Need some help / input

[crohan]

We have a 55g reef tank up and running for about 3 months now. Things seem to be going ok, I have the LFS check my water and they tell me that it looks fine. Not sure on how much (pound) LR that we have, but it takes up quite a bit of space in the tank giving ample hiding places for our six line wrasse and one clown. Shrimp wise, we have one cleaner and one boxer. Several snails, hermits etc. All seem to be fine.

Overall the tank water looks good. The return on the tank is drilled feeding a wet/dry filter w/skimmer, bio balls have been removed. To make the water more clear, I was looking at adding a Canister filter w/built in UV from Aquael, maybe the Unimax Pro 250.

Does this type of filter take the place of the wet/dry, or does it complement it, sort of scrubbing the water.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[motorslave]

Not really a good idea in a reef tank. The reason is that the media gets loaded with nutrients and untill its cleaned the detritus continues to decay and foul the water. The bacteria on the LR and the skimmer (providing its a quality skimmer) are all you need.

[scoop]

Ditto, skip the canister.

[betamed]

If you want to add filtration get a bigger & better skimmer. UV can be beneficial but for the most part not needed. Canister filter has the same effect as bioballs in that they trap gunk rather than removing it.

[Loverotties]

I'd also get a UV filter and run that into a Skimmer and run it wet.

[crohan]

I can now see how the canister could be a problem. The wet/dry and skimmer came with the system, so I don't really know to much about them. So if I upgrade my wet/dry and skimmer, what would you all recommend.

Thanks

[hng]

What kind of skimmer do you currently have? To do the same thing as a canister filter, you can use a filter sock every weekend. Just stick it on the overflow pipe that drains water from the tank into the sump, and leave it on for a day or two. Then, clean it out real good and leave it to air dry until the next weekend. This is what I do with my tank, and it works well. Also, how big is this wet/dry/sump that you have?