Filter size

[horse_gambler]

Hello,

I'm going to be getting a 46 gallon tank and currently have a filter that says it is good up to 45 gallons, now I am wondering will that work on the 46 gallon tank with it having liverock in it? I wasn't sure if with displacing some of the actual water with having rock sand etc in the tank does that mean you can you a slightly smaller filter or does it have to be a filter to the size of tank?

 

[unibob]

What sort of filter is it? Most filters aren't recommended for saltwater.

 

[pulpfiction1]

actually i think most manufactures do recommend them but in reality we all know different.
read up on sump filtration,if your tank is not drilled look into drilling or HOB overflow setup

 

[TORX]

There are tons of factors in using a filter. He has a FOWLR tank, last he updated anyways. A lot of people use a filter, HOB or canister for a FOWLR tank. It only becomes an issue when the husbandry of the filter stays the same when you start keeping corals. Most do not clean their filters enough when they switch from FOWLR to Reef tank. They are not much different then running a filter sock...that we change/clean every three days, most do not do maintenance on their filters more then once a month.

 

[dale]

imo if you r going to use a filter i would get one as large as i can .. 100g filter for a 45g tank... and yes clean once a week.. it is a high maintenence system....

 

[TORX]

imo if you r going to use a filter i would get one as large as i can .. 100g filter for a 45g tank... and yes clean once a week.. it is a high maintenence system....

Exactly

Will that filter work on your tank? It may, may not. Depends on how often you are cleaning it, what the filter is, what is in your tank and what you are looking to accomplish with the filter. I normally never say this, but sometimes Bigger is Better.

So what sort of filter is it? What media are you looking on using in said filter? Also, what are you stocking in your 46 gallon tank?

 

[DerekL]

I ran 2 fluval 306 canister filters on a 75 gallon mixed reef tank many years ago but like Torx and other have said maintenance on the filters are key. I cleaned them twice a week turned in to a royal pain in the ass. If you can run a sump you will be a lot happier with this decision in the long run. If your tank isn't drilled you can alway go with an external overflow. I personally didn't want to chance drilling my tank so I went with a LifeReef overflow and had no issues with it not starting after power outages or what not. LifeReef even guarantees that there product will start everytime. Good luck with whatever road that you choose.

 

[horse_gambler]

I currently have a Fluval filter, that has 3 baskets and a sponge holder, 2 of the baskets are filled with small pieces of live rock the 3rd basket has a bag of Charcol then the sponge holder has 4 sponges in it.

as for what will be in the tank, 3 pieces of Live rock (may add 1 more) then looking at the white rock that you can get in fish stores(can't recall the name) that you can have created into decorative set ups. then 6 clown fish, 1 blue damselfish, 1 yellow watchman Goby with a pistol shrimp, a blood shrimp, hermits, snails and might add a Flame angel

 

[AdamS]

That is a tad too many fish, imo. Also, most people find it difficult to keep more than 2 clowns in a tank. You should possibly look at some similar local setups before you get too far in.

 

[reeffreak]

I currently have a Fluval filter, that has 3 baskets and a sponge holder, 2 of the baskets are filled with small pieces of live rock the 3rd basket has a bag of Charcol then the sponge holder has 4 sponges in it.

as for what will be in the tank, 3 pieces of Live rock (may add 1 more) then looking at the white rock that you can get in fish stores(can't recall the name) that you can have created into decorative set ups. then 6 clown fish, 1 blue damselfish, 1 yellow watchman Goby with a pistol shrimp, a blood shrimp, hermits, snails and might add a Flame angel

I would ditch the sponges in the filter ( personally I would ditch the whole filter and run a sump ), the "white rock" you're referring to I'm guessing is dry Eco-rock and that will have to be seeded with bacteria to become live rock.

I would definitely advise against 6 clownfish in a 45 gallon, guys have trouble keeping two pairs in 160 gallons.  best kept in pairs. I have 10 fish in my 75 gallon tank, with a skimmer and bio pellets, run gfo and carbon.

I would agree with AdamS, see if some locals will let you swing by and check out what they have going. Lots of great people on the site I'm sure it won't be a problem finding someone.

 

[horse_gambler]

I currently have the 6 clowns, the blue damselfish the yellow watchman goby in the tank I have now and they seem to be doing fine, the only things that will be added once I get the new tank is the pistol shrimp as my orignal one has just died (I had him for 3+ years) and maybe the flame angel but that most likely won't be until the blue damselfish passes.

I was planning on setting the new tank up and letting it cycle with one of my live rocks from the current tank with the new rocks and sand will this seed it enough?

 

[TORX]

Still doing a FOWLR tank?

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk

 

[reeffreak]

I currently have the 6 clowns, the blue damselfish the yellow watchman goby in the tank I have now and they seem to be doing fine, the only things that will be added once I get the new tank is the pistol shrimp as my orignal one has just died (I had him for 3+ years) and maybe the flame angel but that most likely won't be until the blue damselfish passes.

I was planning on setting the new tank up and letting it cycle with one of my live rocks from the current tank with the new rocks and sand will this seed it enough?

Yes some live rock from your current set up will seed the new rock.

What type of clowns do you have and what sizes?

 

[unibob]

How big is the tank now? And how big are the clowns?

 

[reeffreak]

I would still advise against anymore than 2 clowns in the same tank. Eventually some will die, guaranteed.

If your upgrading to a 45 what size are the 6 clowns and 2 other fish housed in??

 

[horse_gambler]

yes I am sticking with the FOWLR tank, the tank I have now is 44 Gallons but is tall corner tank so that is why I am going to a 46 gallon bow front so i can maintain it better by being able to reach all the way into the tank.

The 1 clown is about 2 inches 1 is 1 1/2 inches the others are just under an inch, they are Ocellaris Clown fish