Criticise My set up

[Chago09]

Ok I set up a 75 gallon and its not set up like my 150 SW. I set up my 75 as follows.

75 Gallon Tank was FW but I took out all gravel except a tiny bit I couldn't clean out. I refilled it with water. Added salt until it was right. Then added live aragnite substrate. Then added 30 lbs of fully cured live rock.

I have a XP4 running with sponge in one stage and the rest of the thing is filled with cermic rings and biomax. Plus I have a koralia 3 to add some more flow.

Can this work??? I didn't want to add a sump because it would be hard to drill this tank and make it look good because of where it is. Can this work for a FOWLR tank??? maybe some triggers,tangs etc.

Please offer any help

 

[sweeTang21]

it will work, but the tank will require a little TLC with keeping the filter clean. Keep an eye on it. if you dont your nitrate level will increase as well as the phosphate level. this will increase the amount of algae that grows in the tank.

 

[AshMashMash]

Yeh, I agree with sweet tang. Should be fine, but watch the phosphate/nitrate. Sounds good.

 

[Chago09]

ok so what would be a proper maintenance schedule for my Xp4 then???

There is like 4 or 5 trays with cermic rings in it. Every saturday clean one?? is that a good scheudle??? that way they will each be cleaned roughly every month?

 

[AshMashMash]

ok so what would be a proper maintenance schedule for my Xp4 then???

There is like 4 or 5 trays with cermic rings in it. Every saturday clean one?? is that a good scheudle??? that way they will each be cleaned roughly every month?

Yep, sounds perfect! Just give them a shake in a bucket of tank water... should come nice and clean.

I think I am correct in saying that externals sometimes produce more nitrate and phosphate, due to the (often) anaerobic environment created, so thats a thing to watch out for. But, otherwise it sounds good, a long with plenty of small water changes.

 

[sweeTang21]

When cleaning the Ceramic rings, its probably advisable to do this only when really needed. Those rings are what hold the bacteria and disturbing the bacteria is not the best idea. That causes instability within the tank and could cause an outbreak of disease due to poor water quality. Clean the floss on a regular basis however. this is were 90% of all decaying mater will build up at and if thats left to deteriorate extensively then you will get the leaching of ammonia, nitrate and phosphates, which will cause most other levels to sky rocket.

 

[ShadowBass]

Yep, sounds perfect! Just give them a shake in a bucket of tank water... should come nice and clean.

I think I am correct in saying that externals sometimes produce more nitrate and phosphate, due to the (often) anaerobic environment created, so thats a thing to watch out for. But, otherwise it sounds good, a long with plenty of small water changes.

Nitrates aren't created by anaerobic bacteria. Nitrates are REMOVED by anaerobic bacteria.
Nitrates are CREATED by your nitrifying bacteria which absolutely need oxygen.

The reason canister filters produce excess nitrates is that they tend to build up gunk over time. Obviously decaying fish poop and food in your filter are going to cause nitrates as they decay and are converted by your nitrifying bacteria.

If you maintain a canister filter consistently and often enough on a saltwater tank they aren't going to cause excess nitrates in your aquarium. That is IF you do that. Most people inevitably slack off at one time or another and that's when you end up with problems.

How detrimental that is to your tank also depends on what setup you plan to run. Things that are major issues in a reef tank won't be big issues, if at all, in a fish only tank.
Of course, algae is ugly in any tank, and algae is fed by excess nutrients, so a poorly maintained canister filter definately won't lead to a very nice tank.

When cleaning the Ceramic rings, its probably advisable to do this only when really needed. Those rings are what hold the bacteria and disturbing the bacteria is not the best idea. That causes instability within the tank and could cause an outbreak of disease due to poor water quality. Clean the floss on a regular basis however. this is were 90% of all decaying mater will build up at and if thats left to deteriorate extensively then you will get the leaching of ammonia, nitrate and phosphates, which will cause most other levels to sky rocket.

The rings won't build up much detritus assuming you have them installed in the correct tray. The filter pads will catch the majority.