Which Filtration would you use?

[_LittleRed]

Looking into a new filteation system, which would you suggest?

I currently own a 70gal HOB filter on my 32gal tank but im looking into potentially shifting gears

Would you switch to sump or canister? Any other suggestions? Tank is not pre-drilled so if i used a sump id be making a DIY one until in the far future when I can upgrade
(I already own a 20gal spare tank that id look into converting)

I also considered upgrading to a 40 gal AOI system until I move and can get a bigger system

 

[_LittleRed]

My other option is sell the tank I got (i got used on facebook) and buy an aoi 40 gallon

 

[Kooma]

Ill always go sump if possible, the extra volume and space is worth it every time.

I would never run a canister. Its worse than a filter sock and a pain to clean constantly. With my sump i just empty the skimmer every day or two.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

a sump is not a filter, it is an extra tank that holds the filter, heaters, etc... The canister provides the same mechanical and chemical filtration that a hob does so IMO no benefit to add a canister to this set up. A protein skimmer would work well, but honestly weekly water changes would be just as good as a skimmer on this size tank.

Do you have a high bioload? Any reason to want more filtration? How often do you perform water changes currently? Do you have corals? Algae?

 

[ScottJ]

AIO tanks have some advantages for sure. Personally, I wouldn't go canister, but a lot of people use them to run great reef tanks. I like a sump. My 55 gallon tank isn't drilled either. I use a LifeReef overflow. It's been solid for 5 or 6 years now. It was a great investment.

 

[BigMoe]

I am new to Saltwater tanks but am also using a HOB with a 10gallon sump on my 55 gallon tank. Works great. Already thinking of upgrading to 90 or 120. Mainly because I dont like my tank stand and fear of flooding is a real risk. Just not sure how hard it will be to move the contents of this tank to another one. next setup I will get a drilled tank with a 29 gallon or bigger sump. Space contraints will only fit a 10g in this stand.

 

[_LittleRed]

a sump is not a filter, it is an extra tank that holds the filter, heaters, etc... The canister provides the same mechanical and chemical filtration that a hob does so IMO no benefit to add a canister to this set up. A protein skimmer would work well, but honestly weekly water changes would be just as good as a skimmer on this size tank.

Do you have a high bioload? Any reason to want more filtration? How often do you perform water changes currently? Do you have corals? Algae?

I currently have no bioload, I had an unsolved issue which lead to my fish dying back in may unfortunately and I'm doing better research (I took my lfs which is what lead to my fishes demise the first time) but I did heaven a heavy bioload once upon a time. I was doing 5-10% weekly water changes though. I do plan on having coral again, I did have a **** ton of algea but I used yo have high phosphates and nitrates (lfs said it wasnt bad im learning otherwise) so im currently just seeing if theres better suggestions before I start my new cycle.

 

[_LittleRed]

AIO tanks have some advantages for sure. Personally, I wouldn't go canister, but a lot of people use them to run great reef tanks. I like a sump. My 55 gallon tank isn't drilled either. I use a LifeReef overflow. It's been solid for 5 or 6 years now. It was a great investment.

I had heard mixed reviews on canister and saltwater so I was leaning more towards the other 2 buut I figured id throw it in incase someone with more experience shared their views thank you so much! Would a sump be better then an aio system?

 

[_LittleRed]

I should also note i dont have a huge sone of space, my display is on a stand but the bottom is all open so the sump would be sitting on the open floor underneath (not sure if that helps or is bad) which is why I mentioned if its better I could get an AIO system

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I currently run my 32 with a hob filter and weekly water changes, I do 5 or 10 gallons weekly, my nutrients are super low and no algae. I run 2 other smaller tanks with no filtration.

It sounds like you had a hard time previously but researching (which you are now doing) will make it easier for you, not necessarily more filtration know what I mean. IMO, keep a low bioload, feed twice daily small amounts and adjust the weekly water changes to the need of the tank and see how that goes.

A skimmer, a refugium, a fleece roller can all help, but I feel these are overkill on a tank this size for just 5 or 6 small fish. A heavy coral load is another form of biofiltration which will also absorb nutrients, adding macro algae to the tank can help absorb nutrients.

just my 2 cents though, good luck

 

[_LittleRed]

The mates im looking at getting for consist of a clown pair, wrasse, a lawnmower blenny and a valentini puffer along with harder corals along the way. (I also would like a gsp wall buut ive heard the puffer can nip at it but could be put in with caution so im considering it if at all possible)

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

IMO you are pushing the limits of the tank with a puffer, puffers are messy eating fish and they poop a lot, and going with a high load of fish, it really reduces the chances of success IMO, in terms of filtration and personal space for each fish. You need high filtration and luck to have good tempered fish. If you want these fish I would suggest the 40 might be better after all, perhaps even larger.

 

[_LittleRed]

Oh ok thank you! I cant go much bigger then a 40 so I could hold off on a puffer if thats better, I had look and a lot of sites said it would be heavy bioload but a valentini puffer is good in a 30-50 gallon so I assumed a 36 would be ok if I kept it small load with a clown paid and a wrasse and blenny for cuc

 

[ScottJ]

AIO tanks have some advantages for sure. Personally, I wouldn't go canister, but a lot of people use them to run great reef tanks. I like a sump. My 55 gallon tank isn't drilled either. I use a LifeReef overflow. It's been solid for 5 or 6 years now. It was a great investment.

I had heard mixed reviews on canister and saltwater so I was leaning more towards the other 2 buut I figured id throw it in incase someone with more experience shared their views thank you so much! Would a sump be better then an aio system?

The difference between an AIO aquarium and one was sump is simply that the all-in-one has its filtration chamber in the back. So if it's say a 30 gallon all in one aquarium, there might be 5 gallons worth of filtration chamber in a 25 gallon display area. Also an all-in-one aquarium would be a complete new purchase for you, since you can't use your old tank with it. If you like your old tank and you find it cost effective to add sump that could be a benefit to you. Or you may want to start fresh and buy something new. A lot of all in ones come with kits that have a return pump and skimmer and sometimes even lights and such. They are very easy to do maintenance on the filtration area, the sump, because it's up if I level. You don't have to bend down because a separate sump will be below the display tank. If that's something that you consider a benefit than an all-in-one is great! If you don't care about that you may want to convert your old tank.

 

[BryanM]

I always vote sump, but in your case an AIO seems like a better option. Sumps are just convenient for equipment, but if its open it will be an eyesore. Also, if you have dogs, and its open, I could see a dog peeing in the sump and that can't be good :p

 

[_LittleRed]

I always vote sump, but in your case an AIO seems like a better option. Sumps are just convenient for equipment, but if its open it will be an eyesore. Also, if you have dogs, and its open, I could see a dog peeing in the sump and that can't be good :p

I dont have a dog but I do have cats and they seem to like drinking anything (it had even climbed a chair to drink salt water from the opening under my filter) thats my one worry as apparently my cats not smart

 

[_LittleRed]

The difference between an AIO aquarium and one was sump is simply that the all-in-one has its filtration chamber in the back. So if it's say a 30 gallon all in one aquarium, there might be 5 gallons worth of filtration chamber in a 25 gallon display area. Also an all-in-one aquarium would be a complete new purchase for you, since you can't use your old tank with it. If you like your old tank and you find it cost effective to add sump that could be a benefit to you. Or you may want to start fresh and buy something new. A lot of all in ones come with kits that have a return pump and skimmer and sometimes even lights and such. They are very easy to do maintenance on the filtration area, the sump, because it's up if I level. You don't have to bend down because a separate sump will be below the display tank. If that's something that you consider a benefit than an all-in-one is great! If you don't care about that you may want to convert your old tank.

Its something ive considered talking to my husband about, we really didnt spend a ton on my tank as we bought it used and tbh its full of scratches that may not affect it, it does bug me lol would an AIO be ok under a heavy bioload? Ive read an valentini puffer, if we get one, does have a heavy bioload in a smaller tank so just wanna make sure i do everything right this time around

 

[docscorals]

The difference between an AIO aquarium and one was sump is simply that the all-in-one has its filtration chamber in the back. So if it's say a 30 gallon all in one aquarium, there might be 5 gallons worth of filtration chamber in a 25 gallon display area. Also an all-in-one aquarium would be a complete new purchase for you, since you can't use your old tank with it. If you like your old tank and you find it cost effective to add sump that could be a benefit to you. Or you may want to start fresh and buy something new. A lot of all in ones come with kits that have a return pump and skimmer and sometimes even lights and such. They are very easy to do maintenance on the filtration area, the sump, because it's up if I level. You don't have to bend down because a separate sump will be below the display tank. If that's something that you consider a benefit than an all-in-one is great! If you don't care about that you may want to convert your old tank.

Its something ive considered talking to my husband about, we really didnt spend a ton on my tank as we bought it used and tbh its full of scratches that may not affect it, it does bug me lol would an AIO be ok under a heavy bioload? Ive read an valentini puffer, if we get one, does have a heavy bioload in a smaller tank so just wanna make sure i do everything right this time around

I agree an AIO sound like the best option for you. I would be sure to look for one that has decent sized rear chambers as this would give you space for equipment, like a nano skimmer.

As for the puffer, I would not put that in anything less than 50 gallons and only if I had a skimmer and solid filtration. They are a heavy bio load because they are messy eaters. You can find 50 gallon AIOs. BRS has a liquid art AIO at a decent price since you would already have some of the key equipment.

 

[_LittleRed]

I agree an AIO sound like the best option for you. I would be sure to look for one that has decent sized rear chambers as this would give you space for equipment, like a nano skimmer.

As for the puffer, I would not put that in anything less than 50 gallons and only if I had a skimmer and solid filtration. They are a heavy bio load because they are messy eaters. You can find 50 gallon AIOs. BRS has a liquid art AIO at a decent price since you would already have some of the key equipment.

Ok actually this perfect! Thank you i know someone said it was pushing the limits but this actually helps alot
Unfortunately I can't go bigger then 40gal where we are but eventually when we are able to afford to buy something bigger both my husband and I would like a bigger tanks

 

[Privateye]

Sump would be my vote, either as a wet/dry or Berlin system. I've had success with canisters too though.

Canisters have a few drawbacks in marine systems:

1. They tend to be a pain to clean. If you're okay doing an easier cleaning procedure more-often, then just putting biomedia in the filter and adding a sponge to the intake can make things easier. You just pull the sponge off the pipe and clean it. No need to mess with the contents of the canister.

2. They offer less aeration. The outlets of these filters are often designed to be below the water level, so you often don't get much surface agitation when compared to other methods. This makes it harder to off-gas CO2, and your tank pH could sit a little lower because of it.

3. The flow rate drops as they get dirty. You'll need to stay on top of the cleaning. I use 2 canisters on my 125 gallon freshwater predator tank. I also run an air pump because when the filters get dirty, the fish start gasping without it. It's a high bioload tank though.

I would generally prefer a HOB filter to a canister in small reef tanks. They all work - they just have their pros and cons.