I was listening to the podcast on deep sandbeds and i thought of a follow up question relating to undergravel (UG) filters. Can you place 2 to 4 inches of sand on top of an UG filter?
Also, i am going to set up a 15 gallon hex marine tank. If i were to use an UG filter, do i really need any other type to supplement it? In terms of stock, i am only thinking: live rock, dead coral (no reefs for me yet ), and maybe a pair of clowns or a clown and a damsel. Any thoughts?
through my experience undergravel filters were no good. housed lots and lots of detritus over time and hard to clean. with a small layer of sand over it wount allow benificial anerobic bacteria to thrive. although if you add 4 inches on a undergravel filter, id guess thats ok, if i had enough for 4 inches id just eliminate the uf all by itself. id just go with a deep san bed. im sure there are objections out there. this is just my oopinion.
live rock is always a good filter with ne type of setup.
The flow through the UG would make the deep sand bed (DSB) not work because you would not have the anaerobic zone.
UG is pretty old school, I used it when I kept fish only marine tanks back in the 80's and it worked. However, I believe there are far better options now. I also believe that I had to spend far more time on maintenance back them.
If you are using a DSB and live rock you won't really need it.
the others have covered the UG plate issue, its useable, but it really is just a matter of time before it will cause the tank & everything within it to crash!
great to see u starting up! is the reason why your going the hex tank because u have it already?
just a few things to chew on if its ok for me to throw a few opinions in!
a hex tank, whilst novel now, can wear off quickly, and generally the refracted vision u see will be enough to drive u nut after a while! not to mention the fish...lol
second thing id like to bring up is the concept of surface area. with any body of water in order for gas exchange to happen u need a resonable area to achieve this properly! there is a reason why most tanks are rectangle, not just for viewing space, but for gas exchange. with a hex tank they usually have a high glass sides but little overall surface area. its kinda like bottle necking! if u do use this tank u will need a power head or something simular turned upwards to constantly keep the surface broken.
a single clown would work, but i wouldn't go past 2 fish for this size tank! just to cover u for overlove in feeding ect ect.
ive actually bought myself some black bream younglings recently. they are very interactive & although they gro big eventually, u have a few years before they require a larger tank! which ever way u go, u really want to look for a fish u like, & that is interactive with u so u pay it & the tank the max attention!
personally, i would buy 2 or 3 pieces of good quality live rock with leaving the base free from anything! a bare bottom. all you would have to worry about then is water changes & syphoning the base for detritus! being new to the hobby its a great platform to learn from!
these are just me thinking out aloud, welcome again to TR
First of all, thank you all for the comments. Rob: i love the podcast, a friend of mine found it on iTunes and recommended it to me. He is a new marine tank hobbiest with ADD, not a good combination, but i learn a lot from his mistakes ( ).
Yea i have the hex tank not out of choice, but because it was sitting around not doing anything. You know all, i have heard a lot of negative reviews about UG filters in general, for both freshwater and marine. I have a planted discus tank and the first step in the process was removing the old UG filter. Funny, though, how many pet stores (even specialty aquarist stores) still say you have to have one.
Affirmative on the powerhead comment. I was thinking i would have to use one to disturb the water a bit and create some current. But am i reading you right. BB = nothing on the bottom at all? Major paradigm shift for me if that is true. Also, are you suggesting that live rock and a DSB would mean i don't need a filter at all? Or, would it be worth it to get a little one to hang on the back of the tank?
You can run your tank without filtration with a DSB and LR. I've never done a BB tank but I think you can do them with just LR too. I run my 54 corner with DSB, LR and a protein skimmer my fish are healthy and it looks great. I have a couple of powerheads for circulation but no mechanical filtration at all.
It seems everyone above has pretty much covered the UG, DSB, BB, protien skimmer and the number of critters you can expect to keep. No sense in me adding anything beyond, welcome.
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
But am i reading you right. BB = nothing on the bottom at all? Major paradigm shift for me if that is true. Also, are you suggesting that live rock and a DSB would mean i don't need a filter at all? Or, would it be worth it to get a little one to hang on the back of the tank?
samuel
BB tanks are the latest craze! Just imagine a tank with live rock, a spray bar, GOOD skimmer and no sand. You can feed anything you want and it won't stay in your tank. I like a little sand for looks, but I keep it stirred up.
Live rock is biological filtration- just the way you want your slice of the ocean- natural. Get a top of the line skimmer and you are all set. For hang on the back (HOB) Skimmers I recommend the AquaC Remora. Before you buy one, get an opinion here first. You don't want to buy a cheaper model and have to replace it 6 months later because it doesn't work- that doesn't save you anything
Pull up a chair, make yourself cozy, jump on the tank journal forum and allow us to watch you create your little ocean. Don't be scared to ask questions- we are all here to help.
__________________ Gwen - 2008 Atlanta Reef Club Board MACNA XX Committee 125g RR AGA "The Simple Reef Tank"
if u keep your bio load reasonable, and u select good quality LR pieces, u dont have to worry about losing that cushion effect from a rock falling, just opt for bigger peices that lock in place with eachother. u can do that in store! only problem here is to buy the LR al
Deep sandbed and UG filter 
), and maybe a pair of clowns or a clown and a damsel. Any thoughts?
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