everything beneficial in between. Do this instead of upgrading to a larger skimmer and you can spread the cost out over time. Learn good husbandmen-ship and you can avoid purchasing equipment larger than you need, and that is done easiest by spreading out your filtering chores, instead of being to reliant upon just one or even two sources sources of filtration. :twocents: