new 45gal

[fishkeeper101]

i just got a 45gal. it has a canister filter. i seeded it with some lr and ls. the rest is dead. it is going to be a fishonly. should i get a sump. does anyone have any sump plans that will be easy to make.

[Geoff]

if this is going to be a FOWLR system then i would get rid of the cannister and get a powerfull skimmer. FO tanks produce a lot of wastes and the skimmer is the best method for removing wastes rapidly from the water column.

sumps do not need to be complicated. any tank that can fit underneath the display will work. 20 longs are a popular choice when it comes to sumps. you can add baffles to it if you want, but some just have them empty.

my sump is just a 50g Rubbermaid feeding trough. i do not have any baffles in it. just the skimmer on one end, and the drain on the other.

G~

[fishkeeper101]

what about the biological filtration and mechnical

[DarthOcellaris]

Your bio filter is your LR..it will slowly increase it's efficiency in time. It will grow as you add new stock..That's why it's important to slowly add stock. That way, the biofilter can keep up.

Personally, I use a filter sock on my drain 24/7 as a mechanical filter. Some don't run any mech filtration at all. Just depends on the setup and the stock you have. If you're just starting out, you might want to skip mechanical filtration just for the fact that it can cause nitrate buildup if left unattended too long. I clean mine every other day or so. The same goes for the skimmer. You want to keep up on the cleaning so it operates at maximum efficiency all the time.

Is your tank in the 'cycling' phase now? What fish do you have ? We want pics!!!

[fishkeeper101]

yes it has been up for a week. no fish yet. will get pics asap

[Geoff]

your mechanical filtration is the skimmer.

SW is nothing like FW. you can literally forget everything you may have learned about FW when going over to Salt Water.

G~