Eco And Box Filter?

[karen1bernese]

I have a box trickle filter running on my 5' tank.Its been running for around 8 years but fish only.I have now started keeping corals.In the filter i have a space of about 18" x 18" which holds the eheim pump and heater.Someone suggested i grow calerpa etc in the space would would make an eco sump tank but i would have to light this 24hrs a day.At the same time i was advised i may get a nitrate surge at night.
Questions are
Can you run both types of filter and is it better than just the box trickle??
Do you have to eluminate the algea 24hrs a day??
Would it cause surges at night??
What should i plant the algea in??
Any information would be great as i have never had eco systems and to make it worse i am new to corals.
Thanks :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

[kneival]

Probably best with chaeto algae and reverse light it from the main tank.

Not sure about a nitrate surge but 24/7 lighting can make your oxygen content change drasticly therefore change your PH levels when the main tank lights turn off. People have found reverse lighting it keeps those parameters a little more stable.

Chaeto doesnt need planting, just floats around the surface. You could probably light it with an ECO bulb or perhaps a small T5 with reflector?

Not sure about running both, altho it sounds like you have had good results with the trickle but most beleive they can become nitrate factories etc. You are best off trying to filter with LR if you have any?

[popsock]

Hello. I've never heard of a nitrate surge, this is news to me. Seems somehow unlikely.

24/7 works a treat for most. Reverse lighting too (that's your algae sump lights coming on when your main tank lights go off).

The only thing wrong with trickly filters is that they don't remove nitrate. This is not a problem if you have something else that does, but, practically the trickle filter might be taking up space that a decent nitrate removing filter could be taking up.

:thumbsup:

[karen1bernese]

Originally posted by popsock@Oct 1 2005, 09:35



Thanks for advise.I do have some lr now but not loads probobly at a guess around 25kg. What would you advise for a nitrate removing filter, i thought maybe calerpa would do that??When the tank was first set up trickle filters where the best thing to have, things have moved on now but i thought trickles still removed everything?? Thanks

[weegaz22]

live rock is probably the best nitrate reducing filter you can buy, i mean, how much would a nitrate reducing filter cost for your size tank? £100? £150? £200?

at that cost it would be better to add more live rock and more flow to the tank in my opiniion

trickle filters wont be able to complete the nitrogen cycle so instead of converting nitrates to nitrogen gas the nitrates will just build up

[karen1bernese]

I will add more lr soon.How much would people recommend for me?? Why cant trickle filters remove nitrate.People along time ago only used trickle filters and i dont know of to many people with problems then, I wonder what has changed.

[popsock]

Hi Karen,
nitrate removing bacteria only exists in low oxygen environments. Trickle filters are high oxygen environments. live rock is god when it comes to nitrate removal. Algae is good too, but nobody seems to know that much about algae, and there is a huge debate about the best way to run an algae sump.