Quick Q about maintnence

[Woznickiaj]

Ok its been about 5 weeks my tank has been running and 4 weeks with LR and 2 fish, When should i consider rinsing or changing the filters in my Aqua clear 110 power filter? Also when should i do my water change, and how much ?

55 Gallon
50 lbs live sand
50 lbs LR
3 snails
3 hermits
2 fish

[meco65]

If you run this type filters you need to clean the filters at least every two weeks, as they can trap uneaten food, poo, and all the nasty stuff, becoming a nitrate factory. If cleaned properly they do a good job. IMO.

[Woznickiaj]

whats another option ? Sump?

[theatrus]

As you have plenty of LR, you can simply pull all of the media from the AquaClear and use it as circulation.

Water changes depend on you, the aquarium, how much you feed, and fish. I'd do no less than 10% a week (20% every other week), though some lightly loaded tanks can get by with less.

[Woznickiaj]

Well i just cleaned the filter media and now my water got like cloudy , do you think this will affect the fish? im sure it will go away soon but jw ?

[logan 12]

Do what works for you. You can't really tell someone when to clean there filtration. When ever it looks like the filter is not working to its full potential clean it. Sumps are a good way to go because they allow you to put all ur filtration under the tank so it is outta sight, they also allow for lots of airation, for DO (dissolved oxygen) levels. As far as water changes do what works for you. I personally only do water changes when stuff gets out of wacky, they work as a back to normal set point for me.

[Woznickiaj]

Also i have 2 fish i feed twice a day once in the morning and once at night

[Woznickiaj]

but i find it impossible to do a sump set up because i have no extra tank to use while i get mine drilled for a overflow

[logan 12]

U don't have to have a sump.

[theatrus]

Sumps are totally optional.

Maintenance has a lot of leeway. I'll be the first to admit I've had periods where my 90G was in autopilot - I didn't do a WC for months at a time. The tank suffered a bit, but with work pulled through.

[Swimwiththefish]

I've used the filters like that at the beginning, a sump does work better IMO, i changed filters every 2-3 weeks usually.

[steelhead77]

IMO, I'd lose the Aquaclear filter and go with a hang on back (HOB) protein skimmer. They are much more efficient and easier to maintain for a reef system. Filters are mainly used for FW tanks. You won't find many serious reefers using a filter such as yours. As stated earlier, sumps are totally optional, but quite nice to have. They provide more water volume - which leads to more stable water params, they also offer a place to put equipment, skimmers, heaters etc so those things don't clutter your tank. You do not have to drill yoour tank in order to run a sump, you can get an HOB overflow box that will work quite well for your needs.