FIlter Media

[lilposeidon]

so i went to the office the other day and my boss had put filter media in the hang on the back filter theres like three pouch's in there i think carbon and then two others not sure what they are i was always under the impression that saltwater does not need these types of media in the filter.
also I'm about to start setting up my own 55 gallon at home and am wondering what is the best possible way to run a marine aquarium as far as filters go and over flows and sumps.
as you know i have only had a 10 gallon as a personal tank so my 55 gal is a step up and i want to set it up the best possible way i can. I have read the Berlin system is best nothing but tons of live rock with a protein skimmer the other option i was looking at doing was getting a canister filter sized a tad to big to get some extra water movement out of it.
what in your opinions is the best way to go ?

[Bergy]

you can put filter media in.. it help remove and deal with specific issues... i.e carbon will help keep the water clear i fyou have water clarity issues... cloudy water, smelly water, etc...


the floss, willhelp catch food and poop, and chunks... i strongy urge that you clean and replace that filter often.. you cant replace it often enuf... as all it is doing is holding the poop and stuff in the water and constanty rinsing that back into the water, unless you remove it physically...


we really dont use terms like berlin... that is basically a remant from when we were learnging and tryied distinguishing the different types or methods...


basically, live and healthy rock, (hi amy), and as much flow and possible...  and water changes as much as you can afford...


theat way is the best way, imho


gl

and yes, a 55 is a definate step up...

[KYLE.801]

+1 to what Bill said.  Live rock is great.  If you arent going to have a sump then I would use a hang on the back filter to run carbon only and probably should change that monthly depending on your bio load.  I wouldnt use sponges or anything like that in the filter.  A few power heads in the tank will give your tank enough flow and that should be good.  I would recommend a sump setup, instead of having your heater and pumps in your tank you can have them in your sump, plus in your sump you can get some algae growing that will help keep your tank healthy.   Most people will put carbon in their sump too.  My first tank I didnt have a sump and it did just fine however my tank now has a sump and I am very glad that I set it up with one.  Good luck!

[OCtrackiepacsg1]

Dumb question, would you put a protein skimmer in that mix?

[KYLE.801]

If you have sump ya, you could use a hang on the back on if you dont have a sump but Im not sure how well those work...

[Bergy]

they make smaller, hang on the tank type of skimmers... they wouldnt fit into the hang on tank filter, though, and tehre really isnt any benefit to that..

but, if you dont have a sump, you can find some smaller skimmers that will work well...

seaclone is the generic skimmer you can find at most lfs, and they dont work all that great, but most of the others are fine...

[OCtrackiepacsg1]

Would we need a skimmer for say, a 29g tank

[KYLE.801]

I didnt have a skimmer on my 29 gal and it did just fine.   

[Bergy]

the need for askimmer is debateble...

clearly, it does remove some nasty gunk stuff that prolly doesnt do your tank any good... but, many people dont use one... currently, my tank doesnt have a skimmer, but i am having some mystery problems... which i truly dont think is related to skimmer issues...