adding air yes or no

[otem]

i just statred my salt tank about a month ago.my lfs tells me not to add air to my reef tank because you want water movement with filters and powerheads.the books i've been reading tell me to add air.what do you think.

 

[PeeJ]

Got a skimmer? If so, thats plenty of air without really adding air into the display tank...unless its malfunctioning and u have bubbles everywhere

 

[Ben1]

Powerheads moving the water surface will create enough agitation to put 02 in the water. Airstones arnt really used in reeftanks.

 

[Expos Forever]

An airstone will also cause salt creep from hell. IMO that would be a big NO. As mentioned a skimmer and a powerhead (pointed at the surface) will give you sufficient oxygenation. What book are you reading that's saying you need to add an airpump?

 

[otem]

i don't have a skimmer.i have 2 tetrtec 400's and wet/dry sump for a 180 gal tank.the lfs told me that would be good.do you think i need a skimmer if so what do you suggest.the latest book i'm reading is salt water aquaruims for dummies by i don't know.

 

[Expos Forever]

otem

Most people recommend a quality protein skimmer(Euro-Reef, Aqua C,etc..) While some can succeed witout one, they are usually extremely lightly stocked with fish, and/or have HUGE refugiums, and/or do very frequent water changes, etc... Nutirents must be exported somehow.

Witout knowing your inhabitants, etc... I would personally remove the bio-balls (slowly) and get a qulaity skimmer.

BTW an excellent book is The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists
by Robert M. Fenner,


HTH

 

[otem]

i only have 50lbs of live rock in it now with one damsel.iwas planning on getting 100lbs this weekend.do you recomend getting a skimmer first or should i put the rock in first while i have the money for the rock.

 

[Anonymous]

I feel that you should have the skimmer ready before getting the rock... are you going to cure the second batch separately, or you going to mix them together? I ask because if you do it the second way, you may have a big mess...

 

[Quigonsean]

I agree a skimmer is need, and check out Fenner's book it is great. I've read SW for Dummies it has alot of erronious info. It list the Hawii cleaner Wrasse as one of the best beginner fish, when in fact they very rarely live in captivity, it list Naso tangs as Max size 8inches. It is bad stuff. Burn it and get Fenner's book, and or Natural Reef Aquariums By John Tullock both are great. Even a Simple Guide to Saltwater Aquariums is good.

Sean

 

[otem]

after reading the other books in my library i agree the book sucks,and i plan on doing some skimmer shopping this weekend.as far as adding the rock to the tank. would it be a problem even if the rock is already cured and it is coming from the same tank at my lfs?

 

[danny254]

How bout get a 100 lbs of dryrock, if you already have 50lbs the 100lbs of dry would cover pretty quick with coralline and all the other goodies. That will save you a fortune. Go to www.hirocks.com
As for the skimmer I personally use an AquaC EV series but as I hear Euroreef, MYreef, and PM are all really good too.

 

[NewMan]

after reading the other books in my library i agree the book sucks,and i plan on doing some skimmer shopping this weekend.as far as adding the rock to the tank. would it be a problem even if the rock is already cured and it is coming from the same tank at my lfs?

well done...IMO...a skimmer is a must for a beginner. Don't get me wrong, I am a beginner as well I am always learning.

One word of advise, get the best skimmer you can afford & you will never regret it Trust me :wink:

 

[Ben1]

It depends on the live rock. If you buy from you LFS and it has been in his tank more then a few weeks, you should be ok. If it is cured rock that came cured from the distributer and only has been in his tank under a week or so you could see an ammonia spike which would kill your fish.

 

[Quigonsean]

I agree with Ben, Find out how long its been in tanks for.

As for a skimmer personally I like the ETSS Downdraft skimmers. I have a Superdevil I got for $259.00 with pump.
Here's a pic.

Sean

 

[reefann]

Dont listen to your LFS about skimmers 9 times out of ten they will sell you junk. Do some searching on the threads about good skimmers and youll find tons of info.
JJ
BTW I think skimmers are important but you dont need to get a 650$ euroreef to get the job done. They are sweet though.
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[otem]

i went to to the lfs and took some of your suggestions.i got 40lbs of dry rock and got 65lbs of live rock that was in the same tank as the first 50lbs i bought.now my question is do i have to wait for my tank to cycle again to add some critters.what type of cleaners should i add to control hair algea.since i'm new to saltwater is there anything else i should be looking for on the rock that i should remove once it starts to bloom. thanks

 

[danny254]

You should wait for the new cycle to happen before you add any snails or anything. About what to remove from the rock once it's in is hard to say because you never know whats gonna pop out, so I would just wait for the time to come to worry about that.