Tropical Fish Forums

[fishlover01]

I'm brand new to saltwater and am wanting to convert my 30 gallon. At the moment I have a whisper 30 filter, and was wondering what's the difference between that and a protein skimmer? Can I get away with my current filter? Do I need to replace with skimmer, use both ect.? And what about powerheads????

Thanks from the clueless
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1,5,10,30,50 Not too many =]

[gm333]

A protein skimmer utilizes fine bubbles to lift waste from the water and deposits it in a container. A powerfilter only utilizes bacteria to take away some waste, whereas a skimmer will take out almost all waste particles, trust me the evidence is in the smell of the green collection you get in the cup.
There is a modle that looks like a powerfilter but is a protein skimmer. It is made by rio, if you google rio nano skimmer you will find this product. From what I have heard it does a good job as far as nano skimmers are concerned.
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Its only fun if you make it fun!

[perfectblue]

Well you can run a tank successfully without the use of a skimmer however it will greatly benefit your tank. As long as you don't overstock your tank and regularly perform maintenance(Water changes, testing parameters, etc.) you should be fine. Powerheads are submersible pumps that are placed in the tank for water circulation. Amount of flow you need depends on what you intend to house in your tank. 10-15x turnover is a good place to start, so for a 30g tank you will want around 300-450gph total. If you want to keep coral more water circulation will be required.

Good luck and if you have any more questions just ask.
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55 gallon FOWLR saltwater tank

2.5 gallon saltwater tank

[Flame Angel]

I changed my 30 gal from freshwater to marine...
Try and get the book "The Conscientious Marine Aquariust" by Robert Fenner. I really wish I had that book before I started my tank. It will help you so much.
I would try and get a skimmer, I started mine without a skimmer, and it made things difficult...
Hopefully some more experienced/knowlegable members can help you here as well (Dale, Sirreal and FloridaBoy have helped me a lot)

[Oscer]

It
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Years of fish keeping = Good advice

[dale]

Hello fishlover,
Here is an article to read to get you started.
http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_small_aquarium_filter.php
See if it answers any of your questions.
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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!