Mechanical Drum Filter Vs. Reef Mat

[spearhead]

This is my 1st post so please be patient with my ignorance. I've been a fresh water aquarium hobbyist and I've been doing a lot of research and fact finding before diving into getting myself into a saltwater aquarium. I see Red Reef and other companies coming out with a reef mat which seems to work very well. However, Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) use a self cleaning mechanical drum filter instead in combination with other mechanical scrubbers that look more efficient and I wonder why it hasn't gained traction in the reefing community. Price wise perhaps it's higher in the beginning but long-term, it requires less maintenance. The only place I've seen a mechanical drum filter is with a German company called Tropic Marine. It's scalable too so I don't get why more hobbyists aren't buying into mechanical drum filters. Thoughts? Here's the video I found in Youtube of Tropic Marine.

 

[KrisReef]

OMG, this is the worst first post all day, but it's not the worst post of the day. I got the latter already.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!.

 

[KrisReef]

I was looking at a drum filter yesterday, and I am not certain that a reef tank needs one, or a garden pond where I am making plans for filtration.

I don't know but the high cost of these filters, and what they do, or how long they last and if spare parts are available, made me skeptical.

TM isn't the worst company out there, so that's a plus in my mind?

 

[gbroadbridge]

This is my 1st post so please be patient with my ignorance. I've been a fresh water aquarium hobbyist and I've been doing a lot of research and fact finding before diving into getting myself into a saltwater aquarium. I see Red Reef and other companies coming out with a reef mat which seems to work very well. However, Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) use a self cleaning mechanical drum filter instead in combination with other mechanical scrubbers that look more efficient and I wonder why it hasn't gained traction in the reefing community. Price wise perhaps it's higher in the beginning but long-term, it requires less maintenance. The only place I've seen a mechanical drum filter is with a German company called Tropic Marine. It's scalable too so I don't get why more hobbyists aren't buying into mechanical drum filters. Thoughts? Here's the video I found in Youtube of Tropic Marine.

If I can ever afford a 500 gallon system, one of those would probably be worth the time and effort.

Can't see it being much benefit on anything much smaller.

edit: I actually meant 5000 gallon :-)