basic aquarium

[joyce322]

Hi: If you were going to be setting up say a basic 10-20 gallon beginner saltwater aquarium, what would be the easiest type of filtration you would use? Hang on filter (like biowheel)? Undergravel filter? This is fish only. Minimal live rock. Maybe some fake coral decor. This would be for a teenager to set up and maintain. Interested in your thoughts.

[Losungen]

Easiest would be live rock and sand WITHOUT a filter.

[LukFox]

I have two very simple set ups. Just sand, live rock, and some powerheads for movement. The sand and rock do all the filtering. I also have macro algae in one of them which helps, too. This sort of set up is as simple as it really gets.

[joyce322]

Good feedback....thank you!

[kingfisher62]

You can go with an Hob filter and additional powerhead would be good. You do not need Liverock. I had a FO for over a year before I started to buy LR.I would recommend a larger tank, 55 gallons maybe . Larger tanks are much more stable , biologically speaking.

What kind of fish do you plan on having?

[evilspaz]

I would also run a HOB (hang on back) filter with carbon in it, along with the sand & rock. Remember the bigger the tank the more stable its going to be.

EDIT:I posted this before I seen the post above, I agree with kingfisher but I would definitely add live rock to the tank, it will help alot with filtration.

[kingfisher62]

No argument there, LR will definitely help with filtration but you should have at least 1.5 lbs per gallon of water to be truely beneficial. I will never do a tank without LR for my self nowadays.
I just got the impression that joyce322 just wanted to get their teenager's feet wet (punn intended) before they spent a lot of money on LR.
I could be wrong!

[Stuart60611]

If you still want the highly beneficial biological filtration capacity of live rock without throwing a lot of cash at the tank you may want to look at buying some dry base rock, such as that sold from bulk reef supply. Will do just as good a job as a biological filter as live rock and has the added benefit over live rock of avoiding the introduction of any pests or unwanted hitchhikers which can through even experienced hobbiests for a loop. You will only need about 1/2 the amount you normally buy of live rock because it is sold dry and therefore weighs much less. Because you only need to buy about 1/2 of what you normally buy of live rock, its low price per pound, and low shipping costs (weighs less and does not need to be shipped fast), it is real economical. You will need like 30 lbs for a 55 gallon which would cost around $100-150. I think that this would be geting the most filtration for the dollar and more powerful than any hob. All you would then need is some powerheads or a hob/powerhead combo filter.

[joyce322]

Thank you all for your input. Actually I have to develop a lesson plan for teaching a basic beginner saltwater aquarium set up. This is for people say teenagers and older that have limited knowledge about saltwater set up. For demonstration purposes it will be on a 10 gallon tank. I absolutely agree the bigger tank the better. Unfortunately, most people who are going to start their first fish only don't want to go with a 55 plus system. I like the idea of a hang on back with some live rock or base rock and substrate.

[billsreef]

A simple hang on the back with some carbon and other media as needed, along with some LR works very well for what you want. Even will work for a full blown nano reef with the addition of the right ligths ;) For such systems, I like the Hagen Aqua Clear filters. Nice large media chamber that will accomadate anything you want to put in them, no need to be limeted to the manufacturer's cartridges.