Filtration Question for Ray Keepers

hbluehunter · 11-02-2009, 12:35 PM

I have a 300 gal tank with:
4 8-12" rays
4 severums
2 blue acara
1 festae
I'm currently running 2 FX5's and a 20 gal wet/dry that came with the tank when i bought it.. Is this enough filtration or what should i add ??? The reason i'm asking is i've recently been told a few times i don't have enough filtration for rays.. All my water perams are good, and rays are healthy currently but i just don't want anything to go down hill.
I've thought about getting rid if the 20 gal wet/dry and going bigger but i have size restrictions inside the stand.
Any help would be great.

DB junkie · 11-02-2009, 6:22 PM

I prefer wet dries myself due to ease of mechanical filtration replacement. I believe the goal should be to keep the bio poo free. I hate the maintainance involved in cleaning canisters. I prefer to have 2-3 set of 3 stage (course, medium, and fine grade) pads to just swap out throughout the week then wash on weekends.

I also try to have 5 gallons of bio/ray in the growouts, and 10 gallons/ray in the pond (adults).

Danger_Chicken · 11-02-2009, 6:27 PM

Sounds like plenty to me. Rays produce lots of ammonia. If your ammonia is zero I wouldn't worry about it. How big is that festae? I'd be more worried about him hurting the rays.

hbluehunter · 11-03-2009, 1:58 PM

So far ammonia is at 0, and this tank and filters have been running for years with no problems. I'm just worried as my rays get bigger my water will go south.
As for the festae i just grabbed her a week ago, she's maybe 5" right now and doesn't even look at the rays.. She spends most of her time chasing all the sevs and my blue acara around the tank, the first time i see her even nip at one of the rays she's out and into one of my smaller tanks..

hbluehunter · 11-03-2009, 1:59 PM

Right now i'm looking for 2 50 gal rubbermaid tubs to turn into sumps, then probably ditch the FX5's and the 20 gal wet dry.. I really like them but i want to build a better filtration for my tank than what they're doing.

CrAzYNeSs · 11-03-2009, 2:51 PM

I have an Fluval FX5, 405, and a 30G Wet/dry. No problems with water perimeters here.

hbluehunter · 11-03-2009, 3:36 PM

I don't have any problems either but the more people i talk to tell me i don't have good enough filtration for the rays i currently have let alone when they get bigger..

FishDog · 11-03-2009, 8:05 PM

I will take a pic of my inlets to my sump, I have two 2" pvc inlet pipes that fill the sump. I made them long enough so that the tips are under water so there is no splashing. I use 100 micron sock filters that are about 6" diameter and 15" long. I slip them over the inlet pipe and hang them from the pipe elbow. This is all I use for mechanical. They clog up about once a month and I simply take them out and replace them.

DB junkie · 11-03-2009, 10:03 PM

Seriously when was the last time you've heard of a ray keeper having water issues?

Everyone's parameters are perfect. No Ammonia, No Nitrite, and most people have amazing 0 Nitrate readings. Yet we see sick ray threads all the time. I find this interesting.

Are there really no issues with water or do we lie to ourselves and let our rays pay for it?

I know MY first step was forgetting about the proper numbers (0,0, less then 20), really testing water at the worst time, and admitting there was a problem.

It's pretty crazy how many waterchanges you can do and still have Nitrate problems. I know this and have no problem admitting this, cause after admitting this the steps to fix it are clear. Might not be fun but rays can really appreciate it.

jwong1024 · 11-03-2009, 10:14 PM

I would probably go with a bigger W/D, keep the FX5 they are great water polisher. Don't forget to keep up with the WC