Which filter to use on a 20g nano?

[satx-94integraLS]

i have 2 filters, an AC 200 and a penguin 330. both have established filters, both have crushed coral and live rock in them. which would be better suited for a 20tall like i have?

[pilot_bell777]

IMO: penguin 330

of course you should add a 30 gal sump and a 20 gal fuge, drill it with a closed loop, and add a daul beckett skimmer........LOL

and the sad thing is I've seen a system almost like this!

it was a 10 gall nano, drilled with a scwd, drilled with an overflow going into a 10 gallon sump/fuge that had a berlin red sea skimmer on it. It also had on 175watt MH light and two 55watt T5 antinics on the main tank and one 50/50 on the fuge! He even build a small custom stand and canopy for it! LOL

[satx-94integraLS]

lol nice. thanks for the advice

[pilot_bell777]

I personally kept a Penguin dual bio wheen on mine. I removed the wheels and put one plate of Reef Carbon on one side and one plate of Phosphate Filter in it with some small pieces of LR behind that. I started to use LS and CC but then realized how hard it would be to change the plates.

[matt]

I think the best thing you could do for a tank this size would be a refugium, maybe a 10 gallon tank, and a hang-on skimmer. My old 10 gal nano had a set up like that. It's really important to increase the water volume and have a place to grow macro algae and beneficial sand/rock animals. The skimmer will dramatically improve your water quality and keep O2 at saturation, which is very important for such a small tank.

This does not have to be expensive. The hardest part is drilling your 20 tall, or finding a decent hang on overflow that will fit. Other than that, you're looking at $10 for the 10 gal tank, maybe $25 or so for a used prizm or similiar hang on skimmer, which you could easily hang on the 10 gallon refugium, and $30 or so for a mag 5 to circulate water between the two (It won't be too much flow, believe me) and then scrounge for some sort of light over the refugium.

Reef tanks don't usually work well with mechanical filters or biowheels, which are really nothing more than tiny wet dry filters. Better to use the aragonite sand and live rock in your tank for bio-filtration, a skimmer for nutrient export and O2/ph issues, and macroalgae to deal with the quick build up of nitrates and phosphates.

[pilot_bell777]

Ya...I agree MATT...that is why I got rid of all the floss meadia out of mine and just used it for carbon/phosphate and circulation, never put floss in it! LOL

I had a 2.5 gal (yes 2 and 1/2 gallon) nano mini bowl that had corals (mainly softies) and some shrimp and an emerald crab in it...oh ya..and a snail or two, with live rock, live sand and a tiny little pump for circualation....did a little water change every few days and that thing ran great...one of my favorite tanks. I was actually in Walmart looking at them again Thursday night. Also had two 50.50 coral life bulbs in it. Sweet little setup.....

Oh well..sorry for going off on a tangent, but ya a fuge would do you some good and you can get a small HOB skimmer fairly cheap that will do the job for ya.

I would do the same!

I was actually thinking about getting the 5 gallon mini bowl this time, putting the two 50.50's in it again, drill it to a small fuge under it and get it going again! I love Nanos...........

[AlienAnchovies]

when i had my 20 tall nano the only filter i had on there was the cpr bakpak skimmer
all you really need are a few power heads for water movement and youre good to go