Filtration and flow
I have a 54 corner tank that is reef/fish and I am wondering if 50 lbs live rock and my CPR back pack 2r with carbon and phosphate removal in a biomedia bag put in the return chamber is enough for filtration? I have two rio 1100 for flow in the 54 corner, is that enough again it is a reef/fish tank.
>>
Call me a worry wart, but I would add a bit of redundancy here for your 54... Either a BIG hang on power filter, or a good canister filter....like an Eheim... 
The added biological, mechanical filtration at minimal operating cost will give you needed aeration, circulation, flexibility, margin for error... and peace of mind.
Bob Fenner

100 gallon reef/fish tank, filtration choices, sources
I've written a couple of times about the 100 gallon and thanks for your recommendations. I have finally gotten the filtration (sort of) and stand out of the way now on to lighting.
<Hmm>
My tank is 60'' long. I have been looking at the pc fixtures offered by championlighting and FF Xpress
<Two good choices>
Question:
1) I have noticed the light tubes are not 60''. They are somewhat shorter and inside the hood the bulbs overlap in the middle. This leaves about 6'' on either end of the fixture that is not covered by all four tubes but only two tubes. From my understanding, I would say the middle of the fixture is giving 4x 96 watts but the 6'' on either end of the fixture is giving 2x96 watts. Is this correct? Will the difference be enough to cause dead spots? Does it matter?
<Good points, and practically speaking... not much...>
2) VHO bulbs are 60'' and it seems to me they would give a better distribution of light but I don't really know how I feel about the "180 degree built in reflector. . ."
<With a white reflector above and to the sides this is a minor concern>
3) I've been looking at these new refugiums that hang on the back of the aquarium and are sold by Petwarehouse among others (about $100). The one I'm looking at is 24'' long and 4'' wide. Is this type of refugium worth having?
<Absolutely... a friend and I experimented with making ones about like this (now made by/for CPR, Ecosystem...) and never got "to market", but have them working (now for years) on tanks here... they work.>
4) I have been reading GARF and the plenum idea appeals to me. Some other authors write that plenums work but a delicate balance is needed and plenums have the possibility of causing real problems with the tank. Assuming that you recommend having a plenum. . .could I use undergravel filter plates (stop up the pump hole) as a plenum? 
<Yes to all>
I have nightmares about having 100 lbs of live rock in a tank and having to take all of it out because the plenum isn't functioning. Plenum--Refugium---Plenum----Refugium---BOTH? HELP!!! Other currently used filtration includes an Eheim canister and a Remora Aqua C skimmer.
<Both would be better than just either one>
5) Would a sump with some live sand, Caulerpa spp., and live rock cancel the need for either a refugium or a plenum?
<Hmm, supplant, yes, to a large degree...>
As always, thanks for your generous (product unbiased) opinions. I'm trying to be budget conscious but jeez, there's so much equipment it's hard to tell what's needed. I called the guys at GARF about these questions and they wouldn't talk about anything they don't sell. Surprising . . .
<Not surprising... but disappointing.>
I want you guys to get an online store where I can use the good old debit card to buy books and more. . .at good prices. . . .
<Yikesville! Another job!? Will send this suggestion along.>
Friend in Fish, David Dowless
<Thank you my friend. Bob Fenner>

Reef Filtration
Dear Bob, I know you are a very busy man and answer some questions hundreds of times. I would like to thank you in advance for any help you could be to me.
<You're welcome>
I have a 125 all glass tank the lighting is 2 40 w actinics 2 40 w super daylight and 175 w MH 10000 the act lights come on at 6 am the daylights at 7 and the MH at 8 they go off MH at 7 day at 8 and act at 9 does this seem ok? 
<Yes, for...?>
I am using 75 lbs live sand and 90 lbs live rock I also have a twenty gallon tank that I use as a sump where I run a Berlin skimmer powered by a rio 3100 the return pump is a rio 1700 The over flow is a small hang on type with a small foam prefilter. Is this sufficient for this size of tank I also have a rio 1700 and the return and one other power head for circulation in the main tank.
<Sounds good so far>
The tank has been setup for four weeks I've already added two clowns a dragon wrasse sleeper goby scooter blenny red brittle star a serpent star a few scarlet crabs Astrea snails and Nassarius snails a Condylactis an and a carpet an. 
<Yikes... slow down on that stocking...>
I plan to more to my clean up crew this weekend. 
<For browsers here, I'd have added the clean up crew only by now...>
I really hated to add all of this to tank this sooner but I already had these creatures in another tank and due to certain things could not wait any longer however everything seems to be doing fine except my ph is 8.6 and I have green algae which covers all the glass daily I clean the front but leave the rest till I can get a better cleanup crew.
<Ah, starting to make more sense>
I plan to keep some soft corals and polyps and probably 3 or 4 more fish. Is there anything I should change in this set up and could you advise any additives right now I just plan to use b-ionic 2 part for alk and calcium.
Thanks Randy and Tina
<Do just keep an eye on alkalinity and your calcium levels. All should work out soon... will you be adding lighting and macro-algae to the sump? Bob Fenner>

Re: Reef Filtration
Hi Bob thanks for the and yes I would like to add macro algae to my sump but I think I will have to wait till I can build a bigger one as it is crowded as it is and there is no room for rock or sand. Thanks Randy and Tina
<Ah, sounds good. Be chatting my friends. Bob Fenner>

Before I buy the lighting (reef filtration)
One more question. I have been reading night and day lately about keeping a reef. I have read about sumps, refugiums, wet/dry filters, etc. At this point, I know very little about these pieces of equipment. I will learn but could you give me a heads-up if I can maintain a reef without these items.
<Yes, you can... these tools can just make the whole project simpler, more predictable by providing more constant, faster reacting filtration, more volume>
Before I spend $400 for lights, I want to know if I can have a nice, healthy reef with the following setup:
55g standard
45 lbs Fiji LR
~4" DSB (120 lbs HD Southdown sand)
PC (which ones yet to be determined)
Hang on Protein skimmer (currently on tank)
Hang on AquaClear mechanical filter (currently on tank)
2 power heads (one back left, one back right)
One airstone
Can I keep a nice reef? Can I keep all inverts, possibly including hard corals and a clam?
<Yes, yes... but would definitely add more mechanical filtration here... w/o this, you will have a too-narrow safety margin (even if tank/system in "balance" overall) and could have real trouble should "something" go wrong... Do consider a sump here... and keep studying... more fun, discoveries to come. Bob Fenner>
Thanks for the continued help!
Susie

LFS concerns
I have spoke with him before, he just happens to be my neighbor.  Marine aquariums are not big here...about 6 ppl, the only saltwater tank he has is his display.
<You just got to keep trying with this guy. I have the same problem. There is an LFS here in Vegas that houses all (including SPS!) of his corals under about 1.5 watts per gallon of regular fluorescents until they are sold which often takes weeks or even months. Anything that isn't sold within the first month dies quickly thereafter. I've tried to explain to this guy why the corals don't survive (lighting...DUH!). He said none of the corals needed light because he fed them daily with mysis and brine shrimp!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Ignorance is curable. When ignorance is mixed with stupidity, the situation is hopeless, IMO>
With the next LFS not really local at 3 hours away, the prices are unbelievably high.
<Buy a lot of stuff in one trip or keep trying to educate this other LFS>
It was a real culture shock moving to this area 7 years ago, and until 2 years ago... he had no marines.  So this is why I just can't understand him at least taking his diseased fish out of the display, especially since I have doubts that his supplier would credit him for a fish he has had for at least 7 weeks.
<Shop owners have ways to get the credit. The next time he receives a shipment of tangs he'll just report one or more of the new ones as "dead." If the LFS has a long term relationship with the supplier, he most likely won't need to produce a carcass>
My contact with ppl that knew anything at all about saltwater tanks has been non-existent, and finding WWM has been like finding an oasis.
<Fantastic!>
It's funny to see how much things have changed though, especially as far as filtration and tank setup.  Now I am looking at my setup and wondering  what I should do to improve it.  I've been running a Marineland magnum 350 with it's output split to it's standard output and a bio-wheel pro 30, Marineland 660 powerhead just for extra circulation at bottom, and my soon to be replaced Skilter 250. I have had this setup since 94 on a Oceanic 55g FO with very light bio loads  The Skilter will be replaced by aqua c remora, not sure if I should get the pro or not for this size tank.  I had wanted to add another canister (Fluval 404)with the suction line opposite my magnum, but after reading the horror's ppl have had with canisters... I'm not sure now.  I have always done ok with canisters though.  I will be slowly adding LR and upgrading my lighting, but nothing for the next 6 months except for maybe 10#'s of LR to see how it goes. Any comments on altering/changing filtration short of a sump would be helpful.   
<For a reef tank? Consider a plenum with deep sandbed. The mechanical filtration that you have is adequate but it will eventually produce lots of nitrates. If this is a FO that will not be a problem. In a reef tank it will eventually be problematic. At least get a really good skimmer and get it pulling lots of stuff out of the water ASAP>
-Chris
<David Dowless>

Reef Filtration
What should the filtration on a 200 gal reef system be? What is optimum I mean ? 
<this is determined by the intended bio-load (largely feeding and fish levels/mass). On average... a lot of live rock, two skimmers cleaned alternately and modest chemical filtration is all that is needed. Simple and natural>
There will be a Heteractis Magnifica in this tank also so I don't know if that will put a hamper on the filtration needs. 
<anemones do not belong in reef tanks... they are nightmares and I would bet VERY good money that your anemone will die if not cause a major disaster in this tank within 2 years like most in mixed invert gardens do. Many reasons for this not the least of which is the fact that you are placing a motile stinging Cnidarian in with sessile stinging cnidarians (coral). This is especially true is you intend to have any LPS corals like Hammer, Octopus, Galaxea, Elegant, etc. Please keep this anemone in a sun lit species specific tank if you must have one>
Wet/dry , 
<nix the W/D... an unnecessary nitrate producing machine unless you will have a heavy fish load>
Chemical, Biological, Skimming, 
<all good>
UV, 
<also unnecessary unless you are building a phyto reactor for it. Else it will kill desirable plankton. If used for disease control... save your money and set up a proper quarantine tank instead>
etc. There will also be at least 200 lbs of live rock and some various fish and inverts and maybe a few corals. There a 2 coral life MH over it and that is it. I am thinking of adding a coral life combo hood MH/fluorescent to it also so 4 MH a 2 fluorescent. Is this adequate for a Magnifica and some corals? 
<yes...likely, although I wouldn't take coral life MH lamps/fixtures for free. Do consult message boards on this topic for an intelligent consensus>
IS there a grave possibility this species of anemone will eat my fish
<nope... it will get stung by a coral or die in an intake/overflow strainer first>
and if so is there a better large anemone? 
<most anemones are somewhat to very challenging to keep. My advice is to admire them from afar. They also suffer terribly from collections where many/most coral are unaffected. A conscientious choice>
Any and all you help is greatly appreciated. 
John fin) 
P.S. The corals I am wanting to add are Acroporas and maybe and anchor or possibly an elegance or a flower pot polyp. yes/no?
<enjoy the Acroporas and other sps corals and leave out the elegance and flowerpot... they are notoriously difficult (one because of collections, the other hardiness). Please review the Wet Web Media archives for information on these corals...there is A LOT on these species. Best regards, Anthony>

Reef Questions- follow up
Hi Thank you very much for a fast reply Anthony, I do have a Berlin from red sea, 
<I like other models for lower nutrient reef systems, indeed>
but not using them anymore since I'm in a favor of, but I'm currently using EV150 from AquaC, but water level has to be consistent to get a good skimmate,
<as it is for every skimmer>
I have nothing against it but feel I need an even powerful skimmer like Euroreef. 
<much agreed!>
You mention seagrass and calcareous are more stable and I agree with Macro, but where can I get seagrass and what do you think about mangrove. 
<see if any of you local stores has an independent diver that collects their Atlantic stock (Astraea snails, blue leg hermits, etc)...they can collect it cheaply. If you do decide to try seagrass please write back for an excerpt from my book on the finer points of establishing it in refugia...it is simple but strict. As far as the mangroves, ditto on the previous and my general opinion is that they are wonderful for aesthetics but grow to slow to be a significant means of nutrient export in aquaria>
Agree with thin layers it gave me lots of headache. thanks I will get a luxmeter ASAP. I do have a problem with PH I think will decide to connect the end of the Ca reactor to another canister filled with aragonite (med) that way it does not lower ph,
<you won't regret it...wonderful>
and will decide to keep top of the tank open since they may restrict O2 from entering the tank and according to the Ozone controller 280-310 that tells me that 02 saturation is very low. 
<possibly low>
I do change the mechanical filter media weekly you suggested
every other day. In terms of MH light I currently use Ushio 10,000 K, and previously from Hamilton brands, but recently bought 65000K 400watt Iwasaki,
<yes...generally quite good>
but according to others you loose wattage with Iwasaki how true is this?
<have heard this but cannot confirm. I have had tremendous success with 400 watt Radiums as well>
Thanks for your advice I don't thaw the frozen food, and I think that might be a root, 
<an often overlooked source of nutrients for algae... the passage of thawed pack juice>
which lead to another question why is the rock filled with many detritus and I do blast them turkey blaster, but is this from excess nutrient due to not thawing the frozen food.
<nope...just insufficient/misdirected current>
My purpose about DSB is for nitrate control and also hopefully rid of my current problem with BGA as well, but at the same time I also want a competing for nutrients plants 
<sugar fine and deep is your path then>
and I hope mangrove is much easier than macro algae.
<much>
Thank you in advance I appreciate your good advice.
<very welcome, Anthony Calfo>

Re: Filtration
Dear Robert,
Is there such a thing as over-filtering a system? 
<Yes... though rare... much more common is "mis-filtering", under filtration>
I use an underground and a conventional air filter that have maximum capabilities that are a bit more than the size of my tank. Will this hurt the fish? Thanx.
<No my friend. Bob Fenner>
-James Kim

Filtration For A Growing System!
Hi WWM,
<Hello there! Scott F. here today>
First may I say your site continues to be a veritable fountain of knowledge.
<We're really happy to bring it to you! And our readers are the best! I learn as much from their experiences as I do from my own! What a great hobby, huh?>
I am currently running a 700 litre marine tank with 3 fish and some coral rock.  I have been unable to establish the system to the level I initially planned, I simply cannot maintain calcium levels in such a large environment.  I wish to set up a smaller tank and focus on keeping a low bioload.  
<Well, sounds like you're a prime candidate for a calcium reactor. You can purchase or build one to fit your tank's needs and your budget. Really the most efficient way to maintain calcium and alkalinity levels in a larger system>
Anyways, do you think it would be sufficient to use a Fluval 304 filter on a tank which will hold around 200 litres, containing perhaps one clownfish, an anemone, a shrimp, some mushrooms, polyps etc ?
<Well, the Fluval is a fine mechanical filter system. However, it's tough to maintain the very high water quality required by some corals with just a filter of this size. It's important to regularly clean and/or replace the media contained within the filter, so that they do not become "nutrient traps", and contribute to declining water quality. Personally, however, I tend to favor a simple sump system, for its flexibility and efficiency. You can make your own with little effort>
I have a homemade protein skimmer that is extremely efficient, so this will keep the organics low.
<Great! A protein skimmer should be considered an absolutely mandatory piece of equipment for any marine system. It will really help with your system, particularly if it you are depending on a mechanical filter for the primary filter system>
I am worried a canister filter will not keep the water quality high enough for a tank of invertebrates and corals.  
<Well, as above- I would employ a sump system for optimal flexibility and efficiency>
I will use one of my 150w 10k MH lights as well as a small actinic tube to provide illumination.
<Sounds fine for the creatures that you mentioned that you'd be keeping>
Do you think my proposed method of filtration will yield a healthy tank of marine creatures ?
<It certainly can work, as long as you pay close attention to husbandry techniques, particularly nutrient export processes (such as water changes, skimming, use of chemical filtration media, etc). Stay on top of the basics, and I have no doubt that you will create a system that your animals will enjoy, and that you'll be proud to own!>
Thanks a heap Andrew Hough
<My pleasure, Andrew! Best of luck! Regards, Scott F>