Bio Wheel vs Skimmer

[mling]

I have a Penguin Bio Wheel 330 Filter and a Skimmer with a carbon filter.

 

Is it true that when you have a skimmer that has a built in carbon filter, you no longer need a external bio wheel filter ?

[xeon]

I'm unfamiliar with a skimmer that uses carbon for filtration, so I'm not sure on that one. (skilter maybe?)  The only use I'm familiar with is using carbon to filter the "stink" from the collection cup or container.  

 

Carbon and skimmers also fall into the chemical filtration area I believe, while a bio-wheel falls into biological filtration.  You can incorporate carbon into a bio-wheel filter of course.  But if you use other means of bio filtration, then of course you can do carbon filtration another way.      

 

Biowheel and HOB (hang on back) filters IMO are Nitrate factories.  It is my understanding that they break ammonia into nitrites, then nitrates and that's it.  Hence my opinion that they can be Nitrate factories.  Personally I would not use one on a reef tank w/ sensitive and expensive corals.... fish only maybe.  If I did, I'd keep an eye on my nitrates for certain.    

 

Some people use HOB and bio-wheels successfully, I guess the real question is what size tank do you have and what do you want to keep?

[Caribbean Jake]

When I first set up my 55 tank I had the same question and received the following answer:  "If you use live rock at a rate of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per gal of water, the live rock will be your bio filtration therefore you do not need a bio wheel.  The bio wheel will increase the nitrite in your tank"  then I was told to:  "use a skimmer for chemical filtration and use the carbon once a week for 12 hours, and once removed then add essential elements to the tank".  I have a Prizm that comes with a canister for carbon and I use it once a week for 12 hours, every two weeks, just to clean the water between water changes.  If you need more info, research the web for skimmer Vs bio wheels like i did before venturing into buying the equipment and you will find few topics of using and not using carbon with your skimmer and the need for bio-filtration without bio-wheels.  Good Luck.

Jacob