External Filter Use In A Saltwater Aquarium?

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phishyphil

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Hi there
 
So after 3 years in the Fresh water world, I am converting one of my tanks into a small FOWLR set up. ( 60 litre Small)
 
I know all the usually "the smaller the tank, the harder the maintenance" . However due to their being a new baby on the way, and the conditions of our lease, small is the only option! 
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So this is going to be 15G tank so not alot of room for error,
 
My question today is, I have a TetraTecEX600 filter which was used on the old tank. is there a use for this?
 
I have read that Salties tend to advise NOT to use externals with the usual Balls, ceramics and foams as they trap the dirt and become a source for nitrifying bacteria.
 
Would any of these work for the use of the filter?
   1) Place live rock in to the filter to give more filtration via LR?
   2) Place live rock Rubble in the filter to give more filtration?
   3) Leave the filter empty and use it as an additional water source. This will give me 10xTurnover, and an extra 5.5litres of water volume (1.4G)
 
?
 
Please help :)
 
 
In 15gal you won't have much in the way of stocking options, just to warn you. If you are an invert person you will be fine, but you can't put a bunch of fish in something that size like would be possible with a freshwater system. You'll need to stick to either one moderately-sized fish like with a shrimp goby pair or a couple of smaller fish like clown/neon gobies. 
 
 
I have read that Salties tend to advise NOT to use externals with the usual Balls, ceramics and foams as they trap the dirt and become a source for nitrifying bacteria.
 
 
This is the "nitrate factory" myth. I'm going to be adding a thing to the FAQ here soon on that (sorry it's not up yet), but the short version is that it's due to a misunderstanding of what's causing the problem. Nitrifying bacteria are GOOD. Otherwise you'd have ammonia sitting around. Too much nitrate means too much ammonia to begin with. Canisters and even hang-on filters can be a pain for sucking away uneaten food and other large particulate stuff that would normally stay IN the tank and be biologically consumed in some way. That stuff builds up and decays...ta-da, excess waste because the system is basically being over-fed. The solution is to prefilter the intakes and keep the prefilters clean, which is more maintenance and a lot of people don't like that. Poorly designed live rock stacks and other equipment can actually cause the exact same problem when stuff builds up in a trapped location. 
 
Mainly canisters just aren't necessary with the average FOWLR or reef because a sump is much better on big tanks and smaller tanks sometimes can get away with just diligent water changes, but canisters can absolutely be used (I use have two on an sumpless 55gal). You just have to not neglect them.
 
 
1) Place live rock in to the filter to give more filtration via LR?
   2) Place live rock Rubble in the filter to give more filtration?
 
 
Yes to these. That is exactly how I have one of my canisters set up. When it's "young" you would need to check it regularly to make sure it stays clean and doesn't silt up with fine particulates that sneak through the prefilter. After a while, bugs get going in there that act as a CUC for the canister, so that becomes less of an issue.
 
 
3) Leave the filter empty and use it as an additional water source. This will give me 10xTurnover, and an extra 5.5litres of water volume (1.4G)
 
 
Using the canister for chemical media like carbon is better than just using it as a source of flow. They're pretty inefficient flow sources compared to power heads.
 
With the 15 G I was intending to only have a few Cleaner Shrimp, and a pair of tank bread oscellaris clowns, and a few crabs. Nothing Major, just wanted to dip my toes into the salty side and see how it goes, then hopefully upgrade to a larger reef when funds/space is available.
 
Will look into the LR in the filter then 
 
Depending on what cleaners you want:
Peppermints: groups are fine.
Skunks and fires/bloods/scarlets: no more than a pair in a tank this size. They pair up and can be aggressive to interlopers.
Coral banded: no Stenopus hispidus in a tank this size, although smaller species would be ok. No skunks/fires if one of these goes in.
 
The tank is a little on the small side for clowns. 20gal (75L or so) is usually considered the minimum for them, although some people do keep them in smaller tanks. If you are intent on doing clowns instead of smaller fish or something like a shrimp goby pair then I'd recommend just doing a single clown rather than a pair. 
 
Ok then. I Will look at peppermint shrimp. May try to source a 125 litre tank from ebay to allow a little more selection on the stocking. 
 

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