upgrading to a 55 sw tank. filter???

29gallon

okay i have a 29 gallon sw tank and im going to be upgrading to a 55 gallon and was just wondering what type of filtration system would be best for me. would a canister filter be fine? i already have a up to 100 gallon protein skimmer and a 70 gph trickle filter 5 powerheads and proably 30 to 35 ounds of live rock and 20 to 25 pounds of sand... what would be best for???

Kellsindell

Don't get the Canister, stay with the Skimmer, try to build a sump, it makes for easy water changes and adds to the over all water volume, and a trickle filter? Is that a hang on back filter?

LR, you need more then what you have. around 100-130lbs, or gallons x 2, for that tank. The amount of lbs of live sand you have needs to be determined by how deep of a sand bed you want. If you are going for a shallow sandbed, around 1in, then you are probably ok, but if you are going for a deeper sandbed that is going to be used as a filtration system, then you need to go from 4-5in of sand. Sounds like a lot, but anything in between those #'s can be detrimental to your tank.

29gallon

okay honestly i dont really understand the means of a sump? what does it do exactly?

Pasfur

At this point you also need to begin to understand what you are trying to accomplish with the filtration. For example, the trickle filter is designed to break down waste with an end result of Nitrate. This really does not make a lot of sense, given that you are also using a Protein Skimmer and Live Rock, which are a natural method of removing waste without the buildup of Nitrate. Why use a trickle filter at all? It will probably prove to harm the environment more than help.

Speaking of Protein Skimming, what is the exact skimmer model you have?

Kellsindell

I agree and from the new changes to the site... i can't find anything from before , can someone link him SKAustin's understanding sumps so that the information can be read. It's a great and well written article. Pasfur?

onefish2fish

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/m...g-sumps-15930/

Kellsindell

Thanks Onefish! (Glad to see you again)

onefish2fish

that applies to you my friend. im always here, if not posting, browsing.

Kellsindell

Yeah, I'm trying to get back into it, but school is a killer! lol.