Best no live rock 'Coral Reef' filter system? [w/photos]

G

Gaspar

AC Members
May 15, 2007
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Was at LFS yesterday and was told that the best filter system for my new bottom plumbed 40 gal 'coral reef' tank which has no live rock will be a wet/dry bio ball system incorporating a protein skimmer. The tank has a lot of corals, torches, fish, inverts etc. as in attached photos. Was in the process of designing a 'full on' refugiam sump with deep sand bed, live rock, bubble baffles, grow light on timer, etc. based on the info, discussions and designs here in the Aquaria Central forum. [something like the Aqua Fuge Pro] The knowlegable LFS gent showed me the wet/dry bio balls and skimmer system used for their pristene live coral/invert display tank which also has no live rock elements... seems much simpler and straightforward. Fluval even has a wet/dry canister filter that looks very interesting - even has pulsating outflow... The bottom line question is: what kind of filter system is best for a no live rock 'coral reef' aquarium as in these photos.

BTW I am a new forum member who has learned a lot and is very much enjoying reading through the extremely informative posts throughout this excellent forum! Thanks for any very much appreciated input/comments!

:bowing:

AQ C.jpg attachment.jpg Close w:Fire Shrimp.jpg
 
The downside of a wet/dry is the potential for the bio-balls to trap detritus and create elevated nitrate levels. This is not a short term issue, but one that tends to pop-up over the course of many weeks or months. This can be addressed via regular rinsing of the bio-balls in old tank water during a water change, but is another maintenance step.

I'm not sure how a wet/dry and a skimmer is any more simple than a system with live rock and a skimmer, but I suppose that's just a matter of opinion.

In any coral tank, there is a need to keep nitrate levels under control to keep many corals happy. The bacteria living in the deep pores of live rock can aid in the break-down of nitrates, although a deep sand bed (4"+) is typically a better way to go for nitrate processing. A refugium with macroalgae growing in it can also be utilized to process nitrates. There are nitrate reactors / nitrate reducing media, but they are quite pricey.

In the end, there's no one way to set-up a coral tank. Pretty much everyone has their own little variations to it, and we all live and learn from our sucesses and our mistakes. Best of luck to you!
 
The inclusion of a goniopora (which is going to die no matter what) aside it seems most of those are corals that are hardy and can tolerate fluctuation in water quality. Also notice that there are very few fish in this tank, something that keeps the h20 quality in check. I say this because all these things add up to that tank working with inadequate filtration. You have to understand that the only real function of the bioballs is aeration. All that structure you see in the tank eventually becomes liverock as bacteria colonize it and that is where the majority of the bio filtration will take place. Far be it from me to judge someone else's methods, but I would hazard to say that if that tank was heavier stocked or had corrals with lower tolerances for bad water it would eventually crash. You also should really have a place for anaerobic bacteria to work. If you ever plan on having either of those things start right and use a refugium/deep sand bed/ skimmer/ and lots of live rock. Remember the idea is to mimic the ocean as closely as possible.
 
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