Questions on my 29 Skimmer and more!

[311Style]

Hey still in the process of cycling my 29 With 30lbs of LS and 35lbs(+/-) of LR. I had a skimmer that I bought from ebay that was garbage so I sent it back to get some money for a new skimmer..

This time I want to do it right and get a good skimmer that will last me a long time but not kill my wallet as Im saving for a first car . Im also planning a 10/15g Glass sump that I can hide this stuff in. Not sure again how to go about doing this just reading various articles at this time on sump building. But for now I need a skimmer! Would be nice to have it hang on back for now and then later beable to go into my sump if possible? Or do you guys think I should just build my sump first?

Also I have a question on aquascaping. Right now I have several large pieces all stacked up to create arches etc Ill upload a picture in a few after I do my nightly matience. The rock is not stacked against the backwall instead it is just in the middle. This is leaving me a lot of flow problems so algae is blooming as expected. But Im not sure sure on the stability of the rock once I add my livestock. Should I break it all down and drill/attach them to a PVC Frame? Or Just come up with a new design?

Current tank setup:
29g all glass tank
Tetra PF-300 Mechanical/Bio Filter running carbon
100 Watt heater
2 Aquaclear powerheads 1 - 70 and 1 - 50
Current USA Orbit Lighting system. 130watt PC Lighting.

Planning:
Skimmer of some sort
10/15g Sump with mag5 or 7 return Lifereef Overflow box
More LR

Livestock Plan:
2 Maroon Yellow Stripe Clowns, Some sort of soft corals? and a better cleaning crew.

Right now my bio load is very light with 5 crabs and 5 Snails to eat algae.

Any other questions comments etc? Let me know!

Thanks!
Ryan

 

[i8chicken]

What type of skimmer did you return?

Coralife skimmers seem to be well liked. Not so much the plain venturi ones, but the models that come with the needlewheel pumps.

They are also less expensive than the other brands that come with needlewheel pumps.

These can be run either HOB or in your future sump.

Hope it helps.
Jennifer

 

[i8chicken]

Forgot to mention, I've got a 29 gallon, too! My sump, at 55 gallons, is larger than the one you're planning, though.

I have an ASM G1X on it and it is great. I LOVE that skimmer, but it is not a hang on back model. I don't think they've got ony HOB skimmers. If you could wait until you build your sump, maybe you could try a smalller ASM.

 

[Brandon's Reef]

you can lean your rocks against the back glass and the coralife super skimmer 65 would be a perfect hang on tank for you. You can build your sump but it is much easier to just throw down a ten gallon and throw your equipment in there instead of messing with acrylic and such.

 

[Danger731]

Auqa C

 

[cerolost]

Hey I have a 29 gallon and went with the Bak pak 2 and just took out the bio bale media in it. I put my submersible heater instead in that chamber. I would say if I could do all over again I would have gotten the aquafuge ps from cpr. For about 220 at fosters and smith you get a refugium and a protein skimmer. The skimmer by itself ran me $130 and I ended up getting a Aqua clear 110 filter and gutting it to create a fuge. If you still wanted to run the sump though go with a turbofloater. If want a hob you really only have 3 choices. Coral life, bak pak, and aqua c remora. The coral life seems pretty cool because its the only one needle driven.

 

[311Style]

Hey guys thanks for the replies!

i8chicken - I returned some Jebo skimmer from ebay was really cheap plastic and had to hang INSIDE of my tank needless to say I wasnt happy! So I sent it back Thanks for the info

Brandon's Reef - Thanks for the info and I was looking at that skimmer myself looks pretty cool and got some nice reviews!.. In reguards to the sump my plan is to use one of the various tanks I have here.. Basically whatever will fit comfortably below my display tank. But if I buy that Lifereef overflow box and hook it up to my tank with my heater,skimmer, and Current filter inside of a 10g or 20l Sump with some sort of return pump.. Would it be bad? Because there are no sections in it yet. Id have to get some glass baffles no?

Danger731 - Thanks for the recomendation another great company stuck between the CL and the AquaC Remora/Urchin.

Cerolost - Hmm not a bad idea but I think im going to making a sump with a fuge in it possibly depending on space.. Thanks for the info

 

[goatman]

I run a Euro Reef and love it. I started with a Bak Pak 2 and quickly upgraded since I didn't like the look of it in the tank. As for your flow issue, I used to run to powerheads brfore I swithced to a closed loop. Put one unit in the back left corner pointed across the back, and one in the front left pointed across the front. This creates a swirling motion in the tank which left me no dead spots.

I have the Orbit PC as well. I love it, except that you really need to change the bulbs every eight months due to spectrum loss.

Good luck, lets see some pics!!!!!!!

 

[20 20]

I have pretty much the same setup as you, 29 gallon, orbit 130 watt pc lights, 2 powerheads. I built a sump/fuge out of a 15 gallon tank:

That was a pic of it when I first got it running 3 -4 months ago, it's got quite a bit of cheato in it, some LR rubble, coraline, etc. Using a mag 5 pump for the return, and a Coralife 65 skimmer. Only trouble using a 15 gallon tank for a sump under a 29 gallon tank is it's the same width as a 29 gallon tank, so I don't think it would fit in a standard 29 gallon stand. I'm just using the basic black metal stand, until I get up the ambition to build my own. It'll have to be wider to accomodate the width of the sump.

 

[311Style]

Wow our tanks are almost the same 2020 Thats a nice sump you got there hopefully thats what mine will look like.. Care to share the design? Any flaws/likes/dislikes in it?

Pics up tommorow when the lights are on I promise!

 

[20 20]

There's no real issue with it, as far as I can tell. The design is pretty much what you see. The return section is a bit small, meaning I need to top off quite a bit daily, but I knew that when I built it. I plan on putting in an auto-top off system some day, just need to get around it. If I were to do it again, I might add a bubble tower to the drain line from the tank. Again, it's the width that might be an issue for you, if you want to fit it in a standard sized stand for a 29 gallon tank. Since I planned from the start to build my own stand (again, 'some day'), the width wasn't an issue for me.

 

[311Style]

Yeah Im not so worried I have a 20l im gonna try and squeeze into my cabinet it will JUST fit in my opinion but Ill have to see if it passes the water test its quite old. Other than that I have a 10 and 15 sitting around Thanks for the info