LukeTheDuke

ok so take a look, i have live rock, and bunch of live sand, tanks been up for months, i have a algae scrubber that has algae, just not the "turf" or bunches that you see in most or some of the scrubber pictures, i dont think its working to its fullest extent,... the scrubber is in a 5.5 gal tank ive made into a sump, ALSO in the sump is a semi big ball o cheatomorpha...

my question is,

DO I EVEN NEED THE FILTER THAT IS IN THE ECLIPSE 2 HOOD?

IT CONSIST OF A 250gph PUMP, BLUE CARBON MEDIA IN THE FIRST TRAY, AND A "BIO WHEEL"...

Iam just wondering, i could take the return line from the sump and somehow makeshift it up to get rid of the eclipse pump, and still use the carbon, or both,

I DONT KNOW iam starting to think theres no need for either filter media,
i wonder if i could just use the cheato for filteration... is this true? bad idea?

bad idea to get rid of the biowheel and carbon filteration that is in the eclipse hood?

thanks for your input and opinions?

JRDroid

I know many people do not use filters on salt water tanks. Your live rock is your filter. One thing you may want to get is a protein skimmer though.

LukeTheDuke

yes ive been wanting one, but not only do i not have the cash, i have no where to put it, literally not clearance on the god forsaken hood,

i was thinking of an aqua c remora skimmer, price is right, seems like good reviews, NOT going with a CPR backpack skimmer though roughly the same design dont read good things about them,

well i want to get rid of it if possible, if anything the pump maybe save on electric AND some space inside the tank...

come to think of it i should take some pictures and post them, theyd be some cool before and afters for sure...

thank you keep the info coming...

i read or heard that bio wheels are nitrate farms or something... bad?

JRDroid

All filters are nitrate farms (another reason many salt water aquarists don't use them). In a salt water aquarium, nitrates can cause algae blooms much easier than in fresh. So yes, many would say that is bad. If you are removing the filter, just make sure you have a power head or something so that there is still water circulation in the tank and it isn't just sitting still.

LukeTheDuke

ok cool,

i do have a power head, AND i can take the media out divy up the return line to run the water where the old media was to still get and have that rippling from where the old media was...

i DID NOT know that these types of filtering media was really bad and or NOT needed in SW
i thought you had to have the carbon, and that the bio wheel WAS the main source for bio filtration,

man ive got it backabackward,

so keeping the sump (ref) with cheato and the pound per gallon LR and Lsand is all iama need for filtration, water movement would be my main concern then... this is news, but GOOD news...

thank you monmouth,

and anyone esle agree, disagree, id love to hear your remarks also, lol dont be shy in the least bit

JRDroid

You will provably get more responses tomorrow. We don't have too many salt keepers here. I don't have a salt tank yet, but am working on and researching to get it right. I don't want to buy unneeded things, that way I can spend more on what is required.

MizRamzi

Can you post pics of the hood? Also are you keeping your sump light? Carbon is good to use, keeps the tank shiny You could also get a Korallia power head to maximize your flow in the display tank. I would get rid of the bio wheel, just a nitrate factory. Instead of filter floss you could use ChemiPure Elite. It comes in a bag you lay in the tray.

Stang Man

Hey Luke the Duke!!! Take out the carbon and bio wheel. Use carbon once a week for no more than three days at a time until you get a skimmer once you have a skimmer use it once a month for three days then discard. Carbon has no benefit after three days use. All it is for is to polish water for clarity.Do you have anything else in filter such as ceramic or bio balls. You need to use phosphate removers in a sock and leave in filter for up to two weeks then reload. You are using R/O water right?

LukeTheDuke

ok i took the biowheel out 2 days ago, thanks for that advice,

i HAVE a 3 stage 50gpd r/o unit, but dont use it the TDS meter the guy gave me with it reads higher than my tap water... significantly high, i told the guy about this and he says wow thats weird the tap water would be that good off, but also that i may need to change the sediment and carbon filters in the unit since the unit has not been in use for a long time... $$ is my problem of course but i maybe will get some "blood money" tommorrow, so in your eyes what should i spend that 25$ on? lol
ive heard that you can buy these carbon and sedi media filters for your r/o at hardware store like lowes or menards, but what about wally world? (walmart) would they be cheaper somes wheres esle?

can you please advise me more on ceramic filters? AND phosphate media? is that that green filter floss i saw at the LFS last week? is said phoshate remover, and it looked like a regular square of thick filter floss with a light green color to it...

IAM SO thinking of ditching the scrubber, and making a REF... quick question though...

IS IT POSSIBLE to have a ref or sump without baffles? iam thinkin NO sand bed just cheato and pods, the display has a roughly 4.5-5 inch bed in it
IS THERE A CERTAIN amount of water that has to be in the ref, (only cheato at the moment)

what esle could go in a baffleless ref? grassilleria? cermanic?

MizRamzi

All you really need in a ref is a return pump chaeto and a few pieces of live rock and a good light 13" 18w CF would work nice which you can leave on 24-7-you can go bare bottom no problem. Baffels help with bubbles getting into your DT and house your pump, also to keep your pods from getting sucked up into the pump.
I wouldn't use ceramic as you'll only make more work for yourself by having to rinse them off. Nitrate factories! You could use bambo too.
One of the best thing I've ever used to remove nitrates, phosphates is Chemipure Elite.

LukeTheDuke

can some one recommend some good ways of phos removal media?
isnt there some phos removal filter floss type stuff? or is the pellet "phosguard" stuff good or best?

BTW iam keeping the "scrubber" (caint remember the last time i had to clean the glass, literally it been weeks, and that was something i HAD to do everyday thered be a lil film somewhere, NOT anymore)going not makeing it into a baffle fuge, although could throw in a small maybe 3.5in baffle could work...

OK so i have some pictures, of the bottom of the "fuge" granted i did NOT put a sand bed in of course some particles made it down there when i had my sleepergoby stirring up stuff, anyhoot there this what i think is bacteria/sand/algae mix right under the scrubber,
i was thinking of taking everything out and giving the fuge tank a hot bath rinse cleaning, along with the pump and hose (you may not be able to see it but i think there IS redhairalgae growing in the hose of the return pump, prolly caused from the 18hr of light, for there is no red hair any where esle...that i know of, i see some of this bubbly slime on a lil bit of the cheato in there...

ANYONE know what this stuf is? if its not worthy, id like to go head and clean it ALL out like planned... but it is very important bacteria iama leavem be, dont like the fact its on some of the cheato either...
anyhoot heres the pics,


i added the last pic for fun, and you can also get some of the GHalgae...

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Stang Man

use granual type phos removers I use kent Marine phosphate sponge to remove phosphates and silicates

MizRamzi

Is that your sump/refugium?

LukeTheDuke

yeah,
normally theres alil more water there, evaporation is now my newest daily chore...

why? no good? gimme your opinion hehe