Filtration advice - new tank

[bassman]

Originally Posted by kevinpaz

I plan on setting up a 65 gallon tank with 65 lbs of live rock, a decent protein skimmer (sorry, forget the specs), and an eheim 2217. My concern is that the cannister filter will only cycle the tanks water 4.5 times per hour - I've heard that 10 times per hour should be minimum for a fish only setup.

In terms of stocking levels I'm not sure. I suppose I'm looking for advice in that category as well.

Any comments/advice welcome.

Thanks,

Kevin

I may be wrong here but I would think a sump tank would be a better investment than a cannister filter. Your live rock is going to act as your bio filter and your sump could have a filter sock in it to catch you debris (optional). You could then use a decent return pump to give you a higher turn over rate and better circulation. You will also be increasing your total water volume by adding a sump as well.

You should try to find the specs on the protein skimmer too so we can see if it will be large enough for your system. Most are over rated by the manufacturer.