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Hey, guys/girls. I'm running a 20 gal reef tankwith 3 softies, hermits, snails, shrimp and 5 fish with no fancy sump or fuge. Just a HOB skimmer and a HOB filter with a biowheel(YES. A BIOWHEEL :bigsmile: ) and I'm thinking about taking the filter cartridges out and just filing the filter full of LR rubble and maybe(just maybe) removing the biowheel. My main questions/concerns are:

1. How should I start?
2. What will my tank go through initially?(ammonia/nitirite/nitrate spike?)
3. My tank is pretty overstocked, should I just forget about it?
4. How will I deal with debris(detritus, uneaten food, fish waste)?
5. Should I get a phosban reactor and set it up when I need it?

I'm also thinking about ditching the HOB filter entirely and getting a CPR HOB fuge(no HOB room for both filter and fuge) but I'm concerned about the possible lack of LR.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks, BAR! :D
 
Running a fuge with macro on a reverse lighting cycle is always good. Stabilizes pH a bit and helps with nutrient export. I cant imagine the bio wheel helping out much (if at all ).

What HOB skimmer are you using?
 
If you have a sufficient amount of live rock in your tank (you make no reference to how much rock you currently have) relative to your planned bio-load, I really see no benefit to using a Bio-wheel. It may just come around and bite you in the behind later on down the road. Heack, just ditch the HOB filter and slap a refugium on that tank of yours! :D If you have no room for both the CPR Fuge and the BAK-PAK, I would use the BAK-PAK, and use an aqua-clear HOB filter as a refugium with a small light on it. Then you will be able to reap the benefits of both a refugium and a protein skimmer.

2. You can try and get cured or established rock from another reefers tank (craigslist). This way you can just walk around all the whole cycling hoopla; not to say you may not go through a mini-cycle of sorts though. For all of my tanks, I've always just used rock from someone else's tank, and no cycling what-so-ever with me.

3. Take out some fish

4. Turkey baster + water changes + good flow
 
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