filtration....who's running what???

[Kaos]

So, I'm not very happy w/ my skimmers performance. I'm really considering dumping it and just using a canister filter along w/ my MJ400's attached to a Wavemaster. On the other hand I'm toying w/ the idea of dumping all filtration and just using the MJ400's on the Wavemaster for water movement. I've also considered dumping this skimmer and getting a recirc. one to replace it. I'm kinda up in the air on this one.

To help me decide, please post a description of your setup, how long it's been running that way, maintanance, and what you keeping. Hopefully this will inspire me as to how I want my tank setup. TIA.

 

[amiricle]

Im new at reefing but ill just describe my setup anyways. I have a 5.5 thats been up for 2 months. I setup a fuge in a AC filter with liverock rubble, cheato, and a bag of chemi pure. I also want to add some filter floss sometime soon. Its been working for me, all my parms have been fine. hope this helps.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

well you have live rock (assuming this is for your 10g tank). Why get other filters? Live rock is a natural filter. Canisters and other types of filters (skimmers are not a "filter" ...well i guess in a way they are since they pull stuff out, but having one certainly isnt causing any problems) will only make it worse if its a reef, which i'm assuming it is since you've got reef lighting. They will make nitrates very fast and will start killing/stressing stuff out. dont get a canister.

And now, what skimmer are you running? Is the remora in your sig the one you've got? And if so, why are you unhappy with it? How deep is the pump, have you cleaned it recently, and what pump is it?

i've got 3 tanks currently set up. I've got a 3g pico that i set up and take care of for someone else, i've got a 29g reef, and my 40 breeder reef.

On the 3g pico, all i use is live rock and flow from a HOB filter (which i only use for flow and carbon, no other media). It is a reef and even has a couple sps, which are absolutely taking off since placing them in there after doing not so good in another tank of mine.

the 29g tank is actually being taken down now (slowly) and all will be going into a 16g bowfront. But right now there is a remora skimmer on the 29 and it is awsome. The remora was on my 0ld 55 and it did great on that too. And i never adjusted it or anything, just threw it on. So i'm thinking you may have just not set it up right or something if its not working on a 10g tank. But also in the 29, i've just got about 25lbs of live rock and lots of flow.

In my 40 breeder, i've got about 50 or so pounds of live rock, about a hundred pounds of live sand, and lots and lots of flow. Thats it. No canisters or even a skimmer (cuz the skimmer didnt work and i got no money to replace it ). But this tank is doing the best surprisingly, considering there's no skimmer. The remora will either go on the 40 or the 16 once the 29 is completely down. Probably the 40 since it will have sps as soon as i upgrade lights. I will also have sps in my 16, but its less water volume (so one isnt really needed as much) and plus i'm gonna experiment with a lot of natural types of filtration (will have several clams, and in the sump i'm gonna have a xenia forest since that is a natural filter).

And for maintenance i really dont do a whole lot. I top off very often, but thats the main bit of "maintenance" i do. Other than that i do about 1 small water change per month, but i'll be doing more when i get sps corals. My softies tend to do better when i dont do as many water changes. I've gone 2 months w/out one before and they still do great.

Sorry for the book, but i just dont think that you should get rid of the remora. I've run mine on 3 different tanks now and its had the same result on all of them. Amazing.

And i REALLY dont think you should get a canister or anything other than lots of flow and live rock.You got enough rock, just make sure you've got enough flow and not too big of a bioload.

 

[Kaos]

Thanks for the responses so far.

sir_dudeguy: Yes, I'm running the Remora in my sig. This skimmer is working fine, but I think I could do better w/ some of the recirc. or needle wheel skimmers out there. It's also not pulling out much of anything. I've had it running on this tank since the begining and other then dirtying up the riser tube there is next to no skimmate. I do have to dump the cup about once a week due to the water build up (a very light tan color water). This skimmer did awsome on my 55gal. FOWLR. I figured it would do well on this tank since my LR took almost a week to get to me (USPS failed to deliver on time and it set in the PO over a weekend and half the next week). There was plenty of die-off. The pump is as shallow as possible. The skimmer was cleaned right before going on the tank (almost a month ago). The pump is the MJ 1200. I'm considering getting a bigger pump and see what happens. The only problem is I probably won't be able to use the surface skimmer box (which I like) w/ another pump.

I was going to use the canister filter for three reasons. One, to get particles and stuff out of the water column. Two, to put an inline heater. Three, to run carbon.

I think the flow if fine. I have two MJ 400's (106gph ea.) on a Wavemaster Pro. Although, I may add a spray-bar type rig on the back of the tank and attach it to the Wavemaster Pro also.

This tank is being taken very slow. There is nothing in there except the LR and LS. This will be a coral only tank once I feel it's established enough.

 

[Doglover_50]

with coral only, I'd say keep the skimmer (though I don't think it's necessary on a ank that size) and add HOB--a little aquaclear with triple filtration. that's already overkill on a 10g coral only, in my book.
If you have nothing in the tank (I'm unclear what you have in there), that is why you have no skimmate. You are unlikely to have much on a coral only, even when you get to that point. If your skimmer worked in another tank, that's more evidence to support the issue that there is nothing wrong with your skimmer.

I'd avoid the cannister.

I have 16g bowfront with corals, inverts, and 2 fish. aquaclear 30 HOB and cpr bak pak--tank does great.

i have a 12g jbj nano with corals, inverts, 2 fish, standard filtration with minor mods, NO skimmer. Does great.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

you say that the skimmer pump is as close to the surface as possible. Maybe thats the problem, cuz i have always had mine about 4-6 inches down.

Oh, another thing...do you keep the tank topped off at all times? If not, does the water level change any amount? I've found that if you dont keep the water level constant, skimmers in general dont work as well as they could, and in a 10g tank, the evap can lower the level a bit quicker.

Last thing....have you considered the fact that maybe there's nothing TO skim? Sounds odd i know, but there might just be nothing for it to skim. In a tank that small, its easier to have it either super dirty, or super clean lol. Maybe urs is on the cleaner side? If it was dirty, maybe it just sucked everything out at the beginning and there's on average not a whole lot to suck out. And how high do you have the cup? i like running it about half way down, but sometimes run it dryer. Pull it up to get it dryer so you dont have to empty it as much.

Doglover, any way you could post some pics of your 16g bowfront? I'm setting mine up pretty soon and i'd like to get an idea of how i wanna do this one (so far i got like 4-5 inches of sand, too much rock, a HOB overflow going to 29g sump, and the return pump lol. I'm gonna have other natural filtration such as clams in the display and a xenia forest in sump, but i dont know what else i wanna do w/it)

 

[Kaos]

I keep this tank topped off pretty well. The water level never drops more than a 1/4" a day.

I like to keep the distance between the spray injector and pump as short as possible. I feel that the shorter the distance the more turbulance the spray injector creates.

Maybe the tank is clean, but I would have figured w/ the LR being out of water so long it would have skimmed more.

I might leave well enough alone. The tank is doing pretty well. I've got a few different kinds of coralline growing all over and the pod population is getting bigger and bigger. The rock was completely white when I first got it and now it's bout 80% covered w/ coralline.

The rather large bubbles poduced by the Remora just bugs me. I know it would be allot more efficient if it had smaller bubbles and more of them. Hopefully it's doing it's job.

 

[Doglover_50]

80% coraline sounds great to me, though the big bubbles sound like a pain.

Sirdude, you could just drive 2 hours north to check my tank! Otherwise, I need directions on how to upload my pix from photobucket to RC, and I can show you some pix. However, to give you a quick description of one essential element--I have blacked out the back of the tank, AND my hood is really big (6" tall, probabl--got it used--it's really supposed to hang over tank). However, sat on tank, it hides the aquaclear HOB and my Bak Pak skimmer. I also keep one of those powersweep powerheads in the tank to create current--that's what is most intrusive. However, with the black background, it's somewhat lost.

If you can, post the picture posting directions, I'll get some pix up.

 

[tiffrobbins]

I've got a 20 gal with a 10 gal sump and I don't run filtration or a skimmer. Just live rock. I'm considering getting 1 pet sps and then I'll consider a skimmer. But until then, we're doing just fine.

 

[Doglover_50]

Sirdude, here are a few pix of my 16g. Still mastering the art of reef photof. Anyhoo, the tank sits on a 16g size matched stand. The hood (no good pictures of) is painted black and is about 6" tall--it's big--was created to hang, but can't do that in my office. aquaclear 30, CPR bak pak, and a powersweep powerhead. Since it's in my office, it's got to be low upkeep, so it's all soft corals. Sorry pix aren't better.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

thanks for the pics That is exactly the same tank that i have and from the very little of the stand i can see, looks like the same stand too. I think its the AGA one? idk, i just see mine at petsmart and petco for 250 for just tank and stand and light. Got mine for 70 but as of now i just need to get a good MH light over it. Hard to tell cuz the glass is curved and distorts stuff, but whats that red thing in the bottom right? Is it just another xenia or is it something else?
Great lookin tank tho

sorry if we're stealing the thread kaos! Its what i do best lol.

 

[Doglover_50]

this is the tank I bought used from the turkey who sold it to me with a broken powerhead, then like a chickensh** never returned my calls. W*nker.
Anyhoo, mine has 2 PC 50/50 bulbs, 36 watts each, I believe.
bottom right is the red slimey macro algae--can't remember the name of it--I keep it and the chaeto shoved in a corner, though at that picture, it had dislodged.