Underwater filter?

[Vampyroteuthis]

I'm planning a new tank, and am wondering; would an underwater filter work? I'm probably going to have a 50+ gallon tank, and hopefully a Bimac.

 

[Nancy]

What do you mean by underwater filter? An undergravel filter is not recommended - one reason why is that your octo can crawl under it!
But other filters will do the job better. What many of us use is a wet/dry filter in a sump.

Nancy

 

[Vampyroteuthis]

Its an Elite brand underwater filter. It sticks to the inside of the tank.

 

[Jean]

I don't know about that brand but I used to have an underwater filter (sorry can't remember what brand as I got rid of the thing as fast as possible) in my cichlid tank....it was a real pain in the neck! It blocked easily and fell off the tank walls every other hour! and I would imagine that an octi would find it a great toy, until the impeller chewed it's arms off.

But like I say I don't know much about the brand you're asking about. I think the wet/dry in a sump is the way to go.

J

PS don't have the cichlid tank anymore either

 

[William Tyson]

do an search on reefcentral or coral forum for the brand and type of filter and you should find a good response

 

[tjohnson]

Its an Elite brand underwater filter. It sticks to the inside of the tank.

Is this what you are talking about? http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...<>ast_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1106807185298

If so, No I would not recommend anything like this, fist off, it does not handle the tank capacity that you would need to have in order to keep a octo. You would most likely be better off with no filter at all and using a lot of LR. Second, you octo would with out a doubt pull this lil thing off the wall and carry it all around until somthing bad happened, pulled the filter's cord out of the wall, messed up you cover becasue the cord was being pulled, ripped the tank of the stand, chopped an arm off there has been a 007 here already so that names taken With octos, you really have to think in the worst case scenrio. Becasue you want to be prepared.

 

[squall7733]

I have one in a 29G tank that I'm keeping clownfish in. I use it because the tank is an eclipse and i lost a piece to the built in wet dry filter in the hood. Its a good piece of a equipment, really convinient it saved me from having to drill my hood to make room for the hang off type filters in the back. But NOT for an octotank. He'll definitly play with it and probly get hurt in the process. Everything in an octo tank should be in the sump. If you dont have a sump your probly going to have problems. As your heater(if you have one), skimmer, and filter will be in the tank, he's definitly going to play with something. If you have a sump and want to put this in it. I guess that might work, but I dunno they seem weaker then normal filters to me.

But I'm an octo noob just setting up my tank right now. I've read alot and this is the general opinion. But you dont have to take everything I saw as fact.

Mine doesnt filter as much as the box said. And its a hassle when I want to change the cartridge.

 

[cthulhu77]

No, no , no !!!! Don't use an undergravel filter !!!!
(flailing arms yelling "danger will robinson, danger" !!!!)

Refer back to the octo setups recommended in the articles under ceph care...trust me on this one!

greg

 

[Feelers]

What are your guys thoughts for bio filtration? I currently have a sump, with a refugium, and an "eheim" 2028. Will this cannister filter be acceptable for biofiltration? All the reefers say dont use them, I would like to have low/no nitrates.... Does anyone use a FBF? I will have a DSB in the refugium, and 2" sand in the tank. Biofiltration is quite a hard topic to figure. Reefers dont seem to use W/D, but some do. Are you only supposed to use LR? So many conflicting options.

Oh im so excited, just got the pump for my sump return, 2000gph!!!, for my lil 300L tank it will be awesome.

 

[squall7733]

No, no , no !!!! Don't use an undergravel filter !!!!
(flailing arms yelling "danger will robinson, danger" !!!!)

Refer back to the octo setups recommended in the articles under ceph care...trust me on this one!

greg

I think that he is talking about one of those in tank filters, opposed to the type of filter that hangs off the back.

 

[squall7733]

What are your guys thoughts for bio filtration? I currently have a sump, with a refugium, and an "eheim" 2028. Will this cannister filter be acceptable for biofiltration? All the reefers say dont use them, I would like to have low/no nitrates.... Does anyone use a FBF? I will have a DSB in the refugium, and 2" sand in the tank. Biofiltration is quite a hard topic to figure. Reefers dont seem to use W/D, but some do. Are you only supposed to use LR? So many conflicting options.

Oh im so excited, just got the pump for my sump return, 2000gph!!!, for my lil 300L tank it will be awesome.

As a reefer I know there are problems with wet dry filters causing too many nitrates in the system. Which in turn causes fish and corals to become sick or die, or even bursts of algea growing on the corals, effectively suffocating them.

But this is an octo tank? Not a reef tank. I believe in this sort of a set up a carbon filter would help pick out the ink in the water the octo will eventualy produce. In a saltwater tank the live rock will act as the most effective bio filtration. It doesnt mean you should only use live rock, having both is fine and cant do much harm. Although if you are keeping corals(probly not), you should use the white carbon in a filter pack(if you use this type of filter). The black carbon will pull needed minerals out of the water(argueably), while white carbon will only reduce ammonia in the tank. Octo's are dirty creatures, and I'm just begining to dive into keeping this animal. Personaly for my 75G set up I'm going to use all of the above. Since over filtration seems like the best way to go.

Just my $.02 . From experience I can certainly tell you theres no "only right way" to do it.

 

[Feelers]

An undergravel filter is like a plastic tray that you cover with gravel and it is powered by the updraft created by an air bubbler.

This cant be used in a saltwater tank as the air bubbles will create scum just like that of a protein skimmer but on the surface of the tank. Thats why saltwater systems dont use bubble curtains or air stones.

Unless of course you have a surface skimmer, but if you have that then you dont need an under gravel filter, which means you need a surface skimmer, but if you have that then you dont need an under gravel filter.

Which will undoubtebly lead to that ever plaguing question:
Which came first, the surface skimmer or the under gravel filter?
What am I talking about?

Anyways...................., an undergravel filter is a very bad idea for a salt water aquarium, and thats not even taking into account anything an octopus might do to it.

 

[Jean]

Anyways...................., an undergravel filter is a very bad idea for a salt water aquarium, and thats not even taking into account anything an octopus might do to it.

Weeeeellllll that depends on the system!! In a closed system like a home aquarium yes......but in a flow through........pretty good actually. Our aquarium runs undergravel filters and airlifts.....works a treat BUT it is flow through so the grunge gets shipped out! (although we have diatom scum on some at the moment.....but so does the sea

J