Protein skimmer vs chaeto

[RedipsNam]

Which one should I use? For reducing nitrates and phosphates, I only have 10 gallon sump so I must remove one because of no space, seems like my skimmer don’t skim properly do you guys think chaeto will be good for reducing nitrates?

 

[fish farmer]

What are your nitrate and phosphate levels now?

 

[Lavey29]

Which one should I use? For reducing nitrates and phosphates, I only have 10 gallon sump so I must remove one because of no space, seems like my skimmer don’t skim properly do you guys think chaeto will be good for reducing nitrates?

I'd keep the skimmer. In addition to removing waste it also aerates your tank. Fuge is only moderately effective. I do run both though in a 15g sump.

 

[theMeat]

They can both remove nitrates. With a skimmer they get removed before entering the nitrogen cycle. If I had pod eaters would probably chose cheato. If not skimmer

 

[RedipsNam]

What are your nitrate and phosphate levels now?

Below 5.0, I’m doing water change yesterday but before doing it, it was around 15 or 20 because I feed a lot cause of breeding clowns

 

[RedipsNam]

They can both remove nitrates. With a skimmer they get removed before entering the nitrogen cycle. If I had pod eaters would probably chose cheato. If not skimmer

Okay sure skimmer will do for now I’ll send you a photo of my sump, first chamber that’s my skimmer pump and overflow with filter socks, 2nd filter wool and 3rd rocks with sand and return

 

[fish farmer]

Below 5.0, I’m doing water change yesterday but before doing it, it was around 15 or 20 because I feed a lot cause of breeding clowns

If nitrates are around that normally, I'd stick to the skimmer. Do you regularly do water changes?

 

[RedipsNam]

If nitrates are around that normally, I'd stick to the skimmer. Do you regularly do water changes?

I didn’t water change for a while, I thought skimmer will help me not to water change for a month and saw my nitrate is so high, it’s why I change 30-40 percent of water yesterday, and brown algae or diatoms is building up and I will start doing water change every Saturday my skimmer don’t work properly I don’t know why water keeps going out even it’s not yet dirty but I fixed it last night and help my skimmer to skim properly, I hope this one would work now