quick question on my jbj 28

[lucindrea]

so the tank is ordered and i'm in the research phase at the moment - also due to budget constraints i wont be able to add my rocks/sand for about 2 weeks anyway ..

 

ok the tank comes with a 3 stage filter in one of the 3 chambers in the back (skimmer and heater also ordered for 2 of the chambers) the filter is a sponge -> carbon -> ceramic things type .. my question is do i even need the ceramic things if i'm doing live rock and sand ? .. as a matter of fact do i need the charcoal either?

 

anyway thanks for any help

[furam28]

you are right. ceramic is totally unnecessary if you have live rock. carbon is helpful but keep in mind that activated carbon loses its capacity pretty fast so you will have to replace it atleast once a month. i usually buy carbon in bulk and then put them in mesh bags and place in my canister filter. one other thing that can be very helpful to add in your filter in place of the ceramic: phosguard (or some other phosphate absorber). high phosphate is the biggest enemy for corals, and keeping it low will give you good coral health. BTW. you didn't mention if you are going to keep corals in your tank or not. if its just fishes then phosphate is not too big of a deal.

[lucindrea]

i want to go more invertabrate and less fish (critters that dont "swim" mostly) , so yes corals .. but i want to avoid high light and hard ones for now ..

of course as i'm new , this may sound like newbie statements .. but thats why i'm here , to learn.

Thanks .. i'm researching phosguard and the like now

[GMay]

You might also consider Purigen and Chemipure Elite. The combination is used by many and works to control organics and phosphates. I find that the combination in my tnak does a good job maintaining low phosphates and nitrates with 10% weekly water cahnges.

[furam28]

purigen is a very good product. it removes nitrates. but its a little pricey. unless you have a heavily stocked tank, usually you don't have to worry about high nitrates. nitrates up to 20 ppm are fine for corals, even SPS.

 

chemipure elite is just a mix of GFO and activated carbon. its a good product, but there's no reason to pay the premium when you can buy GFO in bulk. only reason i prefer phosguard over GFO is because for GFO you need to go with a reactor, otherwise they tend to glue up into a clump. i paid $25 for a 4L bucket of phosguard on craigslist! and i know it will last me for 4 years. i have 20 gallon + 10 gallon sump.