Tommy Gunnz
Fish Crazy
Hey all,
My 90 gallon saltwater tank has been up and running for a little bit over two months now and I have relied solely on natural filtration methods (80 pounds of live sand and 110 pounds of live rock, cured). I currenltly have three fish which produce higher amounts of wastes: A porcupine puffer, a V. Lionfish, and a snowflake moray eel. I have been keeping very good track of my water parameters and even with the addition of these fish, my tank has not fluctuated much in the areas of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. My Ph is 8.4 and my salinity is always between 1.022 and 1.024. The water is clear and I am only experiencing a medium amount of algea growth on the glass (brownish to green, looking like a moss) which is easy enough to wipe off the glass, usually every other day or so.
However, I am thinking about adding a canister filter to the tank, just to back up the natural filtration. I have read that doing so can be bad because these filters are hard to clean up and can make a mess on my carpet. However, the only good things I have heard have typically been in advertisements from the filter companies and so I do not know how reliable those would be. I am using a sump and so I think I could hide it all under and behind my tank's stand. What would your advice be to me on adding a filter? I know that at least in freshwater tanks, one cannot over filter. Does this remain true for saltwater tanks?
I have also wanted to add a UV sterilizer to my tank. I can get one for a decent price at any time and so this is not an issue for me. What would the pros and cons be of adding this? I have a good spot to cut into my existing plumbing to add it and could do so without turning anything off in the tank minus the power head pump. My problem may be the tank's water temperature. I think I am just on the verge of having to buy a chiller for the tank since during the day, the combination of pumps and lights keep my water around 80 to 82 degrees (F), but at night, I have a heater in my sump to ensure that the water does not drop below 76 degrees (f). I am wondering if a UV sterilizer will add some heat to the water and if so, could I just set it up on a timer so that it only runs at night time when the tank lights are off and the water cools down?
Thanks for any help, advice, or info you can give me!
My 90 gallon saltwater tank has been up and running for a little bit over two months now and I have relied solely on natural filtration methods (80 pounds of live sand and 110 pounds of live rock, cured). I currenltly have three fish which produce higher amounts of wastes: A porcupine puffer, a V. Lionfish, and a snowflake moray eel. I have been keeping very good track of my water parameters and even with the addition of these fish, my tank has not fluctuated much in the areas of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. My Ph is 8.4 and my salinity is always between 1.022 and 1.024. The water is clear and I am only experiencing a medium amount of algea growth on the glass (brownish to green, looking like a moss) which is easy enough to wipe off the glass, usually every other day or so.
However, I am thinking about adding a canister filter to the tank, just to back up the natural filtration. I have read that doing so can be bad because these filters are hard to clean up and can make a mess on my carpet. However, the only good things I have heard have typically been in advertisements from the filter companies and so I do not know how reliable those would be. I am using a sump and so I think I could hide it all under and behind my tank's stand. What would your advice be to me on adding a filter? I know that at least in freshwater tanks, one cannot over filter. Does this remain true for saltwater tanks?
I have also wanted to add a UV sterilizer to my tank. I can get one for a decent price at any time and so this is not an issue for me. What would the pros and cons be of adding this? I have a good spot to cut into my existing plumbing to add it and could do so without turning anything off in the tank minus the power head pump. My problem may be the tank's water temperature. I think I am just on the verge of having to buy a chiller for the tank since during the day, the combination of pumps and lights keep my water around 80 to 82 degrees (F), but at night, I have a heater in my sump to ensure that the water does not drop below 76 degrees (f). I am wondering if a UV sterilizer will add some heat to the water and if so, could I just set it up on a timer so that it only runs at night time when the tank lights are off and the water cools down?
Thanks for any help, advice, or info you can give me!
. Either of these media can be put in a women's nylon and squeezed in-between your sump bubble walls for a fraction of the cost of a canister filter. Although the cashiers may look at you funny when you go to buy knee high nylons 
. I just tell them I dance at a local transvestite club when I go to get a rise out of them 
