Equipment and stuff I don't have in my reef tank, and why...

[Sk8r]

1. a filter. I use only my live sand and rock. It breaks down all waste into nitrogen gas. My burrowing carnivorous snails [nassarius] get anything left over, and they do it without disrupting the several neat layers of my sandbed. If I had a FOWLR I would probably have a filter---but not necessarily. I would first see if my sandbed could handle it. [test for nitrate]. If I could run at 0 nitrate as I do with a FOWLR, I'd say I didn't need it.

2. a sand cleaning vacuum. I never, ever clean my sandbed. That's why I have burrowing creatures. Their activity is small-area, and does not disturb things. Overturning a sandbed means it's out of commission. I treat my sandbed as a large, very precious single organism, something to be protected from overfeeding and wounding.

3. a uv filter. I have never needed one. I have had film algae. I got a refugium going, which incidentally oxygenates my water and supplies copepods and other life. I like it better than UV filters, which are supposed to kill microorganisms. I want my microorganisms to thrive. There may be exceptions, but so far I've not met one.

4. nets. I use my hands, gently. I do, however, use latex gloves to protect my fingers. They CANNOT, however, protect your fingers from lions and rabbits. Use a bucket for those. I own a net, which I have only used once, as a fish trap.

5. fake plants and corals. They're probably not that bad, but they're only seen in the ocean as junk, plastic debris, and they can't do the job of rock, thank you, which has pores and serves as part of my nitrate disposal system. The manmade coral rock is kind of intriguing.

6. carbon. I use it only when needed. It blocks the water flow, and I'd rather not have nitrate building up in it, even if I change it every 5 days. I keep some for emergencies. Same rule as filters. If I kept a lot of 'hot' softie corals I would use it much more often. There is also some talk it may not be good for the fish: carbon absorbs things, and it may yank some trace elements that are useful. I don't run polyfilter all the time, either, same reason. It's for emergencies.

7. tap water. I have water conditioner, for an absolute emergency, but I know if I put our tapwater in my tank, even my healthy fuge won't protect it from the crud in it. I use only ro/di, including for setup.

8. sponges. If you've got powerheads, you've got a problem. But sponges build up nitrate, even if they're doing the useful job of preventing your nem from becoming nem soup. I try to isolate pump intakes and use isolation [you can build a rock cage] as a defense. I have prevented sump diving by using needlepoint canvas [plastic] as a screen on my downflow. If something larger than copepods should get into the Iwaki intake in the 4th sump chamber---it's a goner. So I stop it before it gets there.

9. a chiller---I live in the north. In some places, you DO want to look at this equipment. But if you have reliable central air and live in a moderate place where fans could help you if the AC went out, you're pretty safe. I lived with no central air, but a window unit, the last 7 years, and got along fine by putting fans in the sump. Dropped the temperature several critical degrees. See what fans will do for you, but budget for one if it looks as if you'll need it. And if you are in the situation where you have no AC but are thinking about a chiller, weigh the comparative cost of a rollabout airconditioner [vents heat via a dryer-style hose out the window] which will chill a 10x12 room quite nicely and keep YOU cool at the same time.

[papagimp]

nice little list going there. I'd like to add a comment in additon to what you said for #2, when dealing with a deepsandbed, if properly setup and mantained, you'll have sufficeint burrowing citters and micro-infauna that will turn over the sandbed in their own little fashion. Let them do the cleaning and stirring for ya.

And for another piece of equpiment not run on my system. An air pump with air stone/bubble wands/ect. . Skimmers and overflow drains will oxygenate sufficiently for a non-overcrowed tank.

[Sk8r]

Second that on the aeration: one of THE most efficient, besides a skimmer, seems to be cheato in a fuge---so I have heard, anyway.

[InvaderJim]

Do you have any pictures of what you used to prevent the sump diving? I've been having this problem lately and I'm having trouble finding some material to use.

[Zestay]

you might want to add GLASS heaters as a no-go. the new plastic heaters are so much safer.

[USC-fan]

1. I'm a surprised you don't run a skimmer.

[sohal1025]

What is sump diving?

[dsn112]

he runs an Aqua C. He does not run a filter.

[Lotus99]

9. I think if you live in a hot area, you'll need a chiller. It costs a lot less running one than a whole-house air-conditioner, if that's what you use to cool your house. Of course, if your air conditioning breaks down, you'll be glad you have a chiller.

[killagoby]

How's about one of those SCUBA divers with the treasure chest? Or a neon green skull?

[USC-fan]

Originally posted by dsn112
he runs an Aqua C. He does not run a filter.

so a skimmer is not a filter.....

[Sk8r]

A skimmer is a sort of a filter, you could say, and a very important one, that imitates wave action and froth on a beach: it causes bubbles that burst into a cup, making a nasty liquid that consists of amino acids and other stuff that happens to get caught in the bubbles. THis is one I DO have, and I recommend if you can, you get one rated for 2x the gallons in your tank. Remember it's relative to total water volume. Now that I have nearly 80 gallons in system, counting my sump, my 120 is not overdoing it. Unfortunately, fish stores keep saying an Urchin is adequate for a 55. THat's only if you have no fish in the tank.

Re chiller: if you live in the land of hot sun, definitely something to consider. If a fan cannot cool your tank without the AC [which will, sooner or later, go down for repairs] you will either have to pack ice around your sump until fixed---or hope your chiller can handle it.
Don't get sold one, however, if you live in International Falls MN. I live 90 miles from the Canadian border.

Green skull, eh? Glowing eyes. I WAS almost tempted by the pirate ship, but it'd only get corallined.

Sump-diving, akin to carpet-surfing, and nearly as dangerous...is when a small fish decides to get into the overflow, goes down the pipes to the sump, and lives down there while you are totally convinced he is dead. Most learn after one trip. SOme don't.

And the return pump down there is a serious hazard. Copepods make it up to the display in one piece. Fishes won't.

Haven't got a pic of the downflow guard, but it basically consists of plastic needlepoint canvas [ask your aunt Tilly]---available at hobby stores that sell yarn and embroidery stuff. They often have it under the counter. It's white, a gridwork just big enough for a fat needle to go through, it's cheap, it comes in 9x12 sheets, and it can easily be cut with scissors, fairly accurately at that, unlike eggcrate grid. It can be a bit subject to clogging. But you can use it as you would stiff window screen, to make a shield that will prevent any fish from getting down the overflow. YOu can also use it to screen off any holes or gaps: it can clog, so watch it if you have bubble or hair algae. But it scrubs clean with a toothbrush, too. If you could cut a construction paper shield, you could cut this stuff. I always keep a few sheets of it handy---like vinegar, it has a thousand uses, and can be cut into the pieces of a box and stitched together, with fishing line if you like, to shield a pump intake or whatever.