Question & Feedback

[jpcemc]

So I have had a spat of tank issues, most self inflicted. I had a 75G with canister filters (x2), a 40G Breeder w/20 Sump and a 32 BioCube. Recently, I lost power for like 30 minutes before putting a back flow valve on the 40G and about 10G ended up on my carpet, destroying my stand in the process. Built a new stand from 2x6s that can hold more than 1200 pounds (contractor tested it ). Then I had a canister filter seal go bad on the 75G and dump maybe 5G on the carpet upstairs before I caught it. Needless to say, stand got wet and started to crumble, so I disassembled that tank and trashed it (tank was used so seals always worried me). I will build my own stand again and seal it and then get a larger tank in time. So...love this hobby - hating leaks right now.

With that said, I had a TON of live rock and two skimmers. I filled the sump basically to the brim in the middle chamber, and have two skimmers running (higher bio-load due to fish from my 75G going into this 40G). Is having all of the LR and two skimmers helpful or overkill? My fish are all rather small (only a year old on most of them) so they all fit well in the tank, but I just want to make the most of my sump and keep my parameters good for my corals. I haven't tested mag, calc, or PH yet, but Nitrates are at 10, Alk at 8.5 approx. 79.8 degrees and a Kessil a360w light.

 

[mcgyvr]

What is that 3 fish in a 75g I see in the picture?
pfft... Your "bioload" doesn't look high by any means..
IMO a ton of live rock is better than not enough.. The added surface area allows for a higher bacterial population and bacteria does most of the work in our tanks..

as to the skimmers..
Skimmers are highly overrated IMO.. and many have found their tanks do better without them.. so yes 2 is likely overkill but for a fish only tank its really not harming much and they will self regulate and just pull out what they can.. Its basically impossible to "overskim" a tank like yours..
In a "reef tank" what they remove could just be food for corals.. I'd rather the corals use it vs it just being skimmed out..

 

[thegrun]

The first thing I would do is design your sump so that it can safely handle all the drain down water that flows into your tank when the return pump is turned off your you will continue to have floods. Relying on a back flow check valve is going to cause a flood sooner or later. They all fail eventually, usually at the most inopportune time like while you are away on vacation. Idon't see an issue with too much rock, but depending on what the rating is on the skimmers you can have so much over-skimming that the skimmers do not function efficiently.

 

[jpcemc]

The first thing I would do is design your sump so that it can safely handle all the drain down water that flows into your tank when the return pump is turned off your you will continue to have floods. Relying on a back flow check valve is going to cause a flood sooner or later. They all fail eventually, usually at the most inopportune time like while you are away on vacation. Idon't see an issue with too much rock, but depending on what the rating is on the skimmers you can have so much over-skimming that the skimmers do not function efficiently.

Yeah, I fixed that immediately. My wife agreed.

 

[jpcemc]

What is that 3 fish in a 75g I see in the picture?
pfft... Your "bioload" doesn't look high by any means..
IMO a ton of live rock is better than not enough.. The added surface area allows for a higher bacterial population and bacteria does most of the work in our tanks..

as to the skimmers..
Skimmers are highly overrated IMO.. and many have found their tanks do better without them.. so yes 2 is likely overkill but for a fish only tank its really not harming much and they will self regulate and just pull out what they can.. Its basically impossible to "overskim" a tank like yours..
In a "reef tank" what they remove could just be food for corals.. I'd rather the corals use it vs it just being skimmed out..

I have two tiny clowns, a damsel, fairy wrasse, a small Kole (hiding) and a small Foxface (small - hiding). I gave 3 fish of size to my friend so I didnt over do the load until I can get a new large tank.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[mcgyvr]

Yeah...not a large bioload by any means....