Fluval 13.5 with a reactor or Skimmer?

[GHOSTLY]

So I have 2 options. I either get a Fluval nano skimmer or I get

Auqa Gadget Desktop Minimax Pro Media Reactor - Innovative Marine.​

Firstly I also Have A refugium

 

[GHOSTLY]

oops hit post early. I meant to say I have a fuge but want one of these. What do you suggest?

 

[DocRose]

I think the first thing to consider is why you are thinking of either one. Just because? Is there a problem in the tank? Something else?

 

[GHOSTLY]

I think the first thing to consider is why you are thinking of either one. Just because? Is there a problem in the tank? Something else?

Sorry forgot to mention this. I want a skimmer as I heard that it will get rid of excess decay and matter in the water (told to me by fish store) and Im looking into biopellet reactors as I have a pretty heavy fish load for 13.5. Im still doing research though so I want to here peoples thoughts before doing any more research into them

 

[GHOSTLY]

My parameters fluctuate too much For a nano tank from nitrate of 10 to 15 So I'm looking into one of these to help rid that problem. I heard you HAVE to run both at the same time. is that true?

 

[DocRose]

Sorry forgot to mention this. I want a skimmer as I heard that it will get rid of excess decay and matter in the water (told to me by fish store) and Im looking into biopellet reactors as I have a pretty heavy fish load for 13.5. Im still doing research though so I want to here peoples thoughts before doing any more research into them

What's your idea of a "heavy fish load"? Tanks that small don't NEED a skimmer. As long as you're doing water changes. As far as the reactor, my question still persists. As in what is it you want to run in the reactor, and why?

 

[Alanna102499]

If you are consistent with your weekly water changes at 10-15% you will be fine.
you can also use some De-Nitrate to lower the nitrates as well some other Brightwell Aquatics products like Microbater7. Have you update the chambers?

 

[DocRose]

My parameters fluctuate too much For a nano tank from nitrate of 10 to 15 So I'm looking into one of these to help rid that problem. I heard you HAVE to run both at the same time. is that true?

How often are you feeding and how much? Your nitrates might be due to a lot of food not being consumed and breaking down. No, you don't have to have either the skimmer or reactor for a tank that small, let alone both. If you're using the middle chamber media basket that came with the tank, make sure you're pulling that thing out weekly and rinsing it out.

 

[Dkmoo]

i'd go with skimmer - biopellet reactor targets the same stuff that your fuge targets - no3.

skimmer targets the DOC before it breaks down to no3 so you have a more balanced nutrient export.

 

[DocRose]

i'd go with skimmer - biopellet reactor targets the same stuff that your fuge targets - no3.

skimmer targets the DOC before it breaks down to no3 so you have a more balanced nutrient export.

The thing about running a skimmer on a tank that small, is that there might not be enough nutrients in the water column for the corals. Depending on the efficiency of the skimmer, all the waste can get pulled from the tank before it has a chance to break down, leading to a lack of food for the corals.

 

[davidcalgary29]

The Fluval PS2 is an adequate -- but not incredible -- skimmer, and may give you trouble out of the box. It took me a long time of delicate fiddling with both the air valve and water level to get to a point where the tank wasn't filling with microbubbles, and the small bubble trap sponge frequently gets clogged with detritus and makes the unit go haywire. I ended up removing the sponge permanently. The unit also doesn't fit into chamber one that well, as there's no room for filter floss once it's installed. The surface skimmer (sans floss) ends up being much less useful with the skimmer in the chamber.

I decided to keep using the skimmer, as it does pull skimmate, and I ended up with some SPS in the tank (which is doing well). I agree that water changes are a lot more beneficial than this skimmer, though.

 

[kingjames_dc5]

I would also go with skimmer I run ps2 in my evo and I have a fairly stable water quality only issue at the moment is rising alk. But with weekly water changes I have managed to keep around 11ppm.

 

[GHOSTLY]

Heavy bioload 4 fish
I over feed 4 5 times a day for all my coral also. I like the reactor for 3 reasons. Design, he fact it works like a fuge and limits nitrate output, and how it will help my beneficial bacteria

 

[davidcalgary29]

Heavy bioload 4 fish
I over feed 4 5 times a day for all my coral also.

Er, may I ask why? Is it a special feeding regimen? I have two gluttonous orchid dottybacks and a mandarin goby, as well as lots of LPS and softies (as well as some SPS) in mine, but feeding live and frozen 3x day is about as much as they can handle without looking like balloons. Spot feeding is incredibly easy with the Evo given its limited volume.

That being said, the protein skimmer will definitely help if you're feeding that often.

 

[ninjamyst]

No need for skimmer or reactor. Over engineering. Keep it simple. Water change and stop over feeding.

 

[GHOSTLY]

Er, may I ask why? Is it a special feeding regimen? I have two gluttonous orchid dottybacks and a mandarin goby, as well as lots of LPS and softies (as well as some SPS) in mine, but feeding live and frozen 3x day is about as much as they can handle without looking like balloons. Spot feeding is incredibly easy with the Evo given its limited volume.

That being said, the protein skimmer will definitely help if you're feeding that often.

I feed a lot of small particle pellets for my trained mandarin. Anywhere from 3 to 5 times a day from first Bites, omega one pellets, frozen hikari, Tigger feast, LPS pellets, And SPS food. I heard New Innovative Marine Auqa Gadget Sump Minimax Pro Media Reactor that this specific reactor does not need a skimmer so its either this or skimmer. I think ill go with a mini DIY skimmer