Help And Advice

[maidenfan]

hi all

ive been posting for a week or two now on marine chit chat when probably i should have been posting on here as you all seem to be running tanks close to what i'm trying to set up.

ive noticed that some of you who have put your tank set ups on here do not run a skimmer or only run for a while.

my question is how do you get around not using a skimmer?

my set up at mo is as follows: aqua one 620t 130 litre tank with its own in hood lighting (red and white tubes)and trickle filter and power head 500 l/h added on to that i have a fluval 204 external filter 680 l/h, fluval 200w heater, internal aquamedic 1000 power filter being used to promote water movement. the substrate consists of 20 lbs of carib alive sea sand and a quantity of base rock added to that i have put in 11 lbs of LR which i plan to add to


the tank as been up and running for approx 4 weeks now i have cycled the tank using the LR

cheers

 

[Die_Grinder]

i think (and i am sure some one will correct me if i am wrong) that the skimers remove excess protien from the water, that cuts down on rotting bits, thus making less ammonia. whereas if you have lots of live rock, the rock can cope with the extra ammo, no2 and no3.

i am kinda new to this too lol

 

[maidenfan]

thanks for the reply die

i aim to double the amount of live rock i have to 22lbs will that be enough?

 

[Aquascaper]

my question is how do you get around not using a skimmer?

Plenty of quality live rock and regular water changes

Also, ditch the 'red' light and get an actinic blue instead, it will help to promote coral growth and bring out the colours of the fish and inverts

 

[maidenfan]

cheers aqua

was thinking regular water changes was the answer what % and how regular would you advice?

 

[Aquascaper]

Depends on the bioload, frequency of feeding, type of foods used, tank inhabitants, etc.

 

[steelhealr]

Agree with above. You can get around skimming if you do regular weekly water changes, 10% or more. Avoid overfeeding.

Lighting should be in the 10-20K range and....actinics as mentioned above will give your tank and corals a better appearance and fluorescence.

You are a bit light on LR. I estimate your tank to be about ? 32 gallons US? If so, you would watn about 40lbs of LR (?20kgs?). SH

 

[SkiFletch]

40 lbs = 18.1436948 kilogram

make sure you weight carefully

 

[maidenfan]

40 lbs = 18.1436948 kilogram

make sure you weight carefully

got kitchen scales out ski

can i build this amount of rock up gradually whilst still stocking the tank or do i need that amount before stocking with fish?

i have base rock in tank at mo as well as live rock is it right what ive read somewhere that this can return to be live rock with time?

 

[Aquascaper]

It will take a long time for the base rock to become as good as purchased live rock and will also depend on what type of rock it is as to whether it will be any good. The best thing to do is have all the live rock in before you add fish to allow the tank to settle but it is possible to add more as you go along however it is risky as you make cause an Ammonia spike when adding the new rock.

 

[maidenfan]

cheers aqua

i will add as much live rock as i can before adding fish i'm in no rush anyway want it right from the start thats why i'm asking all these questions mate

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, I'd add as much now as you can. If at a later date you decide to add more liverock, make sure you "cure" it in a bucket of saltwater with an airstone for a few weeks until there are no more ammonia and nitrites read in that bucket. Then its safe to add to the tank

 

[maidenfan]

cant you buy cured live rock??? not sure if ive not read it somewhere else

 

[Mr Miagi]

Yes, cured live rock can be purchased. You will pay a premium though, Its up to the individual.

This thread has been well replied too, and very accurate, but I cant see any mention of RO water! Tap water is complete with nitrates, dissolved heavy metals, and many other nasties. If you wish to run skimmer-less, RO is your best friend!

 

[maidenfan]

already got my RO supply sorted from lfs plan to fit my own unit when i can afford