Oceanic 29 gallon skimmer

[El Camaron]

so i got a clean up crew and a emerald crab, they all seem to be doing great, one of the snails buried him self as soon as he hit the sand, still have not seen him.

Jim at the shop let me have a corral that looked like it may die, i hear him say it had been dipped in fresh water and so i did the same before i put it in my tank, most of the polyps look like are healthy and come out but this morning one small side of it was brown. Is there any hope for this or should i just chuck it before it makes my ammonia spike?

 

[El Camaron]

here are some pictures of the SR3 at work, already pulled some skimate. Instead of the blue sponge i put folded a 3" by 6" piece of blue bonded filter and it has completely stopped the microbubbles with no restriction to flow.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+4231&pcatid=4231

 

[jkrentz2515]

Thanks for the idea with the filter pad, I am still having lots of microbubbles but not nearly as bad as it was. My tank has only been cycling for a half week, so i don't mind too much. Any idea what i should do with this angelfish my gf is giving me from her friend who is moving? Right now it is in a 10 gallon tank with just saltwater and nothing else whatsoever.

 

[El Camaron]

if you are cool with your local fish store dudes see if they would mind holding it for you till your tank is cycled, thats what i would do if thats not possible then get an extra pump and keep it in the same water in a small tank till your tank is ready, should only be two more weeks at most, depending on if your live rock was cured already.

Glad i can help, I'm still new to all but soaking all the info like I'm applying for a position .

 

[melanotaenia]

looking good so far!

 

[jkrentz2515]

I've been on here for a few months now just soaking up all the info I can. I ran a saltwater tank about 8 years ago, but alot has changed since then. I'm really happy with my tank set up so far and I think the aquascaping looks good. Any idea what your stocking plans are, and did you remove that blue filter string in the skimmer? I'm thinking after awhile it will have the same effects as the sponge or bioballs.

 

[Justinandkrista]

yea thats what i was thinking. but dosent it help creat the mico bubbles for the skimate. The biocubes come with tons of bio balls. I think there would be a ton more build up in them to.

 

[El Camaron]

Thanks Melanotaenia.

I have not heard anything bad about the bio bale, at the moment i dig it because it quiets down the flow from the first chamber.

I did start stocking it this weekend, i may have gone out of hand but hopefully not, i got

5 snails assorted
5 hermits assorted
1 emerals crab
1 horseshoe crab
1 tiny damsel


thinking of adding a scooter blenny, maybe a fire fish and a true perc and also a shrimp. How many fish would be reccomended for this size tank? i do also want to get some corals mushrooms and maybe a clam.

 

[jkrentz2515]

what was the reasoning for propping up your skimmer? i'm pulling some good skinmate after about a week of cycling.

 

[mksalt]

Things fully submerged, just like your live rock, and the sponge, will not create the same nitrate issue as media that is exposed to air. The Bio Balls would harbor a different type of bacteria that processes waste differently.

There are some articles out there that address this issue. But I don't know exactly where you find them. You may want to take this topic op on the chemistry forum.

 

[El Camaron]

i think too much acrilic was used to seal the secong compartment from the main tank so when the skimmer was in it would sit slightly tilted. By adding some egg crate it propped it up just enough to make run even better, especially since i oppend up the flow from the first chamber.

 

[El Camaron]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12425926#post12425926 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mksalt
Things fully submerged, just like your live rock, and the sponge, will not create the same nitrate issue as media that is exposed to air. The Bio Balls would harbor a different type of bacteria that processes waste differently.

There are some articles out there that address this issue. But I don't know exactly where you find them. You may want to take this topic op on the chemistry forum.

what are you talking about?

 

[melanotaenia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12425926#post12425926 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mksalt
Things fully submerged, just like your live rock, and the sponge, will not create the same nitrate issue as media that is exposed to air. The Bio Balls would harbor a different type of bacteria that processes waste differently.

There are some articles out there that address this issue. But I don't know exactly where you find them. You may want to take this topic op on the chemistry forum.

This is partially true; however, the only biological filtration you need in a reef tank is the live rock; it should provide you with all the ammonia and nitrite breakdown bacteria; there should be no need for use of bioballs, sponges, or any other medias that act to basically create high nitrate levels in the tank.

To run these tanks successfully, sponges and bio-balls should really be removed from the the tank.