Two Questions About Water Filtration/movement

[ProHaloSniper]

Hey guys,

I am definitely starting a marine tank and had two questions.

1) Does it need a filter, like a freshwater tank one? I have one, but dont know if it works with SW tanks.

2) Most tank I see have water movement systems that are cut into the side of the tank. Does it NEED to be cut into the side of the tank? If not, do they sell ones that mount at the top of the tank, similar to a filter?

Please help me out guys!

--Jim C.

btw, Im doing this in a 20gal tank.

 

[kkyyllee]

yuo can use a filter like fw but if your using liverock its not needed, you don't have to cut in the side of the tank for water movement unless your doing a sump or refugium, you can buy pwer heads for water movement

 

[ProHaloSniper]

So...If I have LR, no filtration is necessary AT ALL? Would it hurt to have a filter in there to keep the water cleaner?

Let me know.

And thanks for that power head answer. That is what I wanted to hear! I looked some up on Dr F&S and they are very inexpensive.

Thanks again..

--Jim C.

 

[kkyyllee]

you might still need to use a filter, if you have 1-2lbs/gallon and dont have a high bioload a filter isnt needed, one wouldnt hurt if you keep it cleaned out regularly

 

[steelhealr]

Pro....if you are planning a reef, water flow is essential. Corals have food brought to them by current and wastes are carried away by current. Similarly, your pump in FW pulls water out of the tank and flushes it thru filter floss..or ceramics...or for some, activated carbon. Water circulation keeps the water moving over the LR....the heart of filtration in your tank. Sure..you can go without LR if you are doing FO, but, you'd need some filter system.

The LR is the 'biological' filtration, containing the bacteria you need to breakdown ammonia. Also, some animals and corals need/prefer water movement. Stagnant water in a marine tank is a setup for getting some nasty things. If you get LR, you should get what is called a powerhead(s) to help provide circulation. You might get away without one if you had a HOB filter and you could direct the flow. HOB's can be used to hold media instead of filter, per se. Check out the FAQ section and nano's.


SH

 

[Musho3210]

There are a lot of different types of powerheads, may seem easy but i found that it wasnt.

THere are types of powerheads that run by an impellar that sucks water from the bottom and shoots water from the side. These require a high wattage (which leads to heat from the friction) and they are shot in a straight line rather than an even flow. The ocean gives an even flow not a straight line so these may not be best for you. The good thing about these though is that they can pump water better as in from a sump to the main tank. Example are the mag drives and maxi-jets etc. most powerheads are these. In finding nemo where nemo stuck the gravel into the spinning thing, that spinning thing is an impellar.

Another type are ones that are run with a propeller that looks similar to propellers on boats except much smaller. These need a much less amount of wattage and can work very very powerfully with a small amount of watts and heat. They dont shoot in a straight line but rather give a much more even flow. The con about these are that they can be big, and they dont pump well from sump to tank. Example of these are the hydor koralia pumps, the tunze streams, and the vortec ones.


Here are some examples of wattage differences.


The propellar type powerheads:
Turbelle® nanostream 6045: (6045.000)

- For aquariums from 100 to 500 litres (26 to 132 USgal.)
- Flow rate: 4,500 l/h (1,189 US gal./h)
- Energy consumption: 7 W
- Voltage / frequency: 230V/50Hz (115V/60Hz)
- Cable length: 2 m (78.7 in.)
- Dimensions: diam. 70 mm (2.7 in.), output: diam. 40/15 mm (1.5 / .59 in.)

impellar type:
Mag-Drive 12
- Flow Rate: 1,200 GPH
- Power Consumption: 110 Watts
- Pump Size (L x W x H): 6.4" x 4.5" x 4.6"
- Outlet Size / Inlet Size: 3/4" MPT / 3/4" FPT
- 10` grounded power cord
- 3 year manufacturer`s Limited Warranty