Salt Water Fish Tank Filter Systems
June 30th, 2009 | 
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Choosing the between all the various salt water fish tank filtration systems can be confusing to say the least. But, before you choose your specific system, there are a few points you must know no matter which system you choose. Keep in mind filtration is a very important part of your tank, so don’t rush through this step.
In natural habitats, the fish have an ample areas in which to live. In your tank, they are confined to a relatively small quantity of water. In your tank, waste products can quickly build up and spell disaster. That’s where the filter comes in.
Four factors have a huge impact on the success of your tank, and your filtration system. You must have an adequate biological base, the appropriate choice of animals, not over-populate, and don’t over feed. Get one of these factors wrong, and you most likely will have problems with your saltwater tank.
Biological filtration is the most important sector of salt water fish tank filter systems. The biological filters are living organisms within your tank. They consume oxygen and waste material within your tank. It’s not something you can add. They will occur naturally within your saltwater fish tank.
Mechanical Filtration
The second type of filtration for your tank is mechanical filtration. This is where you choose the type of salt water filter system you will use in your new tank.
Mechanical filtration strains the solid particles from your tank water. It will not remove solids trapped by gravel, or other items within your tank. A good mechanical filter traps enough solids to keep your water clear, without becoming clogged frequently.
Smaller openings catch finer particles and are clogged
faster than a larger opening. Keep this in mind as you choose your mechanical filtration system.
Types of Mechanical Filters
For years, the corner filter has been the least expensive and most used type of salt water fish tank filtration systems. These clear plastic boxes sit inside the tank. An air stone bubbles air through an airlift tube, which forces water through a bed of filter floss mechanically filtering the water.
Today there are better methods,that don’t take up space, look nicer, and perform well.
Power filters are used by many. You’ll find many styles of power filters. The most common hangs on the back of the tank. A siphon tube pulls water from the tank into the filter box and passes the water though a mechanical filter. An internal pump returns the filtered water into the aquarium. Power filters come in many sizes suited for small to large aquariums
Under-gravel filters work by slowly passing water through the gravel on the bottom, which sits on top of a perforated plate. The water pumped with an airlift, with bubbles air lifting the water in a vertical tube attached to the filter plate. One problem is that the gravel clogs up with waste creating a health risk for your fish.
Sponge filters are an efficient,cheap form of biological filtration. Water is forced through porous foam by air bubbling through an airlift tube. Water flowing though the sponge allows the growth of a colony of beneficial bacteria that neutralizes toxic ammonia.
Chemical Filtration
Chemical filtration removes dissolved wastes from aquarium water. The most popular chemical filtration is the carbon filter method. Your water is filtered through gas activated carbon. The best GAC for filtering water is made from coal and is
macro-porous (larger pores).
Cris Stanford
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/salt-water-fish-tank-filter-systems-50342.html
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Salt water fish tank filters?
Now I need help with the filters. It’s a 35 gal salt water tank that was a fresh water tank not filled yet. I was told I could use a Bio wheel, but after looking into it they seem to have alot of faults, as the wheel stops turning from time to time, and if you loose power and the wheel dries out you’re screwed. I have a Aqua Pure 200 that is rated very good for all 3 types of filtering that I used on my fresh water tank that worked very well. I know the filter system in a salt water tank is somewhat different then fresh, but I was told again that the AP200 along with a powerhead would be fine for that size tank, was I informed right? To set up my tank I plan on using the sand sold in the store, and live rock, then let it cycle for a few weeks. Is that enough to get the Bio going? Or do I need to do anything else? I was also told I do not need air stones in a salt tank as I did in fresh water tank as long as I have a powerhead?
New to site, not sure how to respond to your answers, Help
you could try what you have, if you don’t think it is doing the job I would recommend a fluval filtration system, they are a bit more expensive but there is minimal maintenance on them and they work soo good. It also depends on the kind of fish you are going to be putting in. Small reef fish are pretty clean but if youre going to have something like a puffer then you really need some serious filtration. I converted my freshwater tank over to salt with my existing filtration and it was fine until I got mr. puffer, he was such a dirty boy I had to upgrade. Also of course the amount of fish you have in there will make a difference in what you need.
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fish keeper of 15 years
The aquapure should be good for a start – I had a double-chambered hang-on-tank and two powerheads (1 high, 1 low) when I started my first saltwater (a 29 gallon with live rock). Just make sure you have adequate water movement (5 – 10 times the tank volume per hour with the combined gph ratings of your powerhead and filter – a little more won’t hurt). A second powerhead could be used to create a cross-current. At some point, you should look into getting a protein skimmer for your tank as well. I’d let the tank cycle for 3-4 weeks and check ammonia, nitrites (both should be =0), and nitrates before you add fish. The actual amount of time will depend on the amount and condition of your live rock, so if you use a test kit to check water chemistry, you’ll know when the time is right.
Try adding some peaceful (but hardy and cheap) fish first – most people start with damsels, which are cheap and hardy, but most are very aggressive once they’ve had the tank to themselves!
Welcome to the site (and to saltwater fishkeeping!). If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!
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Correct. Biowheels are not very reliable especiall for a salt tank. I personally use back pack filters on my tank with protein skimmers. However one of my 30 salts has a whisper filter no power heads and no skimmer and it is the oldest tank I have.
AP200 and a power head are fine.
I will warn you however, forget what you know about fresh water since salt is a different beast. a MINIMUM of 6 weeks your tank will have to run empty to have enough bacteria to support salt fish and only the lower hearty end fish like damsels. NO INVERTS. Your live rock as well is best to WAIT. and there are reasons for that. LIVE ROCK will not cycle your tank faster than mother nature allows. 6 weeks with or without rock. It will take a minimum of 6 months before you can buy things like anemone’s, tangs triggers, sweetlips etc. You WILL loose your fish. It takes that long for the total bio to kick in. DO NOT let anyone tell you differently.
Here is a salt water how to for newbees. I hope it will help you.
Some of this may seem mundane but it is what I tell everyone when starting a salt tank.
Congratulations! At least you are starting on the right foot. Figuring out what you will need to get started. First and I would like to stress this one word, PATIENCE.
First step for your tank is figuring out where you are going to put it. Remember with a salt water tank, you are going to have to leave room behind the tank for access, filters etc. About 8-12 inches. (This will also help to protect walls from salt evaporation. I’ll explain later) Once you have that, we are ready to start.
Do you have a local fish store to trust? One that relies on good fish keeping and good advice to stay in business. Find one even if you have to drive a few miles out of your way. They can be a large asset when it comes to fish.
Do you have any ideas on what you might want to keep? Or is this a "we’ll start with a blank canvas and see where it goes?" thing?
To start, a regular hood, no special lights will suffice for now. (until you see if this is what you really want to advance to)
To start, you do not NEED a skimmer. They are prefered but, my 30 gallon has never had a skimmer or power heads and still doesn’t. I hate to use the word cheap, just less expensive. And you can still have a healthy tank.
A rear whisper filter designed for a 75 gallon tank will suffice for now. This will run around $50 at walmart of all places. Your best bet is to shop around. You can if you choose to go with a back pack filter which come preequiped with a protein skimmer for around $150.00. This could save time and money later when upgrading.
For a beginner, I would suggest dolomite (Crushed coral) for the bottom of your tank (Easier to care for). If you are not going to be runninga protein skimmer, this will make cleaning much easier. You will also want to get a gravel siphon for cleaning (these can range from a couple of bucks to upwards of $50. You don’t need anything fancy, just a siphon). A heater is a must $10-15), thermometer $1.95 In the tank only a floater of one that attaches doesn’t matter. It should be placed the farthest from your heater as possible.) A hydrometer These can run from a few dollars and up. Just a floating hydrometer is fine. around $4.00. Some packages of salt you will purchase sometimes come with a hydrometer, so this may help. Instant Ocean makes a quality synthetic salt. ($22.00). (When you start moving up in the salt water I would suggest switching to Red Sea Salt.) Power heads are beneficial, but at this point not necessary. They can be added on at any time. Get a quality Dechlorinator. (DO NOT USE start right or stress coat in your marine tank) AquaNova + is a good dechlor and it also adds back trace minerals to the water. One or two 5 gallon buckets. $2.29 each at home depot.
Ok I think we are ready to start. Be sure your tank is clean. You can use a salt water mix to clean your tank. There is also an aquarium cleaner you can buy but for your tank, a mix of 1/2 cup of salt dissolved in a gallon of water will do. (no specifics here.) Clean the tank rinse and let’s get started.
If you chose to use the dolomite you do not want to use more than will cover 1 1/2 – 2 inches across the bottom. (Sand will require the same) Use a kitchen sive and clean the gravel by rinsing it. Dump the gravel into the bucket and swish the heck out of it. Drain and rinse again.
(You will only do this if you are using dry dolomite. LIVE dolomite and live sand do not get rinsed)
Pour the gravel into the bottom of your tank. Doesn’t need to be flattened yet since you are going to be dumping water into your tank and this is going to dislocate it anyway. Using your 5 gallon buckets, fill just about 4 gallons or 4 1/5 depending on how much you can lift. Add the required amount of Dechlor and then the salt. (Usually 1.5 pounds or 24 oz per 5 gallons, however I have never used that much to obtain a 1.022 gravity in my tank.) I start by adding a cup mixing to disolve (and I use warm tap water here) I will check the hydrometer to see how far off I am and either add more salt or more fresh water. Since you are setting up your tank, obtaining an exact 1.022 is not that important right now, getting close is. Continue dissolving salt and new water until your tank is about 3-4 inches from the top. Attach your filter (be sure it is rinsed well as well as the filters) if you choose to use a rear filter. Even so a back pack filter also needs rinsed. Now we have water movement.
I did not mention anything about live rock or any other items for your tank yet. At this stage since you REALLY should not try to cycle your salt water this early with live rock. If you only knew what things grow on and in the rock, don’t waste your money now. It really isn’t needed. Now that your tank is running. Check the water with the hydrometer. you should be pretty close to your 1.022 range. Slightly higher or lower isn’t going to matter. Turn your heater on and set it for around 78. Finish topping off your tank with salt mixed water. Don’t forget to add dechlor to every bucket. Congratulations, your tank is now set up. Now comes the waiting. And you will wait. To aid in the tanks cycling, but does not replace cycling, take a few pieces of raw fish or shrimp, chop them up and toss them intothe tank. This will help the bacteria establish more quickly leading to a healther tank later. Get a notebook. Markdown the day you set your tank up and what you did and what you used. Do this with water changes and tests. This way you have a record of what was done.
Let it run. Continue to run the lights during the day and off at night. After about a week, check your water quality. I would suggest a really good test kit, and strips. I use the strips (I call them dummy strips since they are very broad ranged and are not accurate enough for fishkeeping) to initially test. Then I compair them with what I get from my water tests. I mark the results down in my note book with the day. If you don’t trust yourself enough to read the water, take it to your LFS. They will do it for you. Your tank will have to run a minimum of 6 weeks with nothing in it. Do not try to rush this process. Salt water is not the same as fresh water. Shrimp, anemone or even fish are less tolorent of water conditions.
If you really MUST have something swimming around, after 3 weeks, you can buy a black mollie or a couple of guppies. They will live fine in your tank at this time. They are the only fish to attempt. Placing damsels would kill the damsels since they are not the same kind of fish mollies and guppies are. You really do not need to do any water changes during the break in time. If you are showing spiking of nitrates, you may want to do a 20% water change. After your 6 week break in period, test your water. If all the parmiters are ok, you can begin with the lower end fish. Damsels. DO NOT TRY to place triggers or tangs or puffers into your tank. The bacteria is present, but not established and it will kill these fish. If your damsels are doing fine in two weeks, you can start adding live rock to build up your substraight. You can buy as little as pound or ten pounds. You can buy dead corals, fake corals, or whatever you want to decorate your tank. Your tank will need to sit for a minimum of 6 months before you can attempt the higher end fish.
I test my tanks every three days. I only do a water change of 25% once every three to four weeks. My tanks are established however and are pretty much on their own.
A few rules of thumb when dealing with salt fish. Keep your hands out! The more your hands remain out of the tank, the better your fish will be.
DO not spray anything in the room your tank is in.
Now you can start thinking about breeding brine shrimp, and what other fish you are interested in getting. Remember to do your research, since fish require different lighting, water paramiters and are or are not compatable with reef, invertabreas etc.
Good luck. If you have any additional question feel free to email me.
PS I will be traveling for a tourny this week and may not have a lot of access to the PC. I will get back to you.
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