Help Me Evaluate My System

[minimalist]

Please read carefully before responding...

Current System:
$100.00 10g SeaClear
$200.00 70W 14000k HQI (7.5 hour photoperiod)
$25.00 AquaClear 200/50 HOB Filter (200 gph + sponge and carbon)
$25.00 Maxi Jet 600 (165 gph)
$25.00 Jager 50W Heater

$375.00 before LR, critters, and corals...

Inverts/Clean-up Crew:
3 Astrea snails
2 Cerith snails
3 Nerite snails
1 Bumble Bee snail
numerous breeding Stomatella snails
2 Scarlet Reef hermits

Fish:
none

Corals:
2 Cali torts
1 green Acropora sp.
1 blue Montipora digita
1 Superman Montipora danae

The tank's only been up for about 60 days. Thus far, everything looks good. I do 15% water changes every week religiously. All params are maintained solely through those water changes. I don't dose anything. Temp swings 79-81 degrees F. Right now I don't own a skimmer.

One dilemma is whether or not to add a skimmer...

I don't have much room so I am thinking about getting a larger AquaClear HOB Filter such as the 500 to replace my 200...

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...t=aquaclear&In=All&previousText=aquaclear&N=2

I could then get a Current USA Fission Nano-Skimmer to put inside it...

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_protein_skimmers_current_usa_fission_nano_skimmer.asp?CartId=

The euro-bracing on the 10g SeaClear makes it impossible to run a skimmer inside the tank itself. Also, the tank is too shallow to employ the use of any more substantial skimmer w/out adding a sump which I'm not going to do.

That being said, do I leave well enough alone for a while? Or should I upgrade my AquaClear HOB Filter and plop the Current USA Fission Nano-Skimmer inside it? The whole upgrade will run me ~$80.00.

Any other recommendations and/or comments? I realize most people don't run SPS nano tanks. Any and all insight is welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks very much for your time,
David

 

[dymaxiun]

You do weekly waterchanges why do you need a skimmer?

You don't even have any fish...

The system is lanned well, and doesn't need it...

 

[mntl]

I would get a skimmer, I had a 10gal with sps and tried a few skimmers and skimmerless, people say in the nanos you do not need them with weekly water changes but by that logic no tank should need them if they did 15% wc's weekly and most sps people will say that is not so. you will be amazed how much a skimmer will pull out weekly from a fishless 10gal tank. Even bad skimmers worked better than no skimmers. Homemade skimmers always worked better than the ones that were small and pre-built. The single mj600 is not enough imo, it may work but you will get better results with more flow. 2-mj 900's is less wattage than one 1200 and I believe is the same wattage each as your 600. If you mod (which I highly recommend as their is not much for nano's especially sps nano') then 2 modded mj600's would be great. But for the same wattage (and therefore heat) you could get 2 mj900's and mod them. You have no fish which is great, even a small damsel would darken the corals as soon as you stared feeding. The skilter HOB filters have a ton of space in them and are cheap, just gut it and use it as a fuge or area for a small airstone dui skimmer. Unless you add a sump (which is probably the best thing you could do for the tank, the added water volume and space to hide your equipement makes everything more flexible and stable) then you will be stuck with a hob skimmer and the effective pre-built ones all put the pump in the tank, which will take up a ton of space and be an eyesore.

Again though, a simple 10gal sump ($10 at most pet stores)would be the best thing you ever did for the tank and is very simple to add. You can hide you heater/auto top-off (if you eventually get one) a return pump, skimmer, etc, which will only leave the mj in the tank. Plus you will have double the water volume, less heat fluctuation, more stable params, etc.

What salt are you using? tm-pro is great if you do not dose any additives.

-john-

 

[minimalist]

dymaxiun,

Thanks for the reply. That's what I wanted to hear. I've just never seen an SPS system w/out a skimmer. That leads me to believe it's imperative for long term success.

 

[dymaxiun]

Tank parameters fluctuate too much in that small of a tank. Good luck with the SPS...

 

[minimalist]

mntl,

Thanks for reply. That makes 1 vote skimmer and 1 vote no skimmer. In addition to the Maxi Jet 600, I have an AquaClear 200/50 HOB Filter for a total turnover of ~37x so I think I'm ok with my current flow. I couldn't agree more about not introducing a fish. I heard Skilters are crap. I definitely don't want to add a sump. I'm using Reef Crystals salt and of course RO/DI water.

 

[minimalist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6767506#post6767506 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dymaxiun
Tank parameters fluctuate too much in that small of a tank. Good luck with the SPS...

Thanks. So far, so good. *knock on wood*

 

[mntl]

skilter skimmers are crap, but a hob filter that holds carbon is just a plastic container that pulls water through it and dumps it back in your tank, they are all the same thing when gutted, the skilter just holds more water. Just spray the out side of the skilter black (they come clear) so that no light will penetrate into it, that way no algea will grow in it over time.

-john-

 

[minimalist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6767599#post6767599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mntl
skilter skimmers are crap, but a hob filter that holds carbon is just a plastic container that pulls water through it and dumps it back in your tank, they are all the same thing when gutted, the skilter just holds more water. Just spray the out side of the skilter black (they come clear) so that no light will penetrate into it, that way no algea will grow in it over time.

-john-

I truly appreciate the suggestion but I'm partial to my AquaClear. It's trustworthy and silent.

 

[minimalist]

The prognosis seems gloomy thus far. Any others care to give their 2 cents?

 

[mntl]

"Tank parameters fluctuate too much in that small of a tank. Good luck with the SPS..."

dymaxiun-They can fluctuate alot, that is true. But this can be controlled, I was successful for 2 years growing out frags in my 10gal. I have a friend with a 10gal that is almost identically set-up to my old one and he has no issues with sps and hasn't for the past year. My new system is about 30gal and I am still not having any issues. There are a number of people who have had success with sps in nano's. Is your doubt based on experience with these small tanks or possible past failure with them?

Minimalist- Your system sounds great, temp and salinity is the biggest fluctuation in small tanks and usually the problem if your acros have color/stn/rtn issues. A slightly higher but stable temp is better than one that is lower at night and more in the day do too light. A auto-topoff if set-up right can keep salinity in check far better than you can manually unless you have the luxury of being present to watch your tank 24-7. Even a 1pt daily swing in salinty will be an issue over time.


-john-

 

[minimalist]

mntl,

Thanks again. Your advice is duly noted.

 

[getwood65]

you can fit one or those small coral-life air stone skimmers in the compartment of your hob filter.you'll have to pull out the carbon and sponge.then just buy a good air pump-you'll be amazed at how much it will pull out when you get it properly adjusted.

 

[minimalist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6768139#post6768139 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by getwood65
you can fit one or those small coral-life air stone skimmers in the compartment of your hob filter.you'll have to pull out the carbon and sponge.then just buy a good air pump-you'll be amazed at how much it will pull out when you get it properly adjusted.

Got a link to where one of these can be attained?

 

[MiddletonMark]

I would consider testing + possibly supplimenting Alkalinity ... as that will fall during the week, and IMO stability in Alk is a huge benefit.

As for skimmerless ... just depends on how it works for you. Given it's a small water volume, I would wonder about 10% twice weekly ... figure greater regularity wouldn't hurt.

Hard to say, really ... IMO mainly depends on how stable you can make it - and all the hypothesizing in the world here doesn't answer that question.

 

[minimalist]

Thanks.