Chunks in my water

[supermarvin76]

I have excessive "chunks" of stuff floating in my water. They are small, but I know they are there, and when up close they are very easy to see. I think they are being stirred up from my sand. I have an orange spotted goby and 2 scooter dragnets (blennies). They are always making a mess.

Yesterday I bought a Maxi Jet 600 power head. Now I have that and an Aqua Clear 30 in the tank, I also bought the sponges that attach to the power heads yesterday, thinking that would help take the chunks out of the water......no luck yet. I have:

-10 turbo snails
-11 hermit crabs
-100 nassarius snails on order-how many should I put in, how many should I sell to my friend?

These chunks are really starting to drive me NUTS!!!! Please help!!!!

 

[malkore]

I think I've read 1 nassarius per gallon. But since you have 10 turbo's, you might wanna go with 40 nassarius.
Might add some more blue legged hermits too.

MJ 600 isn't that many gph. Something like 165 gph I think. I think the 1200 is the best for SW tanks. I run 2 of those on my 40gallon. I have no sump, and thus no return pump gph to figure in. But you might consider another powerhead.

 

[boardsurfer]

Are the chunks small enough so that a skimmer would take care of them?

 

[supermarvin76]

A protein skimmer??? I am thinking about getting a bak pak 2 and hanging it directly on the tank, not on the sump. Suggestions???

 

[quarryshark]

IMO the sump skimmers are better than the HOB. You can always plumb them to be external, at least most of them if you are short on room in you sump.
Plus there is less chance of flooding with a sump placed skimmer.
IMO a skimmer is a "must have" piece of equipment.

 

[MarineFlake]

Skimmers a skimmer...well in theoritical opertation..be it hob or in sump. In sump just allows for larger capacity and frees up some space on the tank. I have both. I use a CPR SR 4 in sump on my 75 and a CPR Bak-Pak on my 29G. It wasn't until I adjusted the air flow on both that I got great, consistent skimming, but both do their job. Either way you go I highly recommend purchasing something 2x the rated capacity for your application. That is, if you have a 55G tank, then shoot for something rated 2x that (110). Its much much easier to throttle down than to spend day after day trying to figure out how to keep it running perfect to achieve the 'rated' capacity..

GL!