- i need advice, please help c",)

[ericrodni]

Hello..I have a 50 gallon reef tank setup for 2 weeks now and cycling with a 30lbs fiji live rock, 20lbs lace rock and 40lbs of live sand with total water movement in the tank of 1145 gph using koralia 1, a 270 gph maxijet powerhead in the tank, a HOB 290gph protein skimmer and a cascade canister filter that pumps 185 gph. Now my question is.. What filter media should I use in the canister filter once the cycle is complete and ready to add livestock in it? I will setup mainly with corals. I am running my canister filter with activated carbon only and filter pads just to keep the water crystal clear and clean while I cycle the tank. I have read on this forum that having a canister filter is hazardous unless religiously cleaned every week since it becomes a nitrate generator if neglected. How about using Live Rock rubbles in it instead of filter media??..I read of it here as well..this sounds really interesting to me since LR will act as a natural filter while exposed to a constant water movement in the canister...but without a light tho! So what's your opinion guys?

 

By the way...on second week of cycle...i am already getting this brown algae coating my live rocks..especially those on top structure due to being exposed under the light. Does it look my tank is cycling soon? There's one blue damsel added a week ago to accelerate the cycle. Lighting i use is a sunpod 150watts HQI metal halide which i turn on 4 hours every day. Water used is RO/DI saltwater from LFS and I top off water using RO/DI purchased from vendo machines outside the grocery store. Water parameters as follows: Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - 10, PH - 8.3. Can I add a CUC now or should I wait?...i see brown powder substance on my substrate...Is it detritus??

 

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated guys!..I don't want to crash my tank due to ignorance...Thanks

[Atticvs]

Before I built my sump/fuge I ran two Eheim 2217 Filters for approx 6 months. ( I think it is 40 gallon ) I Used a corse filter bad ( Big plastic pot scruber ) and the stock filter media. The only change that I made was removing both the carbon and the filter floss. I did not have any issues with water quality/clarity, never had any poor conditions arise. Tank had 35-40 pounds of live Rock and a some what large cuc. I had Two Clowns, five Chromis and a cardinal in there with a modest amount of mainly soft corals.

[wimby]

I run mine with live rock rubble and filter floss and carbon change every other week all params are fine I use the spray bar from the filter for more flow behind my rock in the main tank its a 45gl with 5 little fish and some coral and live sand and rock

[Matty1124]

if i were you i would get another koralia maybe a 2 or a 3... 50g is a lot of water to move around you have about 22x turn over in there, you could up it to like 30x with very little problem... you dont want any dead spots in your tank so make sure you have flow going every where

 

EDIT: i have 40x turn over in my 10g and 25x in my .8g

[ericrodni]

Cool...thanks! Should i fill up the 2 trays in the canister with live rock rubble and put a filter floss and carbon on the bottom tray?

 

 

I run mine with live rock rubble and filter floss and carbon change every other week all params are fine I use the spray bar from the filter for more flow behind my rock in the main tank its a 45gl with 5 little fish and some coral and live sand and rock

[ericrodni]

Yeah..I was thinking of adding up one more koralia but i was looking at the koralia 1..but you are right..water movement should be high so I will get the Koralia 2 at least. I will put this one face to face with my other koralia pump on the rear of the tank...the other one i have (maxijet) is at the front of the tank has a FLO Deflector attached to it so it gives the water a little turbulent on the lower part of the tank. How about using a wavemaker for the koralia...will it create a heavier turbulence of water?

 

 

if i were you i would get another koralia maybe a 2 or a 3... 50g is a lot of water to move around you have about 22x turn over in there, you could up it to like 30x with very little problem... you dont want any dead spots in your tank so make sure you have flow going every where

 

EDIT: i have 40x turn over in my 10g and 25x in my .8g