Tropical Fish Forums

Flame Angel · Regulars Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia

Sorry about the wait sirreal,
the tank is 75cm x 35cm x 45cm, the internal filter is a 'Atman At-881' (if that helps) and in the tank there are only the fish I listed before (2 common clownfish) and mostly soft corals, (torch and mushroom) and 1 sps or lps (I'm not sure about identification). It has been set up for around 1 year now. I test for ammonia, nitites, nitrates and pH. I will have results for these tests up shortly.

sirreal63 · Advisors Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Location: Meadowlakes, TX

30 gallons is not a lot of water but the bio-load is low. Sps and Lps will have issues if the nitrates climb too high, the sofites won't mind too much as they can handle "dirtier" water than stony corals can.

I would still get a skimmer for all of the reasons listed earlier. Remove the waste before it converts, it is as simple as that and does work.
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Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

art_of_war · Members Joined: 17 Nov 2006

I wanted to ask about my skimmer. It hangs on the back of the and the effluent returning to the tank creates too many small bubbles (inside the tank itself). The large bubbles are dispersed on the surface; so that's not a big deal. People have told me that, that isn't good for the fishes either. Can too many tiny bubbles be bad? Because, I find myself emptying out that collection cup simply because it's something for me to do periodically.

sirreal63 · Advisors Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Location: Meadowlakes, TX

A common issue with hob skimmers...depending on the brand there ways to help. FWIW there are also microbubbles in the ocean.
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

dale · Advisors Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Location: Abbotsford Canada

Micro bubbles do not harm most fish but they can harm some species (such as seahorses and pipefish) and corals. Some bony plated fish (like those mentioned above) have problems removing gasses from their bodies and microbubbles seem to aggravate this. Many seahorse keepers forgo the use of skimmers for this reason. Microbubbles can also accumulate under some corals (such as encrusting GSP's) and build up larger air pockets that can lead to necrosis (in the same way that our flesh would suffer if kept in water for extended periods).
HOB skimmers can be a PITA because they return the effluent directly to the display tank. Most other skimmers are in sump and simple baffles are used to eliminate microbubbles.
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Atlantis · Members Joined: 27 Dec 2006

I want to ask about my tank, I have a 20 gallon tank, and wondering if I should put a skimmer in it? I was about to buy a Prizm hang on skimmer but..it is for tank up to 90 gallon, maybe its a bit too much hehh. So do u guys know about good skimmer that would be a nice choice for my 20 g?

sirreal63 · Advisors Joined: 21 Feb 2004 Location: Meadowlakes, TX

Do not go by the rating for a skimmer a manufacturer makes...they are grossly inflated. A prism is a poor performing skimmer, it requires nearly constant adjustments and even at it's best isn't very good. For a 20 gallon it will work and be prepared to play with it a lot. As a general rule...if the maker of the skimmer says 90 gallons it is probably OK for half that or less.
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Out on the road today...I saw a DeadHead sticker on a Cadillac...
Jack
110 Gallon DSA Pentagon

Atlantis · Members Joined: 27 Dec 2006

Allright tx! But if u know a skimmer that can fit and do a great job for my tank let me know Smile

Atlantis · Members Joined: 27 Dec 2006

What do u guys suggest? Coralife super skimmer or Prizm? They r pretty much the same price, but about the performance I don't really know for the coralife. I have eard good things about prizm and some bad things, but about the coralife?

dale · Advisors Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Location: Abbotsford Canada

I haven't owned one (so this is secondhand) but I have heard poor reports regarding the Prism models.

I do have a Coralife 125 however and it does skim well. As sirreal suggests though, it needs regular adjusting. I don't find it too bothersome as I review my tank every day but it would not do for the "set and forget" crowd. There is also the problem of a possible flood if the collection cup overflows (which mine does on occasion). For me it was a risk factor I could not mitigate and so I first used it "in sump" in one tank and within a corner box in another.

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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!