Algae from Lighting or Nitrates?
- Thread starter bchap05
- Start date
As you can see in the 2nd picture there is foam at the top so the skimmer seems to be trying to skim, I'm just not getting much in the cup.
In the 3rd picture you can see I had to place the ocean Runner pump next to the skimmer as it was too large. This pump is supposed to be directly in front of the skimmer body with a straight line and I have a U that I custom made to it. The Maxijet on top of it is supplying the skimmer with water.
Sorry its tight in there to get really good pics
In the 3rd picture you can see I had to place the ocean Runner pump next to the skimmer as it was too large. This pump is supposed to be directly in front of the skimmer body with a straight line and I have a U that I custom made to it. The Maxijet on top of it is supplying the skimmer with water.
Sorry its tight in there to get really good pics
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
What fish do you all have? You may just not have enough bioload for your skimmer to be pulling anything
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
It prevents it by skimming the gunk before it turnes to nitrates.
Im not sure what size tank that skimmer is rated for but if it is to big it can pull stuff out fast then not pull out anything. A smaller skimmer wont be able to keep up or will keep up enough to where it looks like it is pulling out alot.
Hopefully that made sence
Im not sure what size tank that skimmer is rated for but if it is to big it can pull stuff out fast then not pull out anything. A smaller skimmer wont be able to keep up or will keep up enough to where it looks like it is pulling out alot.
Hopefully that made sence
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
That is a huge jump from 40-200+ i did look it up and found it weird also. So im not an expert on skimmers so cant say for certain but sounds like the skimmer is to big for your bioload which is why your not seeing it work right.
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Lol skimmers are still confusing to me also and ive been in this hobby for 15 years. I just ask others what a good skimmer choice is for my tank and then research the brands that were given.
Lol yeah everyone has a different opinion like everything in this hobby. I've been debating if I buy another one like the reef octopus sss 150 which is rated for 210. Some say it's too big, others have it on a 55 and love it. I could do the 110 model which is smaller but I'd rather future proof in case I go to a 90 Gallon or something
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
Check out the aquamax skimmers, they are good priced and work very well.
Thanks I checked them out they look nice and not much more than the Reef Octopus. What do you all think of my fuge from the picture? There is a just a trickle running into the top off of the return line and the fuge is 14 inches deep. Do I need an airstone or small powerhead to turn that water over at all with the Chaeto? Anything else I should throw in there? I was thinking of egg crating it and putting some Live rock. Can't remember what I have in the display I think like 50 lbs
Last edited:
aquaman183
New member
Something else to think about is, even though your cup isn't "filling up", their is still a good amount of junk on the neck of the skimmer. I would still clean that out, all your bubbly skimmer water is touching it which can get into your tank water. None the less, you'd be surprised how much is actually there caked on the neck. I think your skimmer is set just fine by the pictures, but empty out the cup and clean out the whole top piece. If it keeps getting like that, just keep cleaning it. It is still skimming something.
And I agree with everyone else, look for a new source of water. I don't know about now, but on black Friday I got a bunch of salt on Amazon. They had the 5 gallon buckets, or the 58 lb boxes of instant ocean for 38 bucks. And check your local forums for an RODI unit. I picked one up for under $100 bucks from a reefer, and am glad I did. The conveince and peace of mind of good water quality is more than worth it.
Good luck, best of luck!
And I agree with everyone else, look for a new source of water. I don't know about now, but on black Friday I got a bunch of salt on Amazon. They had the 5 gallon buckets, or the 58 lb boxes of instant ocean for 38 bucks. And check your local forums for an RODI unit. I picked one up for under $100 bucks from a reefer, and am glad I did. The conveince and peace of mind of good water quality is more than worth it.
Good luck, best of luck!
Thanks yeah I did notice the neck was really dark yesterday so I'm sure its got some decent gunk on it. I've got two buckets of mixed salt water ready to go in the tank, but they are from the place the potentially has bad RO, so I think I'm going to dump them and grab some from the other guy as I don't trust it now. It probably would be a good idea to pick up and RODI for the peace of mind. Like I said they both give out the water free, but it would be nice knowing the numbers and not worrying about it. Or at least buy a refractometer to check their water
outy
New member
Most of your issue Is that you have a new tank, and you have not had time to develop a balance yet.
Your chaeto is small so its not reducing to much phos and nitr yet. In a week it should outgrow that space.
Your skimmer is small as well, so many nutrients are not taken out and are later turning into nitr
Yo od need a ro/di it is sort of a must have.
Be patient, your tank is new and will go through a few stages as you learn this.
AS more bacteria grow, you will get past this stage
Your chaeto is small so its not reducing to much phos and nitr yet. In a week it should outgrow that space.
Your skimmer is small as well, so many nutrients are not taken out and are later turning into nitr
Yo od need a ro/di it is sort of a must have.
Be patient, your tank is new and will go through a few stages as you learn this.
AS more bacteria grow, you will get past this stage
Hmm, IMO the API kit does a good job measuring NO3 at 5 ppm or above. I guess that for most reefsters readings at this level are kind of irrelevant, but in initial stages of tank, this kit can really come in handy.
I'm liking the NYOS kit for low range NO3 but have had no joy with Salifert.
Re PO4, over past few weeks, I have become increasingly confident in Hanna ULR, even though I could NEVER got a consistent result out of the 713 checker. Go figure.
And I completely agree with you that "algae takes up the nitrate and phosphate as soon as it comes in the tank and what test kits read are kinda like the excess."
Which really sucks.
Mike
My main issue with Api is the color difference on nitrate. I can't tell one orange from the other most of the time. Especially between 5 and 10. It's good for figuring out if you are at zero as those are easy to read it's once you actually have a reading getting it accurate.
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
The color diffrence is hard with alot of test kits not just api.
Yes api can be a decent test kit for no3, i didnt mean it wasnt, i was just meaning you have to shake the crap out of bottle #2 to get that good reading and alot of people just kinda swirl the bottle and call it good. Sorry for the missunderstanding.
Yes api can be a decent test kit for no3, i didnt mean it wasnt, i was just meaning you have to shake the crap out of bottle #2 to get that good reading and alot of people just kinda swirl the bottle and call it good. Sorry for the missunderstanding.
