To filter or not to filter....

[Bigchowder]

Hey everyone, got another noobie question.

I was at the LFS looking at some live rock and struck up a conversation with the owner about my first reef setup and how excited I was. We started talking about the teps to take and he mentioned to me that with a reef I should stay away from ALL filters - canister or otherwise. He said if I have a good protein skimmer I would not need a filter. However, I was at another LFS over the weekend and he said I should definitely have a good filter.

Which information is correct? What do you all think?

Thank you for lending me your expertise!

[chich0]

i have a protein skimmer and a sump full off LR and a DSB. no filter sponges, just a little bit off wool in my backdrop.

[Jason25]

From what I have read and been told, once you have a good skimmer and the right amount of LR, mechanical filtration is not needed.

[ragvette]

I would recommend no mechanical filtration but get a good skimmer. You could use a filter bag in the sump to filter some of the larger waste in the water. Just make certain you clean it when required.

[mempho reefer]

I suggest some form of carbon filtration. You don't have to run it all the time. I do it about once every couple of weeks for two or three days just to polish the water.

[BigAl07]

Originally Posted by Bigchowder

Hey everyone, got another noobie question.

I was at the LFS looking at some live rock and struck up a conversation with the owner about my first reef setup and how excited I was. We started talking about the teps to take and he mentioned to me that with a reef I should stay away from ALL filters - canister or otherwise. He said if I have a good protein skimmer I would not need a filter. However, I was at another LFS over the weekend and he said I should definitely have a good filter.

Which information is correct? What do you all think?

Thank you for lending me your expertise!

I'm thrilled you got THAT information from your LFS. That's an excellent answer and we don't get that a lot from our LFS's because they want to sell you filters on top of filters and then all the goodies that go IN the filters. Consider yourself lucky


Your Live Sand, Live Rock and a good quality protein skimmer will go a LONG way in keeping your water quality high. Like has been suggested we sometimes run a carbon bag here and there just to give the water a nice polish and I drop one into the sump anytime I have any concerns about water quality. Some of our corals will launch a chemical attack in the tank and the carbon helps remove pollutants like that.

Next question

[goldenmean]

The important lesson here is about your 2 LFS.
One just wants to sell filters you dont need.
The other has at least one employee that knows something about Reefing!

[AQTCJAK]

I partially agree with everything said thus far with a few exceptions mechanical filtration is a great primary filtration. For example I set up 90% of my systems this way

Drain from the tank through Poly filter or filter sock the through ammonia pad the posphate pad the a carbon pillow this is for the chemical warfar spoken of & also water clarity,

The the protien skimmer & UV then back to the tank if there is a refugium in the mix it is feed driecrtly from the tank & returned into the area of the skimmer & the UV then to the tank

Mechanical filtration on its own is a far cry from effective filtration but when added @ the right point it is very effective & if the LFS is no gready your cost is minimal per month

[BigAl07]

jack's exactly right. I always have some form of mechanical running but it's usually small and readily changeable. I tend to over look some of my own obvious items. In my Nano-Cube I have a store bought filter sheet that I simply replace 2x week. I yank and replace. At home I have a "Whisper" #1 filter pad sitting in my Fuge. It's got filter floss and a small amount of carbon in it. Same as above.. yank & replace.

[prow]

stick with the LFS that said

"He said if I have a good protein skimmer I would not need a filter"

you dont need any type of mech filter. some like them but you dont need them at all. i recommend you set it up with out one. read up and learn the +/- of a filter sock or other mech filtration and decide for yourself if you want to use it. myself i dont use one, tanks great no problems or floating stuff or anything. i dont use a filter sock because i know me, i will let it sit too long. dont mind emptying my skimmer cup daily but rinsing the sock a couple times a week is something that i just dont want to deal with, not that its hard, its just me.

[Bigchowder]

Man, am I glad I joined this site! Just look at all this great advice!

Thank you, everybody. I really appreciate it. You can be sure there will be more rookie questions to come.

As for now, will be picking up my new tank setup and equipment this weekend. Saw some cured Fiji live rock I have my eye on - that might be next.

I will be sure to post what I buy to get everyone's expert opinion.

Thanks!

[Witfull]

my 210 has 2 drains from the tank. one goes through a sock, the other doesnt. my skimmer pulls from the sump and returns to the sump. the skimmer return goes through a sock. i wash them appx every 2 weeks. washing machine delicate cycle, mini load, hot water and a 1.5 cups vinigar. second rinse cycle.

[Reefcraze_1]

You don't need artificial filtration other than a protein skimmer. Once you have enough live rock or live sand you should be fine, you may consider running a refugium

[XBwlr]

The only time I use a filter sock is when I use a turkey baster to blow the detritus off the rocks.

Leave the sock in until the water is somewhat clear, then remove it.

[JT101]

I run a Vortex Diatom Filter 1x/month just for peace of mind, and of course it "polishes" the water to crystal-clear clarity.

Other than that, I just run a skimmer and a ton of LR.