40G reef tank - good filtration w/o a sump or fuge ??

[Gort]

Although I'm favoring an AIO Nano Cube type setup, I'm still drawn to longer tanks with a bit larger capacity for fish. What would be good filtration options for a 40G reef tank if I didn't want a fuge or sump?

Skimmer plus live rock/sand or ??

 

[dieden]

You nailed it right there.. I would send skimmerwhisperer a pm on the skimmer he would recommend.

 

[Scooterman]

Although I'm favoring an AIO Nano Cube type setup, I'm still drawn to longer tanks with a bit larger capacity for fish. What would be good filtration options for a 40G reef tank if I didn't want a fuge or sump?

Skimmer plus live rock/sand or ??

Get a good skimmer for sure, doing WC's with a siphon and sucking up the Detritus frequently does wonders, maybe a carbon sack in a chamber to push water through it, phosphate remover if you have issues but that may be all you need, depending on your bio-load. If you go with lots of fish then you may need more to process the larger demand. Start off small and go from there, don't rush it and you'll see what you need as you go.

 

[Gort]

I'll ping the skimmerwhisperer - in the meantime are there decent HOB skimmers?

 

[Krish]

Take a look in here. http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/f204/15-gallon-tank-setup-ideas-59338/. Mark (skimmerwhisperer) recommended a few skimmers in that thread that would work on bigger tanks as well .

 

[Gort]

I spoke to Mark this evening - he recommended I check out the Aquamaxx HOB and the Hydor Slim Nano.

 

[Gort]

For a tank that size, is there a consensus on HOB power filters? Well, maybe not a consensus but at least some experienced feedback....

 

[Chichas01]

By power filter, do you mean canister filter? For a FO tank not much of a problem but they can be nitrate factories for reef tanks if you are not extremely diligent on keeping them clean.

 

[Gort]

By power filter, do you mean canister filter? For a FO tank not much of a problem but they can be nitrate factories for reef tanks if you are not extremely diligent on keeping them clean.

I was considering a power filter such as and Aquaclear 70. The Hydor Slim Skimmers look pretty good when it gets to that point. I think I'm correct that powerheads will be necessary to improve internal circulation.

 

[Krish]

I was considering a power filter such as and Aquaclear 70. The Hydor Slim Skimmers look pretty good when it gets to that point. I think I'm correct that powerheads will be necessary to improve internal circulation.

A power filter is different from a skimmer. Most people don't use powerfilters in reef setups unless they are using it for a place to run carbon or they want something to catch waste (like a sponge or cartridge) but you have to be very careful going that route. You would want to change or replace that sponge or cartridge every few days as the waste it traps, will begin to rott and degrade water quality so in most cases, people just skip the power filters (and canister filters). In your case where you are considering not using a sump where some people would run carbon, then a powerfilter may be your only option if you want to run some carbon (unless you buy some sort of reactor which would require a feed pump to sit in your tank). As for powerheads, yes, they are necessary to improve circulation in a tank. In instances where a closed loop type setup is not an option, powerheads are the way to go. You want enough flow in your tank to keep all waste/detritus etc in suspension into the water column so it can be "filtered out". Any deadspot in your tank where flow is lacking is a potential problem area for waste to collect and degrade water quality and as we all know, when water quality goes down, usually nuicance algae starts to grow so you would want to try as best as possible to create some nice flow in your tank. Also, if you plan to keep corals, they will require good flow as well as they can't move about like fish to catch their food, but will require the flow to bring it to them.

Just a few thoughts.