suliaman007
Tap Water Only Club
do i need a protein skimmer on my sh tank? or will a hob filter do?
thanks
thanks
do i need a protein skimmer in my sh tank?
- Thread starter suliaman007
- Start date
suliaman007
Tap Water Only Club
how long have you been running with the hob filter? how often do you change your water?
thanks
thanks
suliaman007. Tell us about your proposed/existing tank setup.
How big, what occupants etc...
All tanks need some way to export nutrients. All that food you put in is going to effect your water quality if you dont.
A skimmer is one type of nutrient export device. If you are not going to use one, you need some other form of nutrient export. That could be water changes, macro algae, a sand bed...
The short answer is no, but it depends.
Fred
How big, what occupants etc...
All tanks need some way to export nutrients. All that food you put in is going to effect your water quality if you dont.
A skimmer is one type of nutrient export device. If you are not going to use one, you need some other form of nutrient export. That could be water changes, macro algae, a sand bed...
The short answer is no, but it depends.
Fred
suliaman007
Tap Water Only Club
i have a 20 gal extra high. i have a sand bed which is about 2-2.5 inches deep. i have about 20 to 25 lbs of LR. i will be keeping difrent types of macro in it. im not sure if im going with coral. ill have a pretty big clean up crew(which i am taking from my other tank). i will probably have around 50 to 60 snails and hermits. i will also have a fighting conch and about 12 Nassarius Snails.(is this clean up crew too much?) im alo thinking about adding my 2 cleaner shrimp. i have a Hagen AquaClear 70 Power Filter. which is good for up to 70 gal tanks.
suliaman007
Tap Water Only Club
sorry, i will have 2 h. reide.
pledosophy
Active member
Short anwser again is no. If your going to be keeping macro's then IMO I would not run a protein skimmer. I have been keeping seahorse tanks for a few moons now and don't use one.
Your clean up crew is way way to big. I'd ut it down by at least a third, possibly more. As planned they will starve and die in a short time.
IME cleaners are not the best tankmates for seahorses, I'd go with peppermints instead.
HTH
Your clean up crew is way way to big. I'd ut it down by at least a third, possibly more. As planned they will starve and die in a short time.
IME cleaners are not the best tankmates for seahorses, I'd go with peppermints instead.
HTH
Some comments:
1. The fighting conch will die in such a small tank.
2. Hermits are omnivourous scavengers. If you put in a lot, they will find and eat most of your seahorse food before the horses do. If you really want hermits, I would not put in more than two.
3. Depending on the snail, I would start with a small amount and ramp up if needed. For astrea sized, maybe a half dozen. For smaller snails like stomatella, you could add a dozen or so and they will breed to the proper levels in short order.
4. To add some detail to pledosophys comment on shrimp, horses do not like to be cleaned.
5. If you are going to use macro algae, it will use a lot of nitrogen and phosphate making a dandy filter... if you have enough in the tank.
Final comment. 20 gallons is on the small side for seahorses. If you are the sort of person who is good with regular water changes and maintenance, you may be ok. If you are like me, you need a bigger tank like a 30 gallon.
Water quality is usually an issue in such a small tank.
Good luck.
Fred
1. The fighting conch will die in such a small tank.
2. Hermits are omnivourous scavengers. If you put in a lot, they will find and eat most of your seahorse food before the horses do. If you really want hermits, I would not put in more than two.
3. Depending on the snail, I would start with a small amount and ramp up if needed. For astrea sized, maybe a half dozen. For smaller snails like stomatella, you could add a dozen or so and they will breed to the proper levels in short order.
4. To add some detail to pledosophys comment on shrimp, horses do not like to be cleaned.
5. If you are going to use macro algae, it will use a lot of nitrogen and phosphate making a dandy filter... if you have enough in the tank.
Final comment. 20 gallons is on the small side for seahorses. If you are the sort of person who is good with regular water changes and maintenance, you may be ok. If you are like me, you need a bigger tank like a 30 gallon.
Water quality is usually an issue in such a small tank.Good luck.
Fred
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