Ugh.. Canisters, Undergravels, Power-Filters are all disasters waiting to happen in a Saltwater tank, Sorry guys! They might be effecient at first, but you will only run into problems.
Detritus and other DOC (dissolved organic compounds) will build up in your filters and eventually sufficate your nitrifying bacteria. Once enough of the bacteria is deemed useless, you will start to have traces of ammonia build up in your tank. Ammonia is more toxic at a higher pH, and in saltwater, your pH will be around 8.5. At this pH, even the SMALLEST amount of Ammonia is toxic. Ammonia is also more toxic the warmer the water, and this is usually the case in SW tanks. This is why people struggle so bad with Saltwater tanks, they don't understand the filtration methods. If you do choose to use Canisters or Power-filters, you must keep them VERY Clean. Expect to clean them very thoroughly once a week, if not more often. Undergravel filters are just dumb.. They will eventually clog with detritus and create 'dead-zones' which will harbor toxic gasses. This is also another area for things to crawl in and die, rot, and poison your tank.
Live-Rock + Circulation + Skimmer.
Live-Rock hosts natural nitrifying bacteria, and is 100x more porous then any biological media. It also has 'de-nitrifying' effects, which means it will host other organisms that will eat up Ammonia and Nitrite, before they can be broken down into Nitrate. This will give your tank a more 'self-sustaining' eco-system, and a stronger balance. Also the addition of a large amount of live-rock will give you a cushion of beneficial bacterias, that commercial filtration products won't.
Circulation, across the live rock, is a must. Nitrifying bacteria grows best in highly oxygenated areas. The more current you can push through your live rock, the stronger your bacterial load will be. This will also help keep waste particles (not visible to the eye) suspended in the water, so that the Protein Skimmer can do its job more effeciently.
Skimming, is also a must in a Saltwater aquarium. It removes organic wastes and DOCs before the nitrifying bacteria will even have a chance to break them down into nitrate. This will help assure that you will not have a sudden Ammonia spike, due to lack of nitrifying bacteria. Skimmers also help oxygenate the water. The warmer the water is, the less o2 it holds, and most people keep Salt tanks nice n' warm.
Green Vegetation (Calerpa) will help 'de-nitrify' your tank as well.. but ALOT of fish eat vegetation, so watch out.
An external power-filter would be good for polishing the water.. but I wouldn't use it as a method for biological filtration.. Just mechanical/chemical. BTW, Carbon is over-rated, especially for SW tanks.
Also, keep in mind there is no 'TRUE' way to remove Nitrates from your tank, other then water changes. People might tell you Plants eat it, and Live-Rock eats it, and even chemicals remove it.. but they don't know what they are talking about
I have 3 lionfish in a 60g tank. Most people would scream 'AHHH Your Bio-load is WAY to high'.. or, Maybe I just know what I am doing
I hardly change the water in that tank too.
Detritus and other DOC (dissolved organic compounds) will build up in your filters and eventually sufficate your nitrifying bacteria. Once enough of the bacteria is deemed useless, you will start to have traces of ammonia build up in your tank. Ammonia is more toxic at a higher pH, and in saltwater, your pH will be around 8.5. At this pH, even the SMALLEST amount of Ammonia is toxic. Ammonia is also more toxic the warmer the water, and this is usually the case in SW tanks. This is why people struggle so bad with Saltwater tanks, they don't understand the filtration methods. If you do choose to use Canisters or Power-filters, you must keep them VERY Clean. Expect to clean them very thoroughly once a week, if not more often. Undergravel filters are just dumb.. They will eventually clog with detritus and create 'dead-zones' which will harbor toxic gasses. This is also another area for things to crawl in and die, rot, and poison your tank.
Live-Rock + Circulation + Skimmer.
Live-Rock hosts natural nitrifying bacteria, and is 100x more porous then any biological media. It also has 'de-nitrifying' effects, which means it will host other organisms that will eat up Ammonia and Nitrite, before they can be broken down into Nitrate. This will give your tank a more 'self-sustaining' eco-system, and a stronger balance. Also the addition of a large amount of live-rock will give you a cushion of beneficial bacterias, that commercial filtration products won't.
Circulation, across the live rock, is a must. Nitrifying bacteria grows best in highly oxygenated areas. The more current you can push through your live rock, the stronger your bacterial load will be. This will also help keep waste particles (not visible to the eye) suspended in the water, so that the Protein Skimmer can do its job more effeciently.
Skimming, is also a must in a Saltwater aquarium. It removes organic wastes and DOCs before the nitrifying bacteria will even have a chance to break them down into nitrate. This will help assure that you will not have a sudden Ammonia spike, due to lack of nitrifying bacteria. Skimmers also help oxygenate the water. The warmer the water is, the less o2 it holds, and most people keep Salt tanks nice n' warm.
Green Vegetation (Calerpa) will help 'de-nitrify' your tank as well.. but ALOT of fish eat vegetation, so watch out.
An external power-filter would be good for polishing the water.. but I wouldn't use it as a method for biological filtration.. Just mechanical/chemical. BTW, Carbon is over-rated, especially for SW tanks.
Also, keep in mind there is no 'TRUE' way to remove Nitrates from your tank, other then water changes. People might tell you Plants eat it, and Live-Rock eats it, and even chemicals remove it.. but they don't know what they are talking about
I have 3 lionfish in a 60g tank. Most people would scream 'AHHH Your Bio-load is WAY to high'.. or, Maybe I just know what I am doing
I hardly change the water in that tank too.
