Advice?

6

630mason

New member
Ok, I picked up a used Sea Clone 100 skimmer and just closed the valve on my skilter and left it running. I was thinking about taking out the tower and filling it with bio balls. is this a good idea or just a waste? Also I got a Huge colony of Green Star Polyps and a couple of kenya tree frags and they are doing great.
The GSP actually started opening two hours after I put it in. Next I'm thinking of adding a koralia or two to my tank but really need some advise on what size and how many i need. My tank is a 29 with 20 lbs. of live rock a 65w pc and right now 2 damsels a big colony of GSP and a couple Kenya tree frags. I want to get 2 or 3 more small fish and alot more corals like zoos and shrooms and such. Could any of you give me some welcomed advice on how to proceed?

Thanks,
Shane

P.S. Will anyone have any inexpensive frags at the yard sale?
 
Oh my, a sea clone skimmer, skilter, bio balls, damsel fish, kenya tree coral and GSP. We need to talk. See you at the yard sale.
Jay Blundon (neuroslicer)
 
Forget Bioballs, live rock will provide biological filtration. (may be add 10 to 20 more lbs slowly) I would just throw in a bag of Carbon into the skilter and call it good. Both of those corals are easy to keep corals maybe keep Kenya tree toward the top because they do like light. Koralias would be a great idea, good powerhead to get a lot of flow cheaply. I think Koralia 1's would do you (give you 20+ turnover in your tank). keep in mind that a 65 w pc is a good light but not very much light so if you see really bright zoas they will more then likely fade under the weaker light. As for mushrooms any from the species Discoma would be ok. They don't need as much light and are very hardy (can take nutrient high water). Just remember to go slow and don't sink too much money into livestock right now let that stuff you got settle in watch it for a few weeks and if everything looks ok then maybe add something else.
 
Nitrogen and phosphates can serve as fertilizer for nuisance algae in your tank. Nitrogen (from metabolism of food) should ultimately be released from an enclosed reef as nitrogenous gas. Anaerobic bacteria within live rock and deep sand beds convert nitrates to nitrogen gas. However, bioballs most often receive high water flow in a sump or cartridge filter, and anaerobic bacteria would not thrive in such an environment. But aerobic bacteria would... these are the bacteria which produce nitrates (from nitrites). Thus bioballs are typically nitrate factories. So no bioballs. You can include macroalgae in your sump or refugium to help absorb nitrates from your water. And to help reduce nitrates, I prefer a 2 - 3 inch fine sand bed (though many do not).

Protein skimming will also help remove metabolites and waste products from your system, but Sea Clone skimmers are pretty lousy (I should know, my first skimmer was a Sea Clone).

Kenya tree coral and GSP are neat, but they grow really fast and can soon take over a lot of space in your tank (and if you want to grow hard coral... you want the space for them). Damsel fish are cute but very aggressive, and often the more desirable fish, even though they may be bigger, cannot tolerate the stress of being chased about by a little damsel fish.
 
Re: Advice

Re: Advice

I really appreciate the advice this is the kind of stuff I need. The Skimmer was a gift and is TONS better than what I had (skilter, which is worthless in my book) and the corals were really cheap and something I wanted to test the water and use as a learning tool. I don't particularly care much for the damsels but I needed something to get the tank going. I have alot that I want to do but at this point the 29 is my teacher and with the current economy all I can afford. I eventually want to use it as a frag tank, and move into a big tank with all the right equipment. But I have alot to learn and alot of money to save up first. When I get comfortable keep up with the 29 I want to gradually gather up equipment for my big tank but I just don't want to rush into anything and spend alot of money(which I don't have ) and watch alot of really nice things I want end up being slimy dead stuff at the bottom. I want to thank everyone again for the oppourtunity to learn from your experiences and hope that I don't get on your nerves asking to many stupid questions.

Thanks,

Shane
 
Hey Shane,

You're very welcome to ask all the questions you want to. We all started the same place as you and you're taking the responsible approach.

Helping others is the "paying dues" part of this hobby. I don't think my sanity could have survived the first year without being able to search Reef Central and ask questions here. Before you know it, you'll be the one with answers instead of questions.

I'd encourage you to join WTMRAC and come to some meetings. There's always good discussion and opportunities for questions and help there, too.
http://www.wtmrac.org

You've gotten good advice so far from two very knowledgeable reefers. Welcome to RC!

Cathy
 
yup. you need someone to point out the snake oil......

i bought a skilter when they first came out. doh!!!!

hehehehehehe.

just read read read......thats the key. and go slow.
 
Bioballs: those poor little much maligned spheres of plastic. A bioball is a type of filter media which provides a suitable site for bacteria colonization when employed in various filter layouts. The design of the bioball is such that surface area and void space are maximized into a compact shape. The high surface area allows more sites for bacteria to adhere to and the high void space allows good water flow, good gas exchange, and helps prevents debris from becoming trapped and clogging the spaces which would reduce the effectiveness of the design. The fact that they are plastic helps them to be produced easily and cheaply but it's also a problem because plastic is hydrophobic . Bioballs are frequently seen in our hobby employed in wet/ dry filters or trickle filters. The term wet/dry and trickle filter are used interchangeably in our hobby but they are not the same. A trickle filter has a tower design that allows water to trickle through the selected media allowing a high air to water contact ratio. A wet/dry has a tower design like the trickle (known as the “dry” portion of the filter) and a submerged section that was filled with a media ( usually a type of gravel ) and positioned in a place were water flow was low / passive (the “wet” part of the filter) with the idea of it becoming a site in which denitrification could occur. Originally the filters used trays of gravel in which the water trickled through the shallow layer of gravel in each try before trickling into the next tray ( you can see this employed at some water treatment facilities.) The bioball seems to have been more of an American twist originally as using them allowed the filter to be designed without the trays and thereby reducing the expense and complexity of the filter. Because the “dry” (trickle) portion was the section that performed nitrification and the bioballs are the most recognized media used in those section the seem to have been branded with the title of “nitrate producer” and really that was a function of how they were used , not what they are. Almost any media employed in a similar fashion would produce similar results. In reef aqauria the main consensus is to have nitrification and denitrification occurring is close proximity so that the end results of nitrification can be utilized by the denitrifying colonies thereby preventing excessive amounts of nitrate from becoming available for use by undesirable organisms such as different types of algae. Our frequent inability to obtain this ideal balance has lead to a variety of different methods with which to reduce/ eliminate excess nitrate with water changes being the oldest ( the solution to pollution is dilution.) Other efforts commonly used are algal filters, denitrifying filters , deep sand beds, plenum's,...etc. The point to all this is that the bioball in of itself is not a problem. They are frequently used in applications where they would have no more of an impact on the system compared to any other submerged piece of equipment. On the flip side I've frequently seen other types of media being used in such a way as to produce the same type of results that are often attributed to the bioball and the people doing so are unaware of this because they are not using the dreaded bioball. I'm thinking of establishing a fund that will be used for bioball rehabilitation along with a halfway house for abused cannister filters.

The Skilter and the Seaclone:they are far from being “tip of the spear” products but they do work and can even be modified to perform even better and if a protein skimmer is something you desire ( not an absolute essential) they would be better 'n noting.

Without going into much more about what you have and what you can do with it let me offer you something that will change the equation. I have a used 30” 2x65w Lunar Aqualight and an Excalibur/Knopp hang-on skimmer. The skimmer will out perform either of the units you have and the light will double the output you have now as well as giving you some moonlights. You may have them, both, for free. I can't tell you the age of the PC bulbs, you'll need to acquire some mounting legs for the light, and the skimmer needs a pump. The Maxi-Jet that came with the Seaclone would probably be just fine.

PSTW-HV100.jpg


Coralife_PC_Aqualight_Lunar_LED.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wow! There are absolutely some AWESOME people in this club! Dave You have know idea how much I appreciate your generosity and Gladly except your offer and hope that some day I could possibly return the favor. I am a Sales Rep. for a welding supply company in memphis and would be more than happy to meet you at your convenience. I would also like to buy you lunch someday and pick your brain a little. I just sent in my application and fee for Family membership and look forward to meeting all of you soon. Dave thanks again and I will PM you my contact info.

Shane Arwood
 
No problem and you're welcome.
Thanks for the offer of lunch, I do appreciate it. However, as a few others have found out , I rarely have the time or desire to eat lunch. So save your money....you're going to need it.:D
 
hey dave, didn't you mod a skilter with an airstone and airpump years ago? i think i remember seeing one at the shop on a little 10 gallon or something.
 
Yes, Dave or one of the guys at Kermits helped me with that and it did improve the performance of the Skilter a lot.

It was simple. You just put a hole in the top cover and ran some rigid tubing down into the circular skimmer chamber. Put an airstone on the end and then connect the top to flex tubing and hook up a small air pump.

It definitely improved things, but the Skilter still died young.

It worked well while I had all the baby clowns in the 10 gallon, though.
 
I had a Skilter 250 that was all jacked up. Different motor block and impeller, extended skimmer body, larger collection cup, surface skimmer,...etc. I wouldn't recommend this unless you had all the parts anyway because if you didn't it would be a very expensive Skilter. The air stone trick is old.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12606039#post12606039 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
Bioballs: those poor little much maligned spheres of plastic. A bioball is a type of filter media which provides a suitable site for bacteria colonization when employed in various filter layouts. The design of the bioball is such that surface area and void space are maximized into a compact shape. The high surface area allows more sites for bacteria to adhere to and the high void space allows good water flow, good gas exchange, and helps prevents debris from becoming trapped and clogging the spaces which would reduce the effectiveness of the design. The fact that they are plastic helps them to be produced easily and cheaply but it's also a problem because plastic is hydrophobic . Bioballs are frequently seen in our hobby employed in wet/ dry filters or trickle filters. The term wet/dry and trickle filter are used interchangeably in our hobby but they are not the same. A trickle filter has a tower design that allows water to trickle through the selected media allowing a high air to water contact ratio. A wet/dry has a tower design like the trickle (known as the “dry” portion of the filter) and a submerged section that was filled with a media ( usually a type of gravel ) and positioned in a place were water flow was low / passive (the “wet” part of the filter) with the idea of it becoming a site in which denitrification could occur. Originally the filters used trays of gravel in which the water trickled through the shallow layer of gravel in each try before trickling into the next tray ( you can see this employed at some water treatment facilities.) The bioball seems to have been more of an American twist originally as using them allowed the filter to be designed without the trays and thereby reducing the expense and complexity of the filter. Because the “dry” (trickle) portion was the section that performed nitrification and the bioballs are the most recognized media used in those section the seem to have been branded with the title of “nitrate producer” and really that was a function of how they were used , not what they are. Almost any media employed in a similar fashion would produce similar results. In reef aqauria the main consensus is to have nitrification and denitrification occurring is close proximity so that the end results of nitrification can be utilized by the denitrifying colonies thereby preventing excessive amounts of nitrate from becoming available for use by undesirable organisms such as different types of algae. Our frequent inability to obtain this ideal balance has lead to a variety of different methods with which to reduce/ eliminate excess nitrate with water changes being the oldest ( the solution to pollution is dilution.) Other efforts commonly used are algal filters, denitrifying filters , deep sand beds, plenum's,...etc. The point to all this is that the bioball in of itself is not a problem. They are frequently used in applications where they would have no more of an impact on the system compared to any other submerged piece of equipment. On the flip side I've frequently seen other types of media being used in such a way as to produce the same type of results that are often attributed to the bioball and the people doing so are unaware of this because they are not using the dreaded bioball. I'm thinking of establishing a fund that will be used for bioball rehabilitation along with a halfway house for abused cannister filters.

The Skilter and the Seaclone:they are far from being “tip of the spear” products but they do work and can even be modified to perform even better and if a protein skimmer is something you desire ( not an absolute essential) they would be better 'n noting.

Without going into much more about what you have and what you can do with it let me offer you something that will change the equation. I have a used 30” 2x65w Lunar Aqualight and an Excalibur/Knopp hang-on skimmer. The skimmer will out perform either of the units you have and the light will double the output you have now as well as giving you some moonlights. You may have them, both, for free. I can't tell you the age of the PC bulbs, you'll need to acquire some mounting legs for the light, and the skimmer needs a pump. The Maxi-Jet that came with the Seaclone would probably be just fine.

PSTW-HV100.jpg


Coralife_PC_Aqualight_Lunar_LED.jpg
Click to expand...


Just write a book. It would be shorter.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12611671#post12611671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lucky.U
Just write a book. It would be shorter.
Click to expand...


I thought about doing a book for everyone in the club but I was worried that everyone might not have crayons.
 
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