[cod fish]

Good evening,
I have a question. I am thinking of entering the marine aquarium hobby after a lasp of 15 years.
I have been doing some reading(The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, etc.) and am undecided what filtration system to use for my new aquarium. I'm going to set up a 65 to 75 gal. tank with live rock, live sand, fish, invertebrates and maybe a touch of coral.
Should I install a canister or a wet / dry filter?
Some books are saying wet / dry is outdated and not needed with live rock.
If anyone has any opinions, I would like to hear them.....Thanks

[BLKBRDTA]

Canister filters have come a long way over what they once were before. And within the past decade, they have become more effective and less expensive which is exactly why they are so popular amongst hobbyists these days. However, wet/dry filters are laid out and designed specifically to run more efficiently and with less work in the long run. Yes, they have been around for quite some time, which must be the reasoning behind their such high reputation. In the long run, maintenance, money and headaches can be avoided if you start out directly with a wet/dry filter. Canister filtration requires constant monitoring, maintenance, cleansing and prepping in order to make it run smoothly for extended periods of time. Overall, you are much better off starting with a sump and refugium (wet/dry filter) than a canister.

True, much of the biological filtration is done by the anaerobic bacteria living on the surfaces of LR. This is why the additional refugium is not necessary and a canister's "refugium" does the same process. But once again, actual refugium's ensure that your Aquarium is getting the proper amount of biological filtration, without the addition of decaying matter such as excess food and detritus. This keeps your water parameters much more stable and also allows your pH to fluctuate gently rather than having all-lights-on, then all-lights-off (causing more dramatic pH variations.)

[cod fish]

BLKBRDTA,

Thank you for the response. I had been leaning toward the wet / dry filter. Just wanted to see if my decision would be a good one....

Thanks,
Cod Fish

[pogodzib]

Most people don't use either a wet/dry or canister filter on reef tanks and only use Live Rock and a good protein skimmer for filtration. Some people also use UV or ozone to also help with breaking down waste and minimizing (not eliminating) disease outbreaks. I would recommend not installing either the wet/dry or canister filter and use the money to purchase a better skimmer.

[cod fish]

Thanks for the answer....
I think I will still put in some kind of mechanical filtration. Reason being I'm new and the last time I had a set up I had water problems.
I used Wisper filters, no live rock or sand, faux coral, etc.
I think I will use some sort of sump system until the tank gets established and I am more experienced...
Tks. again..