How important is it to have a skimmer in a new tank
- Thread starter tim000
- Start date
Tim,
A skimmer is always a good idea to have. Right now, you do not have a lot in the tank, so it is not a crisis. Look around and see what is available on this board's reefkeepers marketplace, as well as on ebay.
Your tank is small, so you don't need anything in the super duper catagory. Please do not go the other extreme and get a sea clone skimmer - junk. Do a search on this board.
A skimmer is always a good idea to have. Right now, you do not have a lot in the tank, so it is not a crisis. Look around and see what is available on this board's reefkeepers marketplace, as well as on ebay.
Your tank is small, so you don't need anything in the super duper catagory. Please do not go the other extreme and get a sea clone skimmer - junk. Do a search on this board.
Listen to me, and listen good...
Remove that five dollar damsel from your tank right now and flush him, return him, give him away... whatever..
The LR is all you need to cycle your tank, and beleive me, you don't wanna wait until your tank is all rock-scaped and stable to try to remove that hyper-agressive, territorial little prick like I did..
I tried for over a month to net my damsel after he killed the other damsel I had, and began terrorizing my new clownfish (who btw is bigger than the damsel was). This fish was so sharp that he ditched into the rocks if I even came NEAR the tank with a net. He laughed at the traps I devised and attempted, avoiding them as if he knew exactly what their purpose was..
Eventually, I had to tear down my entire tank in order to net him, removing nearly ALL my rock, stirring up a ton of sediment, turning my perfect water to milk, and causing a NO3 spike after I had been enjoying near-perfect water quality..
Don't do what I did... stock only the animals you wish to keep forever, and research the behavior of your choices carefully before adding them to your beloved reef.. removing them later can be a frikkin nightmare...
Remove that five dollar damsel from your tank right now and flush him, return him, give him away... whatever..
The LR is all you need to cycle your tank, and beleive me, you don't wanna wait until your tank is all rock-scaped and stable to try to remove that hyper-agressive, territorial little prick like I did..
I tried for over a month to net my damsel after he killed the other damsel I had, and began terrorizing my new clownfish (who btw is bigger than the damsel was). This fish was so sharp that he ditched into the rocks if I even came NEAR the tank with a net. He laughed at the traps I devised and attempted, avoiding them as if he knew exactly what their purpose was..
Eventually, I had to tear down my entire tank in order to net him, removing nearly ALL my rock, stirring up a ton of sediment, turning my perfect water to milk, and causing a NO3 spike after I had been enjoying near-perfect water quality..
Don't do what I did... stock only the animals you wish to keep forever, and research the behavior of your choices carefully before adding them to your beloved reef.. removing them later can be a frikkin nightmare...
the live rock is the only thing you need to cycle your tank but a damsel is a good choice if you like him very hearty and almost impossible to kill i had a pair that went threw 3 moves and complete teardowns without a hitch
I just bought a bak pak II skimmer about 3 months ago im very happy with it and it seems to get good reviews in this forum whenever its mentioned
I use only this skimmer and the rock to filter my tank so i bought a good one
i ran a salt tank successfully for about 5 years using a combo skilter filter skimmer on my 37 but if you really want to keep coral i would buy a good one
where are you from i still have the skilter in the shed but it is held together with super glue and electrical tank but works fine
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Honda CBR600F4
I just bought a bak pak II skimmer about 3 months ago im very happy with it and it seems to get good reviews in this forum whenever its mentioned
I use only this skimmer and the rock to filter my tank so i bought a good one
i ran a salt tank successfully for about 5 years using a combo skilter filter skimmer on my 37 but if you really want to keep coral i would buy a good one
where are you from i still have the skilter in the shed but it is held together with super glue and electrical tank but works fine
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Honda CBR600F4
anywhere near detroit i have relatives there i would probably just send you it if you agree to reimburst postage
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Honda CBR600F
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Honda CBR600F
I have a 55g established tank and have never used a skimmer in it. I have aprox a 3inch crushed coral base on top of a ug filter with 2 good sized power heads. At least 60 lbs of LR in the tank with a bio-wheel and never had a problem. I cycled my tank with just the LR and do bi-monthly water changes. Please don't fall into the "I have to get a skimmer" mind set. It's totally do-able with out.
Diane,
How long has your tank been set up? Most people reccomend against undergravel filters, biowheels and crushed coral in reef tanks. Most consider those to contribute to high nitrates. I would be curious to know how things are going (nitrate level?) and how long you have been set up.
I believe that a skimmer is one of the most important pieces of equipment you can have. Just my opinion. It helps for oxygen exchange and is the only way, other than growing macro algae and water changes to export nutrients. Natural reefs are very low in nutrients. We add tons of nutrients just through feedings.
In my experience, skimming seems to make a big difference in cutting down on algae and the overall health of my tank.
Ernie
How long has your tank been set up? Most people reccomend against undergravel filters, biowheels and crushed coral in reef tanks. Most consider those to contribute to high nitrates. I would be curious to know how things are going (nitrate level?) and how long you have been set up.
I believe that a skimmer is one of the most important pieces of equipment you can have. Just my opinion. It helps for oxygen exchange and is the only way, other than growing macro algae and water changes to export nutrients. Natural reefs are very low in nutrients. We add tons of nutrients just through feedings.
In my experience, skimming seems to make a big difference in cutting down on algae and the overall health of my tank.
Ernie
i ran a tank for almost 5 years like dianes undergravel filter crushed coral powerheads and the aboved mentioned skilter i had no problem keeping clowns and anenomes and even had a couple coral which survived but did not thrive
the problem i encountered was a constant algea bloom (read high nitrates) on the glass which required constant cleaning this only happens after the tank has been up and running a long time since no matter how much you vacumn some gunk get trapped under the plate which slowly builds up on you
the only way to get this out is tear the tank down Yeah Yippe like i want to do that again this setup was good in its own time the crushed coral base does alot to keep ph steady but i think sand beds have pretty much killed them as the popular choice
another problem with the undergravel filter is it is too efficent and i read where the bacteria can develope to the point that it starts to deplete oxygen from the water
it took two days of vacumming the tank bottom to get rid of what i stirred up when i removed my undergravel filter
with a sand bed i dont vacume at all just add top off water and i am much happier made this change 31/2-4 months ago
oh yeah you really can have the skilter its not preety but it works and will hold you over til you get a good one there are a couple of bakpak on the marketplace or you can try
www.marinedepot.com
check out my tank
richnpoor 37 gallon reef in progress
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Television Forum
the problem i encountered was a constant algea bloom (read high nitrates) on the glass which required constant cleaning this only happens after the tank has been up and running a long time since no matter how much you vacumn some gunk get trapped under the plate which slowly builds up on you
the only way to get this out is tear the tank down Yeah Yippe like i want to do that again this setup was good in its own time the crushed coral base does alot to keep ph steady but i think sand beds have pretty much killed them as the popular choice
another problem with the undergravel filter is it is too efficent and i read where the bacteria can develope to the point that it starts to deplete oxygen from the water
it took two days of vacumming the tank bottom to get rid of what i stirred up when i removed my undergravel filter
with a sand bed i dont vacume at all just add top off water and i am much happier made this change 31/2-4 months ago
oh yeah you really can have the skilter its not preety but it works and will hold you over til you get a good one there are a couple of bakpak on the marketplace or you can try
www.marinedepot.com
check out my tank
richnpoor 37 gallon reef in progress
_________________
Television Forum
I like my yellow-tailed damsel. He's in a 29G with a percula clown, a firefish and a 6-line wrasse. the only fish he's ever bothered was the wrasse, but the wrass started to fight back after only 3 days in the tank. Now everone gets along.
I don't think damsels are as bad as everyone says. They certainly won't tolerate other damsels, but that can even be said of clownfish. That said, you will have to decide NOW whether you want to keep him, as they are nearly impossible to catch without a good deal of disruption to a tank.
I don't think damsels are as bad as everyone says. They certainly won't tolerate other damsels, but that can even be said of clownfish. That said, you will have to decide NOW whether you want to keep him, as they are nearly impossible to catch without a good deal of disruption to a tank.
Diane, I guess the reason most people use skimmers is because they tried your way (or heard of others that did) and the systems have not been very successful. How long has your tank been set up? Maybe you could share with us your secret on making this system work.
Steve
Steve
I'm also curious. 0.6 what? ppm? If so, how did you get a test kit that messures that, the majority of the test kits that I've found measure nitrAte as 10,20,30,40...ppm.
I'll also throw in my opinion. Don't do it cheap, cause its gonna cost you a headache and more money in the long run. What I'm saying is DON'T waste your money on a skilter. They are the biggests POS in the world. Go for like a Bak pak or a Aqua-C Hang on Remora skimmer or even a sea clone as long as you keep your stock level low.
The beauty of reefkeeping is that there is no "right" way. Whatever works for you. Only problem is that sometimes one way doesn't work for you and ends up costing you a lot.
Buba
I'll also throw in my opinion. Don't do it cheap, cause its gonna cost you a headache and more money in the long run. What I'm saying is DON'T waste your money on a skilter. They are the biggests POS in the world. Go for like a Bak pak or a Aqua-C Hang on Remora skimmer or even a sea clone as long as you keep your stock level low.
The beauty of reefkeeping is that there is no "right" way. Whatever works for you. Only problem is that sometimes one way doesn't work for you and ends up costing you a lot.
Buba
Diane
I, too would be curious as to how long the tank has been set up and what you are keeping. How often do you do water changes.
I think the main purpose of this board is to learn from other people's experience. I also believe that there are many ways to run a system successfully, but I think the message that "all that matters is that whatever way you decide to go you are comfortable with your decision" is not 100% correct.
I started out thinking that I didn't really need a skimmer, and that my canister filter was all I would need. Then I got a fluidized bed based on advice from my LFS, and still had issues. I was "comfortable" with my decision up until I had a blanket of dark red algae covering all my corals! I then got a HOB wet/dry skimmer combo, which cost an arm and a leg, and things got better for a while. Then I got hooked up w/ this board, ditched the wet/dry, got a better skimmer and started using RO/DI water. My tank has never looked better! I only wish that I had known then what I know now. I would have saved over $1000 on my 55G tank.
This is not a flame, just a message to tell everyone to try to get as much info as possible, and that there is no "cheap, effective" solutions. There are cheap solutions and then there are effective ones.
Ernie
Ernie
I, too would be curious as to how long the tank has been set up and what you are keeping. How often do you do water changes.
I think the main purpose of this board is to learn from other people's experience. I also believe that there are many ways to run a system successfully, but I think the message that "all that matters is that whatever way you decide to go you are comfortable with your decision" is not 100% correct.
I started out thinking that I didn't really need a skimmer, and that my canister filter was all I would need. Then I got a fluidized bed based on advice from my LFS, and still had issues. I was "comfortable" with my decision up until I had a blanket of dark red algae covering all my corals! I then got a HOB wet/dry skimmer combo, which cost an arm and a leg, and things got better for a while. Then I got hooked up w/ this board, ditched the wet/dry, got a better skimmer and started using RO/DI water. My tank has never looked better! I only wish that I had known then what I know now. I would have saved over $1000 on my 55G tank.
This is not a flame, just a message to tell everyone to try to get as much info as possible, and that there is no "cheap, effective" solutions. There are cheap solutions and then there are effective ones.
Ernie
Ernie
Thanks for the question Ernie. I have had my tank set-up for almost a year. Currently the only losses that I have had in my tank were due to a hungry eel and I had 1 eel get stuck in a piece of live rock. I even survived a power outage that lasted almost 72 hrs with not a single loss. My nitrites test very low all the time except for when I add new fish. Then it's time to add a little buffer and within a day or so everything is back to normal. I do have 2 airstones running in the tank to make sure that there is oxygen exchange. If I ever get a tank bigger than my 55g I will definetly look into the skimmer end of things but for now everyone is doing so well in my tank I have no need to worry about it.
Thanks,
Diane
Thanks,
Diane
Dont skimp on skimmers and lighting. I have a bac pac2 on my 30, and 1 400 iwasaki mh, and all is doing well. I would suggest the bacpac, or aquac remora. Go to the sponsors link on the top of the page and go to premium aquatics they have them both and for pretty good prices.
Later
Clwn
Later
Clwn
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