Filter Help

[Tetraking]

ok i am not sure if i am posting this in the right section but i am aiming to set the tank up for marine invertibrates, the tank will hold 60G, what sort of filter would be good enough? Specific names would be great as i can then check prices.

 

[SkiFletch]

What kind of invertebrates? Many filters are not compatible with soft-bodied mobile inverts.

 

[Tetraking]

What kind of invertebrates? Many filters are not compatible with soft-bodied mobile inverts.

man i really feel out of my depth now lol, i must explain this will be my first shot at keeping this sort of thing, but do not worry i keep tropical freshwater successfully and am willing to research evrything i need to know before starting this. My aim so far i think (tell me if this is wrong) is to set the tank with rock and do all the prep and get the water perfect (i will not rush), then i will add a couple of clownfish and other compatable fish and then start to introduce things like:

Heteractis malu / Malu anemone

Sabellasterte spp / tubeworm

and maybe a star fish, once i know things are working

 

[SkiFletch]

Cool man. Well, dump everything you knew about freshwater filtration out of your head, and have a read through A Short Anemone Guide for Beginners which is pinned atop the inverts section

 

[Tetraking]

Cool man. Well, dump everything you knew about freshwater filtration out of your head, and have a read through A Short Anemone Guide for Beginners which is pinned atop the inverts section

Thanks Ski. Have read through that post and it is a great source of info that i am sure to return to soon what i am really after is, finding out what would be the best filter for a 60gl tank and getting a price on it (i can find the price, just need names and sizes), of course recommations need to bare in mind my choise of stock.

 

[SkiFletch]

Hehe, well you'll actually find a lot of people reccomending you don't bother with a filter at all if you want to keep anemones. The Berlin method of filtration (LR, skimming, and water movement) is the prefferred method for keeping sensitive inverts like nems

*waits for the fusillade of questions*

 

[Tetraking]

Questions, oh yes i have many, what would really be best for me is a list of everything i need, starting with the things i would need to get first, that way i can price up and do my research on each pice of equipment, i am in no rush to put the inverts in, just start getting the things i need and getting the set-up perfect, i don't want to have any inverts dying in my hands.

Thanks ski, do you have a link for more info about the Berlin method of filtration (LR, skimming, and water movement)

 

[SkiFletch]

Other than the stickies atop this section (which are very Berlin oriented) I don't have anything a quick google search wouldn't turn up. Its basically a lot of water flow, LR, and skimming. Not too complicated.

Have you considered using a sump yet?

 

[cynos]

Red sea skimmers are on sale everywhere in the UK
Take my advise, dont bother with one
Go for a Deltec and if you cant afford a Deltec, the V2's are very good to although i've heard a few stories of leaks when used externally( I dont have that problem as mines in the sump)

borrowed from aquarium-design.com

The Berlin method

Supposedly based upon reef tank filtration used in Germany, this method decreases the effectiveness of biological filtration by relying solely on the bacterial populations contained on and within the live rock. There is no pre-filter pad within the overflow system and all the bio-balls in the wet-dry filter are removed. The wet-dry filter simply becomes the 'sump' or reservoir below the aquarium.

The thinking is that the prefilter pad and the wet-dry filter are too efficient. The pre-filter pad eventually becomes biologically active as it traps its debris and ultimately aids in converting wastes. The bio-balls, in combination with the increased exposure to air ( oxygen ) too effectively convert ammonias ( NH4 ) and ntitrites ( NO2 ) into the lesser toxic form of nitrate ( NO3 ). Both the pad and the bio-balls ultimately produce Nitrate, which in standard method leads to quicker and higher levels.

A greater emphasis is placed on the protien skimmer. Since the protien skimmer helps remove compounds from the water it lessens what the bacterias on the live rock need to deal with.

Within the tank, at the bottom, is NO sand or gravel. A bare-bottom tank harbors less biological activity, and is much easier to remove the debris that will settle there. Again a decrease in biological filtration produces a slower developement of Nitrate. The live rock, the foundation that the living corals are placed upon, is placed directly on the bottom of the tank.

The live rock by itself contains a tremenous amount of bacterias, and due to the lower amount of oxygen available to them they do NOT convert wastes as effectively. The end result is a very capable filter system, and one that does not generate Nitrates as quickly.

NOTE ; partially in lue of the sand at the bottom of the tank, which helps produce calcium, the Berlin method uses heavy amounts of Kalkwasser ( calcerous water ) for evaporative replacement.

more here http/www.aquarium-design.com/reeftheory.html

 

[andywg]

I have an issue here:

The Berlin method

...


The thinking is that the prefilter pad and the wet-dry filter are too efficient. The pre-filter pad eventually becomes biologically active as it traps its debris and ultimately aids in converting wastes. The bio-balls, in combination with the increased exposure to air ( oxygen ) too effectively convert ammonias ( NH4 ) and ntitrites ( NO2 ) into the lesser toxic form of nitrate ( NO3 ). Both the pad and the bio-balls ultimately produce Nitrate, which in standard method leads to quicker and higher levels.

If that were the case then the tanks would be leaving ammonias unprocessed. If it was a toss up between having ammonia or nitrate in a tank, I know which I want...

The bio-balls causes nitrates is down to one thing: lack of maintenance. They can accumulate muck and if it isn't cleaned it becomes a nitrate factory.