Daniel's Fish Care Tips

Breeding Discus Fish Tank Setup

Fluval U4

55 gallon fish only tank with 20lb live rock…..?

hi a would like to now is a fluval u4 internal filter ok as the main filtration?? it has multi stage filtration..chemical.mechanical and biological.1000 ltr per hour. there will be no corals just some live rock and few fish like clown fish.any help would be great thanks.

That filter is pretty small for a 55-gallon tank.
I would look for something more like the Fluval 305 or 405 canister filter.
In addition, I would consider using an appropriately sized protein skimmer, or one of the power filter with a built-in skimmer, such as the Skilter or the Bak-Pak.

20 pounds of live rock is rather little for a 55-gallon saltwater tank. Something closer to 50 or 60 pounds would be more usual, and would give you more biological filtration.

What i think about the fluval u4 filter

Fluval A15404 Filter Bracket for U4 $11.95 …

Fluval Filters 405

Do i need a filter like a fluval 405 in my reef tank if i have good size refugium?

just wondering
currently no fuge soon to be one though

The only mechanical filtration I run on my 55 gallon is a Remora Pro protein skimmer. The rest of my filtration comes from a deep sand bed (4+ inches), some live rock, and macro algae (Chaetomorpha is best) in my refugium, and live rock (approximately 75 lbs.) and good water movement in my display. I also have a bag of carbon that sits in the sump.

My Nitrates are always undetectable, so no, you don’t need a lot of mechanical filtration to make your tank successful. Just keep your tank stocked properly, and maintain regular water changes, and you’ll be fine. More biology and less technology!

Fluval 405 External Canister Filter – 110V, 340 gallons per hour