saltwater + Fluval 404???

[nonstophoops]

oh ya for sure ill be doing power heads and for stock i dunno yet really but id like to get some tangs like a blue hippo, a mandarian,huma trigger as it seems to be a common trigger to use in a community tankmate! which i thought all triggers were predetor ,still gotta research all the stock im still studying the chemistry of the water and equipment

I would say that you could get a small tang and trigger for a 55 gallon as long as they were moved as they grew, think by the time they are 4 inches or so. The Mandarin should not be housed with that aggressive of a tank IMO. They are very passive and have specific housing requirements. They are relatively difficult to keep because they are picky eaters and can be scared from eating by more aggressive eaters.

 

[FLESHY]

ya ill have to check out the AquaC HOB skimmers ya i dont mind cleaning the F 404 i dont enjoy it as much as i do as washing my Vette ha ha but its easy compared to the FX5's lol but gotta sell off the livestock currently in the tank first then hopefully i can just sell the tank and get a 80gal plus and hope that its drilled or just drill it myself

Lucky dog...here I am stuck with a honda civic.

Be careful about drilling yourself, you are a braver man than I if you attempt it.

An HOB overflow might not be out of the question. The CPR ones get great reviews, and it is one of theirs that I am about to use on my 125g.

 

[FLESHY]

+1 to dustins comments on stocking.

 

[nonstophoops]

Lucky dog...here I am stuck with a honda civic.

Be careful about drilling yourself, you are a braver man than I if you attempt it.

An HOB overflow might not be out of the question. The CPR ones get great reviews, and it is one of theirs that I am about to use on my 125g.

Let me know how those CPR ones work Flesh, I have been considering getting one for my 75 so I can do a refuge. I like that you can add a pump to keep the air out as apposed to most HOB overflows.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I have a great HOB skimmer/sump/fuge for sale:

 

[geronimo69]

Its not really the media that is a nitrate trap, its the fact that there is lots of waste in there.

LR can trap waste as well. I would just buy a bio media like the cintered glass balls that ehiem sells. It does the same thing as the LR, but does a better job.

Skimmers should be on all SW tanks IMO. Theres really no reason not to, they prolong the time in between h2o changes, they remove waste directly from the water without the mechanical filtration that can cause "Nitrate Factory" and are one of the top 3 most necessary pieces of equipment that I own.

Look into AquaC's skimmers. Great service, great product, easy to use, and cheap.

I feel that skimmers are necessary if you have corals. Not for fish only. Corals are much more sensitive to water chemistry/conditions. If you do a regular weekly water change, you can save your money from the skimmer for things like salt/food, etc. I really don't think a skimmer can make up for weekly water changes (or to prolong it, as mentioned above).

If you do go the skimmer route, I agree with the Aqua C Remora. I have one on my 20 gallon (I have corals, so I run the skimmer, every second day).

 

[fishy12]

Its not really the media that is a nitrate trap, its the fact that there is lots of waste in there.

LR can trap waste as well. I would just buy a bio media like the cintered glass balls that ehiem sells. It does the same thing as the LR, but does a better job.

Skimmers should be on all SW tanks IMO. Theres really no reason not to, they prolong the time in between h2o changes, they remove waste directly from the water without the mechanical filtration that can cause "Nitrate Factory" and are one of the top 3 most necessary pieces of equipment that I own.

Look into AquaC's skimmers. Great service, great product, easy to use, and cheap.

+1

You may be better off getting a pretty good sized skimmer and using it with a lot of LR. the LR will remove some nitrates, and the skimmer well you know what it does I assume

 

[Pufferpunk]

It certainly doesn't hurt on any tank. Fish will benefit too!

 

[FLESHY]

I feel that skimmers are necessary if you have corals. Not for fish only. Corals are much more sensitive to water chemistry/conditions. If you do a regular weekly water change, you can save your money from the skimmer for things like salt/food, etc. I really don't think a skimmer can make up for weekly water changes (or to prolong it, as mentioned above).

If you do go the skimmer route, I agree with the Aqua C Remora. I have one on my 20 gallon (I have corals, so I run the skimmer, every second day).

I agree on the h2o quality thing, but coral tanks dont usually have heavy bioload. This means few organics to remove. Many corals eat organics as food...and there are other things skimmers can remove that the corals would also eat.

Pred tanks are large, making h2o changes expensive.

They are also heavily fed, with messy fish.

I dont know why you wouldnt want a skimmer in that sort of situation.

That being said, why do you only run your skimmer every other day?

 

[nonstophoops]

I agree on the h2o quality thing, but coral tanks dont usually have heavy bioload. This means few organics to remove. Many corals eat organics as food...and there are other things skimmers can remove that the corals would also eat.

Pred tanks are large, making h2o changes expensive.

They are also heavily fed, with messy fish.

I dont know why you wouldnt want a skimmer in that sort of situation.

That being said, why do you only run your skimmer every other day?

+1 Exactly what I would have written including the question.

IMO you should just let the skimmer run.

I assume your rebuttal would be that the skimmer removes essential things the corals need and I am not going to argue it either way. If it is working well for you, you might as well continue to do what works.