Skimmer of Fuge

Inglorious

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 27, 2010
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Stuck inside my own head
So I now have a 28G JBJ nano cube sitting in my basement waiting for me to find a home for it, so I'm trying to plan everything out the best I can before I start. My plan is to have argonite as a base and between 25-30lbs of live rock. I might start with much of that base and seed it with just a little live to save $$ but that depends on what I can find. My plan is on once the rock is cycled to add a CuC and then start slowly introducing fish and eventually corals. I know I can only mostly keep softies and a few LPS cause the lighting is only 105W for 28g, but I want to be able to add as much coral as I can eventually keep. What I and to know for planning purposes is should I start off with a good skimmer and the stock media included in the basket or turn the basket into a fuge with cheeato, or try to have both ready when I start. For the purpose of cycling with rock and then just having a few fish which would be more beneficial? Eventually I know I'll need a skimmer, phosphate reactor, chiller, and all that good stuff, but for starting out what is the most important and which should I focus on? Would it do me any good to run a fuge and a cheap $40 air driven skimmer, or are those skimmers worthless and should I just save up for a hob-1 that will be more than efficient enough for anything I try to throw at it? Any advice or help is well appreciated.
 

Inglorious

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 27, 2010
2,214
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Stuck inside my own head
If I was going to run a sump then I would definitely incorporate an algae scrubber into it, but since this will be in a all-in-one unit I won't have room for one until I start doing major modifications to it. Doesn't having cheato in a refugeum basically serve the same purpose as an algae scrubber anyways?
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
5,542
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Central Wisconsin
You might also want to research "carbon dosing". Carbon dosing via a dosing pump and a skimmer - if done right is probably one of the most powerful weapons in the saltwater arsenal.

There are advantage and disadvantages to having a algae scrubber though.

Generally speaking in purely skimmer vs fuge...skimmer wins hands down.
 

Otherone

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 2, 2009
2,683
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Lancaster,PA USA
They do 2 different things - skimmers remove dissolved solids, Flora fuges remove phosphates, co2., and nitrogenous gases. Algae scrubbers the same as fuges but is a refuge for micro algaes not macro algae like cheato - both reguire lighting
You can use chemical reactors and media to achieve the same thing as the flora. With a new set up and limited experience the skimmer is better - 2 years from now when the tank has matured and your experience has grown things can be different.
 
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