Protein Skimmer Question

[OceanMist]

is it advisable to start running the protein skimmer during the cycle, or would this remove the waste before bacteria can build up in the tank?

also, is there a maximum water turn over rate for a reef tank, I know the minimum is 10x/hour however my protein skimmer will manage this alone, plus a 900l/h return from 'fuge and another 900l/h ph for surface movement, I haven't even added any for actual water movement yet.

 

[FishFrik]

You are right about the skimmer removing the waste before the bacteria can use it. You can use the skimmer while cycling but that's just gonna slow down your cycle - longer cycle.

Add at least another pump to circulate the water near the substrate. I doubt that the returning water from ur skimmer and fuge will create much movement down there.

 

[OceanMist]

thanks for the reply, I think I may run the skimmer during cycle, otherwise I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the skimmer to break in anyway, may as well do it all at once, right? - or would it be better not to?

I know i'm going to need more ph's, problem is my tank is custom made and is nearly as wide as it is long, meaning I cant just stick a Ph each end, I will need at least 3 more ph's to cover the glass, centre tank, and rocks, does the water turnover rate per hour matter as long as there is enough water movement?

 

[FishFrik]

There are pro and con in using skimmer while cycling:

Pro: Low toxic, preserve more life on LR and LS
Con: If your skimmer is TOO efficient, it will skim out all or almost all the waste which means you'll get a tiny cycle or no cycle at all. When the cycle is done, there is a chance your tank won't have enough bacteria to support new fish.

IMO, just cycle w/o the skimmer. Makes things less complicated XD. Most skimmers will break in after a few days (at least my CSS125 did)

The water turnover rate per hour matters. You might think you have enough flow but it's usually the rate that determines that. It's not the water movement that we're most concerned about, it's the gallon of water that moves around the LR/bacteria per hour that matters.

HTH

 

[OceanMist]

I may or may not use it during cycle, but I turned it on today for the 1st time and it isn't producing microbubbles, it's only producing normal bubbles and no foam, any suggestions as to why it might not be working correctly (it's a venturi design skimmer)?