skimmer questions

[ducati1212]

(Sory if people have read other forums and have seen my post's already, I am posting at a few forums to get as much info as possible)

I orded this skimmer for a 29 Gal reef tank. It has a built in BIO filter as well. Will the bio filter help / hurt a reef tank or is it a welcome addition.?

My thought when I bought it was that the extra filter would help but now I am not so sure.? I cant afford another one so I have to use this as my skimmer.

CPR Bak-Pak 2 Protein Skimmer

Cyclone BAK-PAK™ 2 Bio-Filter

The Cyclone BAK-PAK™2 Bio-Filter is the second generation external, hang on the back, combination Protein Skimmer and Biological Filtration unit from CPR. The BAK-PAK™ 2, like the original, is designed for tank sizes up to 60 gallons, but multiple units may be used for larger aquariums. Water first enters the Protein Skimmer column from the aquarium. It then flows through the biological chamber filled with Bio-Bale™ filtration media before returning to the aquarium.

The Protein Skimmer is driven by a rejuvenation venturi powerhead. Bubble dwell time is increased by the counter-current flow in the skimmer column. The quality of the foam collected can be controlled by raising and lowering the collection cup.

 

[penpitt]

I have the same skimmer on my puffer tank and I'm using the bio media. It is a 50 gallon tank with just 1-3" puffer and no LR. I plan on getting about 75 pounds of LR when I can afford it and will just pull the bio-bale media out of the skimmer. Depending on how much LR you have you might just want to yank it since you have a reef tank and it may accumulate trapped waste

 

[ducati1212]

So if I just take out the BIO stuff then the skimmer still works fine.?

Also what would be a side effect of live rock with a bio filter. What does too much bio filtration do.?

I will be just at or a tad under the recomended amount of rock for my tank using the 1.5 - 2.0 lbs per gallon so I thought the extra bio filtration would be a plus.? thoughts.?

 

[penpitt]

IMO I believe the skimmer will still work fine. The Bak-Pak 2 looks identical to the Bak-Pak 2R which is for reef tanks but does not have the blue bio-bale media in it. And considering the media is in the final chamber of the skimmer after the mixing chamber and collection cup it should not have any effect on the performance of the skimmer. I do not know what, if any, effects it would have on the LR since I don't have any yet.