The Puffer Forum

My 180 for my soon-to-be T. lineatus or T. pustulatus (or Pustulaka!) came with a ProClear 300 Wet Dry full of bioballs and a 850 gph pump. Proclear recommends a 1200gph pump on that filter, but can I get by with the 850gph? Is there some type of mechanical filtration medium that I can just stick in the wet dry, or do I have to go out and buy a canister filter or power filter, too?

A bigger pump would be better, but i think you can get away with the 850 if you do 50% water changes weekly.
All I had with the wet/dry that I had at one point was some floss above the bioballs, then after the balls in the space going to the return side was a thick block foam.

Most people will agree that a wet/dry is better then a canister for big tanks. Plus a new pump would be a lot cheaper then a canister that would be big enough for that tank.

I'd go canister for bio only and wet dry for mechanical.. if I could

What kind of mediums are being run in mechanical filters these days?

coarse sponge, pot scrubber (maybe just me) and filter floss

Heck, there's plenty of room in that wet dry to throw some of that kind of stuff in there. No one using carbon anymore?

Carbon isn't necessary for FW tanks.

Carbon only to remove particulate matter (cloudy water),...definitely not with plants tho.

I'm also a fan of sponges, filter floss, (mechanical) and plastic pot-scrubbies (for bio-media)

I also suggest just buying a bigger pump rather than a seperate canister filter.

HTH
Blaine

"Carbon only to remove particulate matter..." Sorry, but this statement is contrary to fact. Carbon is a very poor mechanical medium, and if used it should be behind (downstream) of a good mechanical filter to protect it from clogging. Carbon is intended for removing undesirable dissolved materials from water, especially organics and dyes/colorants.

But I do agree that there is little use for carbon in FW tanks which are properly maintained (not over- or improperly fed, and given routine 50% partials. Carbon is just not cost-effective there.

All of my large tanks have been filtered by separate bio- and mechanical filtration. But then, so are all of my mid-sized tanks. I do like pre-filtered external canisters for dedicated bio-only filtration. My mechanical is rinsed weekly, and that is too much effort with even user-friendly external canisters. I use varying foam densities for mechanical. I don't like disposable filter media such as floss and will not use them.

HTH

Just for when my GSPs go marine; is it important for saltwater tanks to run carbon? I don't run it now with them in brackish water.

IMHO, no it is not.

I agree--for FO, not as important as with a reef.