over filtering/skimming

[Nathan1098]

I have an eclipse 29 gal tank, I would like to eventually have a reef tank but I now realizes it is probably too small. I am using a protein skimmer and using the eclipses filter and bio-wheel. Is this too much filtration, is that possible? I was also curious to see if I could get powerful enough lights in an eclipse hood, I have two zoomed ocean sun 10,000k's. Are these sufficient for a reef tank?

Would I be better off starting over with a 55 gal?

Thanks for the advice

-Nathan

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Nathan and welcome to Reefs.Org.

IMO larger tanks are easier to be successful with for a newcomer but there's nothing wrong with a 29 gallon system as your first reef.

If you do consider something larger, I'd recommend a 75 over the 55. The 18" front-to-back dimension of a 75 (vs. 12" for a 55) is a much easier footprint to work with for a reefscape IMO.

As to your other questions, if you can give us a bit more detail we can give you better responses.

What type of skimmer are you currently using?

What type (and wattage) of lights come in the eclipse hood?

What types of corals do you want to keep in your reef?

In the event that you need to beef up your lighting, you might find this link useful: http://www.inlandreef.com/eclipse.html

Also, check out the Reefs.Org library - lots of great info there including a beginner's guide.

HTH

 

[Nathan1098]

I guess is should list what I have in the tank now... I have 2 damsels, and one clown fish. I have a sea cucumber but I don’t know what kind specifically (it says under the sand and occasionally deploys a tree like structure) i have two small crabs. One day I was able to see 3 tiny (smaller than a dime) starfish but have not seen them since.

I would like to have a variety of coals, I’m really new and I don’t know the names of any of them. I would also like to have a few anemones

The skimmer is a BERLIN AIR-LIFT 60 made by red sea. I just bought it and the guy told me the air pump did not make to much of a difference so I got a PROFILE AQUARIUM AIRP PUMP 2900. The box does not list any info about it other than that. Should I take this skimmer back and get a different one? It was only $40 and the pump was around $15. I went with the cheep one because I was not even sure I needed one.

For the lights I have two "zoo med ocean sun" lights the only info on the box is 17 watts there is also a picture on the box it is below.



Thanks for the help

 

[ChrisRD]

The first thing I would recommend is to get a few good books and start researching what types of animals you want to keep. This will basically determine your hardware choices. In the end, the cost of the books will be more than offset by the savings on equipment purchases and failed atttempts with livestock. There's a recommended reading list in the library section here at Reefs.Org that should help in finding some books.

I've don't have any experience with that particular skimmer, but the air-driven style skimmers can be very efficient. Some of the more recent designs are generally lower maintenance (no airstones) but every design has its +/-. Personally, I wouldn't have any worries about overskimming with that setup.

BTW, how much live rock do you have in the tank? How deep is your sandbed? A hang-on vegetable refugium can also be a good natural filter and a source of live food for a setup like yours. Something to consider for the future.

If you plan on keeping a variety of photosynthetic corals you'll have to upgrade the lighting IMO. Check out the link in my first post for information provided by Inland Reef about rhetrofitting an eclipse hood for PC lamps.

HTH