Protein Skimmers, Etc.

[AngelFishFan]

Are Protein Skimmers required for Marine Aquariums? Ive been doing freshwater aquariums and ponds for many years, and I want to start a saltwater tank. Recommendations are greatly appreciated! I need all of the advice I can get! I am willing to spend the money on the good stuff... and not get shitty stuff and regret it later. Thanks for the help!

Keegan, Marine Tank Novice

 

[scuba_steve]

thats a big debate by alot out there but imo your better off with one than with out ! unless your not like the most of us that like to put mabe alittle more in their tanks than they should have but most would agree that ya shoulkd have one for sure !

 

[AngelFishFan]

How Do You Clean Them?

 

[biotoxin]

Well first of all you need to know if you want an in sump or hob (hang on back) skimmer. You need to know the size of your tank since each skimmer is rated to clean certain sizes. Im personally a fan of aquac the remora and urchin and ev series. They all work well and have recevied a lot of good reviews. A skimmer isnt "Required" its just a good thing to have on your tank since it removes a lot of detritus and particulate. One of the main things you need to consider is your price range. Skimmers arent cheap which led me to make my own but if you have the money for one they are worth every penny.

 

[AngelFishFan]

I was looking into the red sea skimmers. I am going to go with a 75 or 90 gallon tank. So probably just a H.O.B. Unless you suggest otherwise? I was going to get a protein skimmer, and an emperor 400gph wet/dry filter. Suggestions?

 

[loganj]

How Do You Clean Them?

I use a toothbrush and cold water. Just make sure the toothbrush you use isn't anywhere close to where you brush your teeth...wouldn't want to get mixed up and grab the wrong one 8O .

What size tank you are going to set up? Do intend to have a reef tank, a FOWLR tank, or a FO tank? All of these are factors in what type of filtration you'll need. Are you familiar with the Berlin system of filtration?

 

[AngelFishFan]

No I am not familiar with the Berlin System Of Filtration. I actually wanted to do coral.. an anenome or two... ... but mostly live rock. So i guess its considered a reef tank. Probably a 75 or 90 gallon tank, so its medium sized. Isnt there a cup you have for the protein skimmer? i heard they fill up fairly fast. Is that true? I am willing to devote alot of time to this tank, but im not going to be emptying a half ounce cup every other hour. Suggestions greatly appreciated!

 

[biotoxin]

If you want hangon back id go with the remora pro. You wont be emptying it every other hour but in the beginning you will empty it once a day due to the buildup of waste thats collected. After the inital break in period you wont have to empty it as often, although you should just for performance sake. If youre going to do a reef system then ditch the wet/dry they are for fish only tanks. The penguin isnt bad its good for water movement and powerfilters can be a good place to put your heater and get your hardware out of the main tank. HTH

 

[AngelFishFan]

Now what kind of filtration should i use for a reef then? is it more hard to take care of a few coral... an anenome, and some live rock than it would be to take care of a FO tank? I know a protein skimmer cant be it.. there must be more filtration.... Thanks for the help! Keep the suggestions comming.. i LOVE this website! So much help! thanks again

 

[jackdp]

IMO The best filtration for a reef tank is live rock...about 1.5 lbs per gallon along with a sandbed of about 3-4". This along with a protein skimmer will help maintain the high water quality needed to keep corals and anemones. The LR and sand presents a large surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow on and carry out biofiltration. The deep sand bed can provide a low oxygen enviroment for denitrifying bacteria to grow in helping to remove nitrates.
A reef tank can be more demanding than a FO tank. Water quality must be more closely monitored and some corals and most all anemones require intense lighting, water flow and special feeding. Do a lot of research before jumping into the reefkeeping hobby. It can be time consuming and expensive but is definitely worth every minute and penny spent. HTH

 

[biotoxin]

IMO The best filtration for a reef tank is live rock...about 1.5 lbs per gallon along with a sandbed of about 3-4". This along with a protein skimmer will help maintain the high water quality needed to keep corals and anemones. The LR and sand presents a large surface area for nitrifying bacteria to grow on and carry out biofiltration. The deep sand bed can provide a low oxygen enviroment for denitrifying bacteria to grow in helping to remove nitrates.

Indeed this is the basis of a marine aquarium and this is known as the Berlin Method stated above. Letting the reef take care of itself with your supervision

Do a lot of research before jumping into the reefkeeping hobby. It can be time consuming and expensive but is definitely worth every minute and penny spent. HTH

Amen to that, my wife says i spent too much money on my tank but i always see her in front of it saying "its so pretty"

 

[AngelFishFan]

Other than the natural filtration that is occuring, and the Protein skimmer, is there any need for any other type of filtration? Oxygenation? more water movement?

 

[loganj]

You'll need at least 10x your tank size in flow. 75g tank = 750gph. More is better. One addition you might consider in the future, or now if it's in the budget, is a wavemaker. This will allow you to create changing currents in the tank that are closer to what corals have on the natural reef. Most corals will do better in a turbulent environment rather than having laminar flow on them all the time.

 

[AngelFishFan]

So A Proten Skimmer and lots of flow. Anything else for a reef? Also, what is the rule of thumb for amount of fish to keep? I know ponds are 1 inch of fish per every 5 gallons of water. Anything else? or can I stock until the fish look comfortable?

 

[AngelFishFan]

How do you feed coral and anemones?

 

[jackdp]

Corals will benefit from the additions of some plankton product like DT's phytoplankton, Kent phytoplex, microvert etc...there's a lot out there. I don't have an anemone but in I believe they will accept larger meaty foods like shrimp pieces, mysis shrimp etc. Larger polyp corals will also be able to capture any stray fish food that may be floating around.

 

[AngelFishFan]

Okay, hard corals? or soft? which are easier to take care of?

 

[biotoxin]

You need to get a book called The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner it will answer many questions you have. I would start with sps corals like toadstool, star polyp, xenia etc.

 

[jackdp]

You should definitely check out some books before jumping into corals. "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" listed above is a good one for general aquarium info. If you want a great book for coral care check out "Aquarium Corals" by Eric Borneman, its loaded with great info. I also like "The Natural Reef Aquarium" by Tullock.
The corals biotoxin listed are good beginner corals but they are not sps corals. They would be soft corals. Xenia can be difficult to keep for a beginner. I've had good luck with leather corals, mushrooms etc. Anemones are not very hardy, require good water conditions and very high light so I wouldn't recommend one to a beginner.

 

[AngelFishFan]

What is the difference between live sand and regular sand? why cant i just add sand from the beach and let it biologically mature?