going reef

[SassyAngel111]

I had spoke to my lfs yesterday and wanted to find out how much rubble lr I would need in my fluval filter, to sustain a 29gl tank since I am planning on adding corals and the told me that I would have to get rid of my fluval filter????? is this true or can I keep my filter with corals???

 

[melosu58]

You probably could keep it but it`s not needed. LR and skimmer are the main ingredients.IMO

 

[tecwzrd]

I also agree that it’s not needed if you have enough lr ie: 1.5-2 lbs per gal.

If you keep it empty and clean it frequently to keep your no3 below 5 ppm then using it for water circulation and occasionally for gac filtering would be fine.

Adding a skimmer to the mix will greatly help in keeping your no3 low as well.

 

[SassyAngel111]

Ok I have a skimmer on this tank but I am not getting any type of dry foam in the collection cup at all, this tank has been setup for a month now with the following:

20lbs of ls
19 lbs of lr
1 rio 220 powerhead
1 pengiun 500? powerhead, this was just add to the tank yesterday
1 skimmer
and of course the fluval
lighting just a standard petsmart light sitting on glass that is just wide enough for the lights ( which i know that if I am going to have coral I will need better lighting).
Stock:
about 15 red legged hermitts
1 turbo snail
2 other types of snails
No fish at this time waiting on the lfs to get in a citron gobby and some neon gobbies.
but could any let me know if there is something missing or do I have everthing correct so far.

I have not had any spikes in this tank since day one, currently I do not have any alge growing any where. Just seen the first feather duster on one of the lr last night.

 

[tecwzrd]

Do you use any chemical additives like stress coat to your tank? They have an adverse effect on skimmers. Have you been running your skimmer for a month also? Do you get wet skimmate? Did you do a fishless cycle or use the lr to cycle your tank?

Stock list looks great. Personally I’d add about 5-10 more Nassarius snails to stir up the sand and a Banded Coral Shrimp is always fun to watch and is reef safe

 

[SassyAngel111]

No I have not used stress coat, the only thing I had used was a ph buffer to try to bring up my ph levels to 8.2, unless my test kit is bad which I plan on going and getting a new one today after work and retesting my ph levels.

As for running the skimmer I have had it started every since I had set up the tank.

Dumb ??? what is skimmate.

Well since I will be at the lfs today I will go ahead and pick up, or should I wait until I can test my ph levels?
Thanks for the advice

 

[tecwzrd]

skimmate is just the junk that collects at the top from the foaming action. If you are getting wet skimmate then you may just need to adjust your skimmer slightly.

Buffers have little effect on skimmate. What do you keep your sg at? Do you have aragonite sand? Have you tested your ph in the morning and night? It’s higher at night just before you turn the lights out and lower in the morning.

If it’s in the 8.0 to 8.4 range I wouldn’t add buffers, it’s more important to keep a steady ph then it is to keep a high one. Also I’d keep you sg closer to 1.025 for a reef setup.

When adding stock if you do have your sg that high then I’d drip acclimate them for 3+ hours to adjust to the sg/ph of your tank.

 

[SassyAngel111]

tecwzrd,
I just tested my tank again and here is the results:
PH = 8.00 using the nutrafin test by hagen
KH/ALK = 2.86 using the salifert test
Nitrite = 0 using the pharmisutical test
NO3 (ammonia) = 0 using the pharmisutical test
SG = 1.022 using the deep six meter
water temp = 76 deg.

yes I did use the aragonit sand that came in a bag with water. the lr was cured by the lfs that I had purchased the rock from. as for the skimmer I am using the berlin skimmer and I have the bubbles going up the small tube set at about looks to be about 1/2" apart and the stone I have opened all the way.

 

[seaham358]

I never had one of those skimmers so correct me if Im wrong.. Should it be on the outside of the tank?.
I know some skimmer won't work correctly if submerged in the water, not sure if this is one of them..
Don't they need a PH on them also??

 

[tecwzrd]

8.0 is fine for ph. It would rise slightly if your sg was closer to 1.025 but your current sg is fine. Any increases in sg should be done slowly over a couple of weeks time.

The skimmer will work with an air stone but as seaham358 said being inside the tank seems off. It also appears to be too high which could explain why you are not getting any skimmate. Can it be mounted on the outside? If you could get the collection cup closer to water level you should have better results.

I’m not sure how the air stone would pull in water though if mounted on the outside. Typically skimmers use a ph to both move water into and out of the skimmer and add bubbles through the use of a needle wheel or regular venturi air hose.

 

[SassyAngel111]

Ok here is the info that I could find on this type of skimmer it is:


For use in Saltwater Fish Tanks and Reef Tanks, Lee's® Counter Current Protein Skimmers help prevent toxic tank syndrome by removing proteins and other organics before they turn into nitrogen compounds or other toxins that may be harmful to aquarium inhabitants. Through ADSORPTION, protein and other organic compounds in the water form a coating around bubbles as they rise to the top. The resulting foam floods over the top of the foam riser tube and is captured in the collection cup before it can re-enter the aquarium. Easily adjusted, low maintenance protein skimmers come pre-assembled, with 2-way plastic valves and hanger included.
Item Total Minimum Size Tank
# Skimmer Tank Skimmer
Height Height Will Handle

17100 Small 12-1/16" 11" Up to 30 Gallons
17105 Medium 16-1/8" 14" Up to 60 Gallons
17110 Large 23-1/8" 23" Up to 90 Gallons

Advantages of Counter-Current:
Better Water Flow, More Effective Mixing, and Longer Contact Time
Water enters at the top of the skimmer and is drawn downward, using the full length and diameter of the Contact Chamber. When the bubbles produced by the air diffuser travel upward against the downward water flow, a spiraling turbulence is created. The turbulence causes air bubbles and water to mix for an extended period of time. This allows organics to be extracted more efficiently. Contact time is also increased by using the tallest Protein Skimmer that your aquarium will accommodate

 

[ColdFish]

That's an "old-school" style skimmer. I also remember the ones like that which were completely open at the bottom. Just a plastic tube with an airstone in it that led up to the collection cup (dating myself hehe), but didn't realize they still made them like that. It definetly belongs in the tank though, and not outside.

EDIT: Realized that reply didn't offer much in the way of solving your problem. I did actually use those kind of skimmers in the past. They were always temperamental and seemed to require constant attention to make sure that they had enough airflow from the air pump to keep them operating. Make sure that you replace the airstone regularly. If I'm not mistaken, you can actually boil the wooden ones to clean them. Also, you need to make sure that the air pump is putting out as much air as it used to and replace parts as necessary. I think that I would get a new skimmer if I were you though. My main source of aggrevation these days is having to fool around with my skimmers, and that one is going to need lots of attention. They do work though if you don't mind playing with them all the time.

 

[SassyAngel111]

Thanks everyone for the advice I guess it is off to the lfs again after work to buy a different skimmer. This is the one that my husband wanted to get he was trying to get by as cheaply as possible a couple of years ago when we had first tried our hand at a sw tank, and I just got so aggravated at it could not get the water levels correct although I think it was also the lfs (the ocean floor) that had caused us alot of our failures, so this is our second try. They kept telling us that we needed this stuff or that stuff to sustain a good sw tank, well now this time I am sticking with what everyone here and this other lfs store (aqua touch) is telling me since you guys and them are telling me the same things. Just again a big thanks for all of the info.

 

[tecwzrd]

You can get them much cheaper usually online than what the lfs sells them for.
A couple of good brands for your size tank would be:

Coralife super skimmer
AquaC Remora Pro
Nautilus TE-in-Sump Protein Skimmer
Bak Pak Skimmer

Skimping on skimmer quality only leads to wasted money as you are finding out.

 

[SassyAngel111]

tecwzrd,
I just went online and found a coralife super skimmer for my tank, I should have it in about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks. Next I will need to up grade my lights, get more lr, then start on the fish and then corals. Thisis what I am planning on getting as far as fish:
1 or 2 cintron gobies
1 or 2 neon gobies
or should I go with something different?

Oh by the way I just went today and bought a banded coral shrimp, what would I need to feed him or her, since all I have is the clean up crew right now in the tank.

Thanks again for the help
Jan

 

[pkremer]

Just a word of caution! I also have the Deep Six Hydrometer, and found it gives me inaccurate readings! The only good thing is that it gives consistently wrong readings. My LFS keeps their tanks at 1.021, and so I was able to test my Deep Six in their tanks, and it gave me a 1.018 reading. So now, in order to maintain my 1.021 sg, I get my hydrometer to 1.018. If I were you, I would make sure your hydrometer is giving you accurate readings by comparing it to an aquarium that you are sure of the sg.

Paul

 

[SassyAngel111]

pkremer, ok thanks for the advice I will see if my lfs will check it next time I go there.

 

[tecwzrd]

I think you will like the Coralife super skimmer, it took me a little while to adjust but I rarely have to touch it now. I use it in the sump but it is works as hob also.

I haven’t had to target feed my coral banded shrimp since it is great at catching food out of the water when I feed the rest of the fishes. It loves frozen (I feed marine cuisine mostly)

 

[SassyAngel111]

tecwzrd,
If I have any questions about setting up or adjusting the skimmer could I send you a pm once I get it? I guess since I don't have any fish at this time in the tank I guess I will have to stop and get some frozen food to feed him, although it looks like he might be finding enough stuff on the lr to eat, but just dont want to take that chance.

 

[tecwzrd]

Anytime I'll be on travel next week from 4/2 to 4/7 and may not be able to reply quickly but will check periodically. I learned the most from www.tylermerrick.com’s website as far as adjusting the CSS