protein skimmer? future newbie here!

[JonPhillips114]

I know I will probably be shot for asking all this but I dont have a saltwater tank or know much about it (yet!) but I have been thinking about converting one of my smaller tanks just to give it a try with some inverts! if I will be using a hob type filter would I need a protein skimmer? and what exactly do they do? and doesn't a hob or canister filter do the same thing as the skimmer??? also what all do I need to start just to have possibly a starfish or two or a couple shrimp (Not sure what types yet) It will be on a 20 Gal tank for now just to try it all out. I am thinking about doing sand and crushed coral mixed substrate, good idea bad idea?
Any help will be greatly appreciated, and sorry again im a future newbie to saltwater lol

 

[DaddyK]

I'm a saltwater Noob too but ill do my best. Imagine the waves on the beach, How when the waves hit the sand they are all bubbly right? those bubbles are concentrated... err... bad stuff... and that is exactly what the protien skimmer removes. The skimmer will make foam push up a cilinder and into a cup where you can later throw it away.

A hob or canister filter will not do that at all. it will just run water through media.

Do you need a skimmer for a starfish and some shrimp? I have no idea, but it couldent hurt.

Cheers

 

[azjc]

you do NOT want a canister filter with a salt water system!

 

[Pazzoman]

I wish you in new york I would sell you a great skimmer.. aqua C skimmer. I highly recommend this skimmer if going for a sump (A Must) grab the aqua C Urchin Pro.

Skimmer in my opinion are needed for reef tank, however will help a lot for any basic marine tank...I have reef.

Any other info needed PM for quicker response as I've been through what your going to be going through lol

However the forums are amazing, with numerous members who will be more then happy to lead you into the right direction.

Good Luck

 

[dead wait]

Hey Pazzo. Did'nt you say in another thread of yours that your aqua c was a pain in the arse to clean. That was why you were getting rid of it. Just sayin.

Hey Jonphillips, save your money and buy the good stuff. It will help you in the long run.

 

[Pazzoman]

Hey dead wait, sorry for late apperance on the threads. I think in the thread I mentioned it is a pain for me because I have in HOB of my sump, so for me to get behind my tank to remove it is very difficult, however if you keep it above on your tank it is very easy as I use to have it like that.

 

[KellyFrancis]

Anyway, OP, a skimmer is not necessary for a small invert tank. I've got inverts and fish and no skimmer and short of an ammonia spike I just dealt with from a fish dying, my params are just fine. There are some on here who would pass the skimmer up entirely, even on a reef tank. My understanding is that it can remove the good as well as the bad. But of you're just sampling the water, so to speak, I'd pass on it.


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[CHOMPERS]

I second the motion on passing on the skimmer, especially if the tank is only going to be a trial run. There are things that you don't want taken out of the water and then things that you do want taken out.

You DON'T want planktonic foods (bacterioplankton, zooplankton, phytoplankton) removed from the system. The natural reef has a vast abundance of foods and these are the primary food sources of most corals and inverts that live there. The reefs are high in these foods but aquariums are very low in them.

You DO want to remove excess nutrients from the system. These nutrients are the nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrites, & nitrates), and phosphates. The reefs are very low in these compounds but aquariums are typically very high with them. These nutrients will drive rampant algae growth and stunt your organisms or even kill them.


Skimmers are very good at stripping biological compounds (your planktonic foods) out of the water but they do very little in removing nitrogen compounds or phosphates.


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[CHOMPERS]

By the way, don't judge your abilities in the saltwater end of the hobby on a "trial run" tank. First time tanks are typically a failure, especially when new. And small. A larger tank will be more forgiving.

My first tank was successful but it was 110 gallons and fish only (and live rock). Years later, I set up a 30g but it was a dismal failure. Before setting up another one, I took some time to learn where I went wrong and to find out how to be successful. I then took the same 30g tank and made some radical changes to it, and it has been doing very well ever since.


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[JASamper]

lmao at how no one pays attention to when the thread was started