mstevens

Hey guys,

I've had a tank set up for FOWLR for about 6 months now, and trying to convert to reef. I currently have a cpr aquatics bak pak 2 biofilter/protein skimmer combo. I added a new power head for more flow about a month ago, and it naturally stirs up alot of debris. I am interested in getting an additional filter that will clean up the debris floating around in the water. Can you guys recommend a brand and type of filter? It is a 50 gallon tank.

thanks.

Peterpiper

Hi, big change to a reef from a FOWLR.
IMO a sump is the way to go, but if you cant go with a sump then get a canister filter that will filter the water 6-8 times per hour. One thing with the canister is that you need to clean it 1-2 times a week.

Matt

You stole the words out o my mouth Peter

Preferrably a sump tank because sumps have loads of extra benefits like you can breed shrimp in there and copepods. If you cant get your hands on a sump then a canister filter will do

-Matt

travie

If you go for any cannister or HOB filter, set it up for mainly mechanical filtration and not biological filtration. It will just become a nitrate factory if you set it up to biological filter the water. Just use live rock for the biological filtration. If you have room for a sump, definitely set it up, because it will provide more benefits then a filter, will be cheaper, and can be modified more.