Need to update skimmer

Discussion in 'Equipment' started by Ocho, Oct 13, 2017.

  1. Ocho

    Ocho Plankton

    hey guys/gals I have a 120 and it came with a no name skimmer and I don’t think it’s working as good as I think a skimmer should. The stuff it pulls out is slightly colored and it stinks so I know it’s working but as always let’s get a better, shinier gee wiz equipment. Does anybody have a used one I could upgrade to? I really don’t want to sell a kidney to get a new one.
     
  2. Brian

    Brian Blenny

    better and shiny is not always better.
     
  3. Brian

    Brian Blenny

    If your skimmer is shiny, you need to throw that puppy away as it isn't doing anything
     
    LJC6780 and Ocho like this.
  4. Bev

    Bev Plankton

    I like Sea Clone skimmers but, I feel most are rated for a much larger tank than they will actually clean effectively. I try to get a skimmer rated for a tank 2 -3 times the capacity of the one I am actually using the skimmer on.
     
  5. LJC6780

    LJC6780 Grouper

    What makes it clean a smaller or bigger tank? Doesn’t it just suck water in and remove funk and blow water back out?
     
  6. Brian

    Brian Blenny

    LJC6780 likes this.
  7. LJC6780

    LJC6780 Grouper

    So if it’s not pulling enough out it’s either too small or you are overfeeding ... like, you’d be having nitrate problems?
     
  8. Bev

    Bev Plankton

    I found that on my 29 gallon mini reef, I need a skimmer rated for up to 100 gal. 2 clownfish, 1 red fairy wrasse, 1 foxface, 1 scooter blenny (dragonet) 4 mushrooms, 1 mini carpet anemone, I devil's hand leather, 2 8-10 polyp zoa colonies, 4 hermit crabs, 5 turbo snails in that one. No Nitrate or other water quality issues, feed only what they will take immediately, variety so, other than for Scooter, it varies form frozen foods to pellets to flakes to algae sheets for foxface once a week. Plus reef supplements (Purpletech) as needed. On average, not counting the bits twice a week to the carpet and the two or three daily blood worms for Scooter, directly fed to those critters, so no waste there, in there, about 1/16 th of a tsp of food per day is all that tank gets.

    All smaller fish except Scooter and the wrasse. Foxface and the two clown will be moved to my now cycling up for the first time, 125 gallon when they get bigger and, that 29 will become a dragonet reef tank since I want another scooter and a mandarin. Wrasse should be fine staying in there for splash of active color. Of course the inverts, except the carpet will stay, carpet moves with the two clowns that already host it. (they came as a set when I got them so, I don't want to separate that threesome.)

    The 125 gal gets a full eight weeks to cycle up before it gets any living critters, then a long tentacle anemone and the two skunk clowns it has at the shop now - paid for but being held at the shop until my tank is ready for them. ( couldn't resist 45.00 for all three.) Small anemone now but, log tentacles grow fairly fast with good care.

    I do have the advantage of working from home so, whatever the critters I like need, they can have. :)

    I also do most of the care for my husband's nano 14 reef tank since he is away at work all week. 1 tomato clown with his mini carpet, six line wrasse and, yellow tailed damsel plus 3 mushrooms, 1 zoa colony. 1 leather an, 5 turbo snails in that one. it has a 29 gallon rated Coralife skimmer.

    It's been years since I did reef tanks, just getting back into them after a long break and, experimenting with sump free tanks this time. So far, so good - no sump and everything is thriving and, parameters are staying in line once a tank is cycled initially. I want to see if my no sump ideas really work long term for reef tanks and, after 4 months, I'm happy with it so far on smaller tanks, the 125 will be the real test of my sump free system. If I can hold it a full year, thriving and no crash, then, I'll call sump free a successful way to set up a tank. (yes that mean killer, over rated back of tank filtration, lots of live rock, bioballs and biowheels on the filters, etc...) If it works, it may really open the hobby to small tanks in small space that simply cannot have a sump and, make them relatively easy and inexpensive to maintain after the initial set up costs.

    Eventually, I will push the bioload on an experimental 14 gallon nano, just to see what really can thrive in a small reef tank but, I want my system down pat before I do that, and I want homes for excess critters when the test is complete. I plan to try yo get six fish, 10 corals and, 10 inverts of various types in one 14 gallon nano cube, something that would be attractive to anyone wanting a reef tank but lacking room for a larger one or a sump at all. Just my thing to see problems and try to solve them, in everything I enjoy doing, cooking, raising animals, farming, gardening, preserving food, etc...
     
  9. LJC6780

    LJC6780 Grouper

    Wow ... you have a sixline wrasse and a damsel in a 14 gallon tank?! My sixline is all over my 85 and I’m sure he’d like more room to swim!

    And not sure how long you’ve been out of Reefing or how long these have been a thing ... but AIO tanks with no sumps have been a thing since I’ve even been researching sw. A 29 gallon biocube was actually my first tank purchase.

    So school me here ... what’s the point of cramming so much into a tiny tank? Isn’t that like cramming a family of 15 into a 1 bedroom apartment? Sure, they all fit, somewhere, but they aren’t comfortable or happy and there’s nowhere to hide. Oh yeah, and no one can leave ... I feel like I’m pushing it with my 29 right now since it’s been sort of a QT until I get everyone moved over to the 85. It currently has 1 ocellaris, 3 small banggai cardinals and 1 lawnmower blenny. I think there may be a turbo snail and a Nassarius snail too. A big green leather with a bunch of gsp and a hunk of purple chalice and some zoas I got from a meeting. It’s pretty mature but I feel like it’s pushing it.

    I don’t think it’s all about bioload but space too.
     
  10. Bev

    Bev Plankton

    Hardly too much for the tank. Wrasse won't get any bigger nor will Damsel, clown will bu, not before the larger tank is ready if, he needs to be moved some day. 3 small to medium fish is not too much for the tank. I have always held to max of one fish per 3 gallon capacity and, 4 corals = 1 fish for bioload. Could have more fish if there were only fish and live rock but, I want corals as well in there so, fewer fish.

    Small sump free yes, but, I've never seen one above 55 gallon without a sump.
     
  11. LJC6780

    LJC6780 Grouper

    How big is your wrasse? Mine is huge ...
    7995BEF5-055A-4C21-97B0-EE3ECA5C03FC.jpeg
     
  12. Bev

    Bev Plankton

    Mine is a red fairy wrasse, about 3 inches nose to tail.
    [​IMG]
     

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