Protein Skimmer for established 28gal w/o sump (cyanobacteria issue)

ImNickJamesBtch

New member
Hey all

I've had my tank running for about a year, it was a freshwater 28gal bowfront converted into saltwater. So, all the gadgets had to be added either inside the DT, below in the cabinet, or hanging on the back of the tank. I do 5gal water changes weekly and am still fighting cyanobacteria and other algae build ups. I was thinking maybe it's time for a protein skimmer, or maybe i can get away with adding some extra bio filters or something inside my two HOB filters

Does anyone know of a protein skimmer that can suit my current setup? Or could i just get away with some added bio add-ins?

I've attached some photos of my DT, cabinet, and an accumulation of cyanobacteria one day after a water change and manual removal. Appreciate the help anyone can offer! I've been slowly tuning this tank for a while and finally almost have it stable enough where I'm not losing precious corals anymore.
 
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If I told you that people with skimmers still have cyano and algae issues would you still want one?
IMO a skimmer is basically useless on such a small tank thats already getting 5g weekly water changes. It is unlikely that it will not solve your problem..

how old is the tank?
How much rock is in it?
 
If I told you that people with skimmers still have cyano and algae issues would you still want one?
IMO a skimmer is basically useless on such a small tank thats already getting 5g weekly water changes. It is unlikely that it will not solve your problem..

how old is the tank?
How much rock is in it?

Agreed. But if you have your heart set on one, Reef Octopus makes an awesome HOB which will pull a lot of gunk out.
 
If I told you that people with skimmers still have cyano and algae issues would you still want one?
IMO a skimmer is basically useless on such a small tank thats already getting 5g weekly water changes. It is unlikely that it will not solve your problem..

how old is the tank?
How much rock is in it?

THanks for the input. I've heard similar things about the impact of a skimmer on my tank would be minimal, but I thought it could help out and maybe let me get away with biweekly water changes or even monthly.

I set it up appx. a year ago with around appx 25 lbs of live rock. Here's a picture below after i lost a few corals from my guess of nutrient depletion (i've had dosing issued i'm ok with now)

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Agreed. But if you have your heart set on one, Reef Octopus makes an awesome HOB which will pull a lot of gunk out.

I was actually looking into this exact one but have seen reviews of the mounting bracket breaking on several occasions, not sure if to relate those review to poor quality, are you familiar with this?
 
I was actually looking into this exact one but have seen reviews of the mounting bracket breaking on several occasions, not sure if to relate those review to poor quality, are you familiar with this?

I have not experienced any issues aside from the pump acting up a little from time to time, but it is a 3 year old needle wheel so nothing out of the ordinary. Construction seems pretty solid to me.

I have the BH1000.
 
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