My Reef Tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
For some reason I have a feeling ater I get the corals and fish settling in... the next big purchase is gonna be a high quality camera lol

I am definitely in the same boat man... but I keep upgrading to larger and larger systems lol
 
I personally have never used a skimmer (nore will I ever), but from what I remember others saying there is a "breaking in" period before it starts functioning fully (nothing to do with new or used, just running wise) probably has something to do with bubble formation. Clearly since it keeps over flowing I would say set it low so the bubbles dont even make it to the cup, keep an eye on it, and if nothing changes, then increase bubble out put a bit, wait... repeat, etc.

I've never ran a skimmer before either but that's not saying much as I've only been in salt water for 6-8 months. I have noticed one thing for sure since putting this skimmer on... the water clarity is much much better especially with out the microbubbles now.

I have set it low and throughout the day it seems to increase. This last time it started to overflow and the wifey turned the flow valve down which pretty much puts me back to square one as I haven't found that sweet spot yet.

How often should I be dumping my skimmer cup? just to give me a general idea
 
I have a coralline 125i have it set so. That the lbubbles just
each the bottom of the cup then as they build up they will over flow

Thanks. I was starting to think that must be the way to go. One thing I hate about buying/getting used equipment is not having the instruction manual. I'm the type of guy who reads the directions before touching the new toy
 
Hey Sky- What did you use to get rid of all of the Algae. I am having a similar problem with Red Algae but since I have coral I dont want to throw chemicals at it.

Honestly, I didn't do much. I purchased a lawnmower blenny who had to have some sort of an impact. I also manually removed what I could but the biggest thing I did was keep a real close eye on my water quality. Tested every two days and stayed up with the water changes. Water quality is the key!
 
Is the Koran picking at anything?

It's hard to tell. I have been feeding him two to three times a day and he eats ravishly. I have only had him and two of the clowns for about a week now. I have not seen him pick at any corals in the two or three hours that I have stared at the tank since the rescaping and new additions last week. I don't plan on keeping him he came in the tank swap. We did the exchange late at night so I couldn't take him in to trade him. Plus after hours of a total tank remodel I was too tired to set up a holding tank. I plan on having my 240 up in a month or two and am going to catch him in the transition since it is going to be hard to get him now. I'm sure that he occasionally nips at some corals but he knows not to do it when I'm around :)
 
So this morning around 5 am I turned on the tank light to find one clown fish in each of my three anemones. The trio seems to be working out. I don't see any fighting much at all. My sailfin and yellow on the other hand are a different story. The sailfin is a boss.
 
So my next project is the construction of 500+gallons of salty h2o. I have a standard acrylic 240 with a 135 glass sump, a 100 gal cube display acrylic refuge (possible seahorse dimensions 24" deep x 30" wide x 30" tall), and a 60 gal glass frag tank. The tanks are all waiting patiently in the garage. I've just started building the stand... the plan is to build it slowly yet surely. I've been moving tanks so much that I haven't taken as much time to enjoy it as I'd like so I'm going let the 75 stand the way it is for awhile. Stand is going to be L shaped in the corner of my great room with the cube on the short leg and the 240 on the long one obviously. I'm also contemplating on how I am going to plumb this all together. I think I am going to actually set up the 240 and 135 on it's own system, the 100 gallon refuge on another with the frag tank under it, and then two large connection tubes extending from the 240 to the cube. I think if i set it up correctly with the connection tubes above the drains I would not have to worry about both systems running dry incase of a catastrophic leak. I hope that makes since. I have some diagrams I'm going to through up as Of coarse I am going to do a build thread ;) I want to complete the build before starting the thread that way I don't leave y'all in limbo in between posts.
 
Also I plan to use black sand in the main displays with plenty of crushed coral and argonite in the sumps to buffer the ph
 
See if you can get a replacement collection cup for your skimmer that has a drain that connects to a hose; that will prevent the cup from overflowing thereby making life easier on you while you try to hit the sweet spot for the skimmer. The skimmer I have (AquaC Remora) has one, and the drain works out pretty well since I just have the tubing going to a five gallon bucket.
 
Skimmer - yes there is a break in period which continues so long as the skimmer is turned off for long periods of time, like off for a couple hours. Also the intail batch of skimmate is gonna be larger/more the 1st week or so as it has to 1st rid the tank of dissolved protiens that previously were present. If you slide the adjuster exhaust tube all the way down and it still overflo's then the pump has too much force for your unit and might also be under-aerated. I've had this problem myself with a Mag drive 7 - dropped down to mag drive 3.
 
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