- Joined
- Jun 18, 2018
- Messages
- 56
- Reaction score
- 52
Hi All,
New here to the community, my dad is starting to set up a 120g saltwater aquarium. He has been in contact with many people through word of mouth, trusting these store employees to guide him the best way all of you know how. Ordering all types of filtration and plumbing accessories. Its a little bit hard to believe all the money involved with the specialized equipment, protein skimmer, bio reactors, hundreds of dollars on rocks for bacteria? And when I say otherwise he says no this is what these very knowledgeable people are telling him to spend his money on.
I began to ask some questions.
Id like to pose them to you guys if that's ok.
Does the industry use commercial filtration such as bag filters and cartridge filters? Bacteria I found on the internet says most if not all can be filtered down at about 1 micron of filtration. I found a cannister filter and cartridge on Grainger costs about 250$ with a whole lot more surface area to promote bacteria growth than any of this rock Ive seen. A good pressure pump a y with a venture and now your feeding highly oxygenated water into a space that will literally thrive with all the junk that gets trapped by the filter. Mind you may increase other water chemistry parameters but cleaning that filter once a week seems like it could work.
How about a sand filter from a pool or jacuzzi? The surface area inside one of them, plus you have promote areas of anaerobic bacteria inside them, back wash them to clear them out, has anyone attempted or experimented with this? Even setting up a closed loop filter and pump with something like this it makes sense in my head, but ive never owned a fish tank. I just want to ensure the best outcome for my father.
Positive output Gravel filters those of your own custom making with a venturi increasing oxygen and some UV sterilizers in a loop it would seem like some really great filtering.
The next thought is will this cut down chemicals needed to be added?
I was looking at this reef ready tank he bought, its a Deep blue tank. Well the thought is what is the point of skimming the surface with 2 weirs all you need is surface agitation right, breaking the surface tension allowing oxygen in CO2 escape? I posed the question that doesn't all the food fed and the fish poop, it all sinks. If you created water movement that led to a piped inlets in the tank to the sump to help gather that poop and food before it sits on the rock and gravel wont you be further ahead with the cleaning? You could use the inlets throw them through a canister filter and then pump them back to the tank as your water movement.
Yet I see not much if any mention of any of these ideas, is it to keep the profit in the pockets where it is now? I say that only because these filtration methods when compared to what these companys and the internet says are required for 120g tank are MUCH cheaper solutions and in theory would prove to be much means of filtration than a protein skimmer or rock or bio reactor..etc.
Again, I only pose the questions and thoughts, Ive never operated a salt water tank before.
I just want to make sure hes headed on the right track, maybe some would even attempt to experiment, the bigger the surface area on the bag filters or cartridge, meaning the physical size. The better results you'll get, if anyone has questions about what I discussed please post them up for further discussion.
New here to the community, my dad is starting to set up a 120g saltwater aquarium. He has been in contact with many people through word of mouth, trusting these store employees to guide him the best way all of you know how. Ordering all types of filtration and plumbing accessories. Its a little bit hard to believe all the money involved with the specialized equipment, protein skimmer, bio reactors, hundreds of dollars on rocks for bacteria? And when I say otherwise he says no this is what these very knowledgeable people are telling him to spend his money on.
I began to ask some questions.
Id like to pose them to you guys if that's ok.
Does the industry use commercial filtration such as bag filters and cartridge filters? Bacteria I found on the internet says most if not all can be filtered down at about 1 micron of filtration. I found a cannister filter and cartridge on Grainger costs about 250$ with a whole lot more surface area to promote bacteria growth than any of this rock Ive seen. A good pressure pump a y with a venture and now your feeding highly oxygenated water into a space that will literally thrive with all the junk that gets trapped by the filter. Mind you may increase other water chemistry parameters but cleaning that filter once a week seems like it could work.
How about a sand filter from a pool or jacuzzi? The surface area inside one of them, plus you have promote areas of anaerobic bacteria inside them, back wash them to clear them out, has anyone attempted or experimented with this? Even setting up a closed loop filter and pump with something like this it makes sense in my head, but ive never owned a fish tank. I just want to ensure the best outcome for my father.
Positive output Gravel filters those of your own custom making with a venturi increasing oxygen and some UV sterilizers in a loop it would seem like some really great filtering.
The next thought is will this cut down chemicals needed to be added?
I was looking at this reef ready tank he bought, its a Deep blue tank. Well the thought is what is the point of skimming the surface with 2 weirs all you need is surface agitation right, breaking the surface tension allowing oxygen in CO2 escape? I posed the question that doesn't all the food fed and the fish poop, it all sinks. If you created water movement that led to a piped inlets in the tank to the sump to help gather that poop and food before it sits on the rock and gravel wont you be further ahead with the cleaning? You could use the inlets throw them through a canister filter and then pump them back to the tank as your water movement.
Yet I see not much if any mention of any of these ideas, is it to keep the profit in the pockets where it is now? I say that only because these filtration methods when compared to what these companys and the internet says are required for 120g tank are MUCH cheaper solutions and in theory would prove to be much means of filtration than a protein skimmer or rock or bio reactor..etc.
Again, I only pose the questions and thoughts, Ive never operated a salt water tank before.
I just want to make sure hes headed on the right track, maybe some would even attempt to experiment, the bigger the surface area on the bag filters or cartridge, meaning the physical size. The better results you'll get, if anyone has questions about what I discussed please post them up for further discussion.