Skimmer

[rictheredneck]

buying a tank not too sure of the volume but id hazard a guess at about 250 l, its dimesions are 36x24x18 in a bit of a rush so i cant calculate the volume just yet. i want a filter for it. in my other thank i have a fluval 305, which i have no problems with but alot of people use eheim who prefers who here? what model eheim should i go for? i like the shut off valves of the fluval for ease of moving when cleaning if that helps with the decision. also I'm not going to be purchasing a skimmer just yet, i know, i know, i will be doing weekly water changes, its just money is a Lil sparse at the mo, anyways so id rather go for a more efficient filter, can you over filter your water? i dunno. its for a reef tank with 27 kgs of live rock that will hopefully be housing mostly clams so the filter will be turned off for an hourish during feeding so maybe if they have an on/off switch on the housing itself but this isn't a major issue its just easier than reaching for the plug, lazy eh? all feedback welcomed!

 

[SkiFletch]

A tank with those dimensions is a standard 65g. I'm confused as to why you want a filter though... Your LR does all your filtration for you. Save your money up towards a skimmer

 

[rictheredneck]

A tank with those dimensions is a standard 65g. I'm confused as to why you want a filter though... Your LR does all your filtration for you. Save your money up towards a skimmer

this is the Berlin method, I'm sorry to say that I'm a total noob to this. is there anyway you could please explain the process to me using layman's terms. so far i seem to understand that the live rock does the part of the biological filtration and a skimmer to remove waste, and a vac up when doing a water change to get rid of all the uneaten food and poop, is that it? it just seem foreign to me to have a tank without a filter, its just that when i bought my other tank the lfs said i needed a filter but i presume thats because it started life as a fish only system. right so if thats the case is 27 kgs enough live rock? what skimmer do you recommend? something else that pops up whilst trying to de crypt the barrage of info on the Berlin system is kalkwasser, never seen it or used it before, it sounds dangerous! this whole thing is scaring me a Lil, lol. your help would really be appreciated ski, put my mind at ease!

 

[SkiFletch]

Lol, yeah the berlin method does not use mechanical or man-made filters at all and is totally foreign. Its all about the ability of Live Rock and its organisms to do the job themselves. Heck, I wish freshwater tanks could have live rock, way less maintenance .

Kalkwasser is often used by aquarists who have many stony corals in their tank and have troubles keeping their alkalinity high. Instead of topping off with RO water, they top off with a mix of RO and Kalkwasser which is exceptionally high in alkalinity (and pH). It is commonly only used by those with higher coral loads or those looking for excessive groth of their tanks and not for everyone. I know I dont use it

For skimmers I reccomend, if you're in the states, an AquaC Remora is by far and away the best hang-on money can buy, otherwise a Coralife Superskimmer also gets the job done. If you're in the UK, I'd reccomend a Deltec, Tunze, or TMC skimmer.

 

[rictheredneck]

http/www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/skimmers_1.php

quite like the look of these, just making sure its ok. thanx for your help ski!

 

[SkiFletch]

Looks good to me. I've heard they recently came out with an MCE 300 model that might be worth checking into...

 

[rictheredneck]

Looks good to me. I've heard they recently came out with an MCE 300 model that might be worth checking into...

thanx ski, i have been doin a lil research on the berlin method and im getting conflicting reports on how much live rock is enough. i have 27 kgs for the 65 g. what is your opinion on this? if it isnt enough would it be ok for starting off with this amount and add more before i introduce live stock? what the process of creating live rock, is it just a case of dumping some limestone in the tank and waiting? all your repiles are greatly appreciated

 

[diet]

Looks good to me. I've heard they recently came out with an MCE 300 model that might be worth checking into...

thanx ski, i have been doin a lil research on the berlin method and im getting conflicting reports on how much live rock is enough. i have 27 kgs for the 65 g. what is your opinion on this? if it isnt enough would it be ok for starting off with this amount and add more before i introduce live stock? what the process of creating live rock, is it just a case of dumping some limestone in the tank and waiting? all your repiles are greatly appreciated

Ive been told its 1kg of live rock to 10 Litres,

I work with litres via here gallons just gets to confusing......i always find myself thinking is it us or imperial gallons eeeeekkk

 

[rictheredneck]

i think the volume is 266 l so 27 kgs would be spot on if thats the case, i heared 0.75 to 4 kgs to every 4 liters. its all to complicated for me

 

[diet]

i think the volume is 266 l so 27 kgs would be spot on if thats the case, i heared 0.75 to 4 kgs to every 4 liters. its all to complicated for me

i must admit ive never heard any diff from the 1kg to 10 litres rule.

Im sur eim right but ski should be able to put u straight right away

 

[rictheredneck]

i think the volume is 266 l so 27 kgs would be spot on if thats the case, i heared 0.75 to 4 kgs to every 4 liters. its all to complicated for me

i must admit ive never heard any diff from the 1kg to 10 litres rule.

Im sur eim right but ski should be able to put u straight right away

thanx!

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, you guys are both right. Approximately 1kg/10L, 1kg/2gal, 1lb/1gal is what you should be shooting for as a minimum amount. Sounds like you're on the right track