questions on my filtration

lmack7 · 11/04/2013, 11:41 PM

so this is my first saltwater tank and it is a 20 gallon. the overflow flows onto what i believe is called a blue bonded filter pad(by the way i bought the tank setup like this). under the pad is ceramic rings, followed by bioballs. in the next chamber is my heater and protein skimmer. from there the water flows up through a beige filter pad and another blue one,then gets pumped back into the tank. the tank has 20 lbs of live rock. so is the biological filtration to much? shoud i take out the rings and bioballs?

and also, what type of maintainence should i do on the filter pads? clean monthly or replace monthly?

thanks for the help!

patsfan1130 · 11/05/2013, 08:16 AM

I would ditch the balls/rings - clean the pads weekly in the sink - rock & skimmer will carry the load for you. The pads will do a nice job of trapping particulate matter and keeping the water clear but it's very important to keep those pads clean.

lmack7 · 11/12/2013, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsfan1130

I would ditch the balls/rings - clean the pads weekly in the sink - rock & skimmer will carry the load for you. The pads will do a nice job of trapping particulate matter and keeping the water clear but it's very important to keep those pads clean.

How would you suggest doing that? All at once or will that cause a biological disturbance?

StaySalty · 11/12/2013, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lmack7

How would you suggest doing that? All at once or will that cause a biological disturbance?

How old is the tank? Do you have any livestock?

lmack7 · 11/12/2013, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StaySalty

How old is the tank? Do you have any livestock?

About 3 weeks still cycling and has an emarald crab and peppermint shrimp

StaySalty · 11/12/2013, 12:57 AM

Since the tank is still cycling, it wouldn't really matter if you removed everything at once. But since you have the pep shrimp and emerald, you may wanna remove it in parts. So remove like 30% one day, 30-40% another day, and another 10-20% some other day.

11/04/2013, 11:41 PM	#1
lmack7 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: coto de caza Posts: 35	questions on my filtration so this is my first saltwater tank and it is a 20 gallon. the overflow flows onto what i believe is called a blue bonded filter pad(by the way i bought the tank setup like this). under the pad is ceramic rings, followed by bioballs. in the next chamber is my heater and protein skimmer. from there the water flows up through a beige filter pad and another blue one,then gets pumped back into the tank. the tank has 20 lbs of live rock. so is the biological filtration to much? shoud i take out the rings and bioballs? and also, what type of maintainence should i do on the filter pads? clean monthly or replace monthly? thanks for the help!

11/05/2013, 08:16 AM	#2
patsfan1130 Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Woburn, Ma Posts: 2,010	I would ditch the balls/rings - clean the pads weekly in the sink - rock & skimmer will carry the load for you. The pads will do a nice job of trapping particulate matter and keeping the water clear but it's very important to keep those pads clean. __________________ My cat's breath smells like cat food Member of the Boston Reefers Society Current Tank Info: 75g lps, 90g sps, 120g mixed, 180 nem tank, 300g reef, 600g up & coming reef

11/12/2013, 12:57 AM	#6
StaySalty Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 279	Since the tank is still cycling, it wouldn't really matter if you removed everything at once. But since you have the pep shrimp and emerald, you may wanna remove it in parts. So remove like 30% one day, 30-40% another day, and another 10-20% some other day.