Skimmers, Lights, Pumps?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
L

Liz Sagara

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 13, 2011
714
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Texas
I'm looking for skimmers and lights. I would like to know if any of these will work. I will have a 40 gallon breeder sized reef tank. Will have 40 lbs of live sand and live rock. Fish will include 2 ocellaris clownfish, 1 royal Gramma Basslet, 3 Blue/green Chromis, and one firefish. Will eventually have some soft corals in it. CLean up crew will be 20 snails, 10-20 crabs, Brittle star and assorted detriovore critters that live in the sand.

Skimmmer
1.http://www.marineandreef.com/Aquarium_Systems_SeaClone_100_Protein_Skimmer_p/ras08111.htm

2.http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-TANK-P...ultDomain_0&hash=item25624e5a10#ht_4175wt_792

Lights
1.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110663918823&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Pumps
1.http://cgi.ebay.com/255GPH-SUBMERSI...ultDomain_0&hash=item23099b845c#ht_5027wt_952

2.http://cgi.ebay.com/375-GPH-SUBMERS...ultDomain_0&hash=item23099baee9#ht_5027wt_952
 
First before even looking at your pumps, I can tell you that I dont recommend them.

My main return pump will always push 10x tank volume @ the head height of which it is being returned. Always.

Seaclone skimmers are notoriously poor. The other one I have never heard of and would stay away from.

AquaC Remora is what I will recommend to you, and on a tank this size could be the only filtration necessary minus h2o changes and some good powerheads for circulation.

For $99 on www.aquatraders.com you can get a 150w MH with supplemental blue t5 and moonlight leds SHIPPED.

I would recommend that fixture over the one you are looking at now.
 
I actually decided against EVERYTHING on that list... heh... too cheaply made. Here's the updated list. That Aquatraders link you sent me only has Odyssea? If so I'm not buying Odyssea. Read some reviews on a lot of their stuff and asked around at the club and 2 separate members had these things fail catastrophically as in catch fire due to poor wiring. So I'll look for a better brand. Thanks though.

Light. If I win it that is... I will be ECSTATIC. I've heard good things about that brand and that fixture. Has 150 watt metal Halide 2 regular T5 HO light and 4 LED moonlights and built in timer. Normally 599.99. I'm excited!... I jsut hope there's not a reserve... on a 600 dollar device and it's not even to 100 yet... makes me worry. I'm willing to go up to 200 though if need be.

Skimmer

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140527685130&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Pumps

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280579035559&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
 
Thats not bad, I bet that light is about the same quality.

I can promise you this. I have used more odyssea lights than they have, I have put them into more peoples houses.

YES, there were fires. Since then, there have been major upgrades, and there have been no complaints since then. A guy I knew ran one of the MH/T5 fixtures WITHOUT A FAN for over half a year during the summer.

It took that long for it to finally start to smell funny one day. He asked me about it, and I asked him if he had installed the fan. He said no. Problem fixed.

I have personally used 3 of their fixtures, and put them into at least four other hobbyists homes (not counting all the people online who have followed my advice) not one complaint, or fire.

Its up to you how you want to light your tank, but if you really do your research those reviews were old when I started using oddyssea on planted tanks years ago (Going on four now to be excact.)
 
On a side note, I will sell you a backpack for 90% of whatever that one goes for plus shipping.

These skimmers are okay, not an aquac, but they do pull some decent skimmate. You are going to want to upgrade the powerhead no matter whether you buy from me, or this other guy.

Koralia is a good circulation pump (I thought you were looking for a return pump for a sump however). In my mind this wont be enough flow, and it will be too direct. Try doing something like 3 of the koralia two's or something like that.
 
I put up the korslia two and was told those were too small. I still don't want to put an Odyssea in my house. It's only been a couple months and the guy was using the metal halide one. He said the wiring was cheap and so was the balast Aqualife on the other hand. Haven't reD a bad thing about them or thier lights yet.
 
Please send me a link to this review. Last fire one as I said was years before I purchased my first one.

In a 40B I wouldnt do more than 3's. I would probably use threes, but I am a fan of mongo flow.
 
It was a club member. He plugged it in and a week and a half after he started using the thing it caught fire near the switch.

And everyone keeps telling me I need 10X the flow in my tank... why do you not think so?
 
Liz Sagara;5000173; said:
It was a club member. He plugged it in and a week and a half after he started using the thing it caught fire near the switch.

And everyone keeps telling me I need 10X the flow in my tank... why do you not think so?
Click to expand...

You need your water to move that much to keep deadspots from forming. Circulation is the MOST important thing in a marine environmnet. The fish are used to an ocean sized environment, and your tank needs to be turning over this much to have a chance at being filtered fast enough.

I agree with fleshy, the oddysseas are a great fixture for the price. Coralifes can start fires too,

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/26075-coralife-power-center-warning-2.html
 
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