So I was thinking of turning my fuge into a skimmer chamber

Discussion in 'Protein Skimmers' started by Reef_Ninja, Aug 25, 2014.

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  1. Amethyst

    Amethyst Astrea Snail

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    I have no skimmer, and I'm not sure if I need one or not on my small reef (20g, moving to 29g with 20g sump soon), so this question & answer caught my eye. I clicked on the thread from thereeftank.com, and it is a huge thread, with years worth of posts. Do you remember, by any chance, approximately where and/or when the info is located regarding skimmers on smaller tanks? I don't mind reading for awhile, but I really don't want to wade through 115 pages if at all possible.

    Thanks.
     
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  3. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    I haven't read the thread, but speaking from experience, a skimmer is not an absolute necessity on any system. They do provide benefits such as helping to lower maintenance by removing a percentage of DOCs before they can break down into nutrients. With that, one can perform fewer, smaller water changes to keep nutrient levels in check. How much benefit one reaps depends more on bioload rather than tank size; if you plan on 'maxing out' with fish and/or feeding heavily, then you should strongly consider a skimmer.
     
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  4. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Mr Bill has summed up the thread. And I'm sure he speaks from experience more than myself. If I remember right, it didn't take long to get to the smaller tanks in that thread.
     
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  5. Amethyst

    Amethyst Astrea Snail

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  6. Reef_Ninja

    Reef_Ninja Spaghetti Worm

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    Well, just as an update, and maybe seeking further advice. I'm thinking about changing over to the skimmer. My chaeto isn't growing very well at all. Whereas before I was halving it about every month, the last two months have seen zero growth. Cyano is also starting to creep in, which is starting to be a problem. But its hard to stay on top of it when you work 60 hours a week......

    I've cut back on my feedings, stopped dosing phyto, cut my lights back, and increased the flow on my wp10 (I have a fair understanding of cyano). The only other thing I can think of doing is to add a skimmer, IDK.

    Thoughts on my bio load? Im thinking it may be on the heavy side (for a 25 gallon cube)............

    2 x True Percs
    1 x Orange Spotted goby
    1 x starry blenny
     
  7. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    Sounds like the cyano is winning the battle for nutrients? How is your water chemistry? I read somewhere that cyano has an edge with low alk and with unstable chemistry.
     
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  9. Reef_Ninja

    Reef_Ninja Spaghetti Worm

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    Well, my alk is a little on the low side, it was hanging around 3.0 meq, was thinking of bumping up to 4, but things were looking good (atleast before the cyano). My thought, corals are happy so why change it? I'll see about bumping it up. Thanks for the advice!
     
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  10. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    The advice I got was to keep it between 3.2 and 3.93. I usually aim for the middle (a little over 3.5).
     
  11. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    Alk at 3.0 is good.

    The skimmer on my 20+8 gallon sump barely pulls out anything.

    I keep power heads in my sump to keep stuff suspended and it alao greatly increases gas exchange.

    I stripped my tank of nutrients and everything bleached. Before that, my low nutrients caused pale coral.

    Be careful with over filtration on small systems.
     
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  12. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    Your main issue is phosphates. Chaeto feeds on a combination of nitrates and phosphates. Don't recall the exact ratio ATM, but when one gets too low, it stops feeding on the other. Cyano feeds on phosphates. A skimmer removes DOCs, reducing the production of nitrates, so it may not actually help with cyano. GFO, OTOH, will absorb the excess phosphates.
     
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