Protein skimmer

[Mast33]

Hey all. When is it a good time to start a protein skimmer and Refugium. We have 150 gallon. 8 corals. A powder blue tang, koran angel, racoon butterfly, 2 clowns and firefish goby. I just didn't know which one we should add first. Thank u

 

[attiland]

Hey all. When is it a good time to start a protein skimmer and Refugium. We have 150 gallon. 8 corals. A powder blue tang, koran angel, racoon butterfly, 2 clowns and firefish goby. I just didn't know which one we should add first. Thank u

When you nitrate and phosphate levels suggest it

 

[Mast33]

When you nitrate and phosphate levels suggest it

My phos is .03 and nitrate around 10. I didnt know if I should get skimmer since we have fish already

 

[shwareefer]

I'd already be skimming. It's the best oxygenator even from day one. Is there some new rule I'm not aware of?

 

[Waters]

I agree......skimming has other benefits besides nutrient removal. Unless your nutrients are bottomed out, I would run it from day one.

 

[kittenbritches]

Unless you're aiming for <5ppm nitrate and <0.03 phosphate, neither are necessary, unless/until you plan on increasing your bioload.

That said, I started with a skimmer and added a fuge later.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Keep an eye on that Racoon Butterfly especially, and the Angel not your most “reef safe” fish! Wish they were….beautiful fish. Good luck.

 

[attiland]

My phos is .03 and nitrate around 10. I didnt know if I should get skimmer since we have fish already

you have ideal parameters why would you mess it up?

I'd already be skimming. It's the best oxygenator even from day one. Is there some new rule I'm not aware of?

looks like you have loads to read. Lol

I agree......skimming has other benefits besides nutrient removal. Unless your nutrients are bottomed out, I would run it from day one.

It will bottom out with his parameters for sure. He has no reason to do run it just yet. For oxidation run an air stone. That has no risks and maintenance

 

[Timfish]

I'd say never. People seem to forget growers like Tyree or Tropicorium (which uses a pure Lee CHin Eng sytems without water pumps) have been very successful for decades without them. One thing that annoys me about skimmers is the skimmer manufacturers do not use any metric to quantify what thier skimmers are doing even though research done over a decade ago identifed two separate methods to use so consumers could compare skimmers to see which had the best price piont. Here's the research if you're intersted:

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 1

The Development of a Method for the Quantitative Evaluation of Protein Skimmer Performance

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Protein skimmers have become indispensable for many aquarists who strive to maintain the high water quality necessary to keep stony corals.

reefs.com

Protein Skimmer Performance, Pt 2

Further Studies on Protein Skimmer Performance

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. Many factors contribute to the 'value' of a skimmer to an aquarist, including quality of construction, size, footprint, noise level, ease of cleaning, energy efficiency of the pump, and of course, the ability...

reefs.com

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate

Elemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water?

Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. The chemical/elemental composition of skimmate generated by an H&S 200-1260 skimmer on a 175-gallon reef tank over the course of several days or a week had some surprises.

reefs.com

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water

Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration

What are the bacteria populations in the water column of reef tanks, and how does that value compare with bacterial counts in authentic reef water? Does carbon dosing indeed increase water column bacteria populations (i.e., is growth carbon limited)? Does mechanical filtration (protein skimming...

reefs.com

 

[shwareefer]

There you go @Mast33 . You should add the skimmer: already, now, in the future, never.

 

[Mast33]

Keep an eye on that Racoon Butterfly especially, and the Angel not your most “reef safe” fish! Wish they were….beautiful fish. Good luck.

Oh I learned hard way with racoon. Got a trachyphyllia he nipped at it made skeltons pop out. I know have trachyphyllia in a fish catcher container lol. But the koran ,racoon and tang are literally best friends swim together show off. It's so cool to see. I was suprised too. I have montipora digitata 3 of them 3 gsp smaller ones 2 zoas and jack o lantern lepto. Racoon pecked at jack but it dont harm him. He's only done it a few times

 

[vetteguy53081]

Skim once you have a bioload in whjich case you do
I dont rely on skimming for nitrate control, which I control with feeding and testing. I dont want unwanted waste product and inorganics for which I skim. The purpose of a protein skimmer in a reef aquarium is to remove protein and other organic waste material from the water column.
Another benefit is that the skimming process heavily oxygenates the water in the skimmer that is returned into the reef tank – improving the gas exchange. The improved gas exchange helps to maintain proper pH by reducing carbon dioxide buildup. Protein Skimmer during Tank Cycle: Don’t run your protein skimmer during tank cycling. It isn’t critical to run your skimmer during the cycle because there typically isn’t much waste in the aquarium plus skimmers are erratic during the break-in period due to a lack of a biofilm on the skimmer body.

 

[attiland]

There you go @Mast33 . You should add the skimmer: already, now, in the future, never.

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