equipment placement

rtsen · #1 10-21-2006, 02:30 AM

Hey all,

I recently purchased a 90 gallon salt water tank and i'm in the process of cycling it.

I have a question about where the optimal place for my equipment should be.

I have:
1 Coralife Super Protein Skimmer (125 g)
2 Heaters
2 Seio M820 Super Flow

I have the 2 heaters and 2 Seio on opposite side of the tank. One of the seio is higher and the other is lower. The Skimmer is closer to the seio which is placed higher. It this fine? (see attached photo)

kwirky · #2 10-21-2006, 03:01 AM

I've never had a tank that looks like that. what are those blue and orange square things? some sort of sponge?

lol, lame joke.

but seems you're doing ok. I wouldn't really change stuff around, seems fine.

that coralife skimmer's "rated" for 125 gallons, but really it's only good for 50 gallons or so, WHEN they work.

maybe plan for a better skimmer down the road once you have more stock in your tank. you can look up good mods to do to the coralife skimmers though in the mean time.

Dale · #3 10-21-2006, 05:30 AM

I've had a coralife 125 superskimmer on a 75/50 (100G. nominal) reef for a year now and am very pleased with its performance.

I can't tell from your schematic, is the skimmer hang on back or in the tank?
One problem I found with the HOB design is that, if the collection cup overflows, it will flood the floor and suck a lot of water out of the display (the pump sits low in the tank). You can partially avoid that by connecting a hose to the nipple on the bottom of the cup and drain it into a bigger container but, if the skimmer does continue to overflow, it will still suck a lot of water out and probably flood that container too.
I quickly saw the benefits of a sump

Another option, if you can't/won't do a sump is to put a large overflow box in the display and hide the skimmer in it.
________
Yamaha XV1100

Der_Iron_Chef · #4 10-21-2006, 04:19 PM

Looks good to me, but I'm just starting out, too

I have a Super Skimmer myself, and seem fairly happy with it so far. No spills or mess, though. Yet.

Good luck!

RonPeter · #5 10-21-2006, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwirky

that coralife skimmer's "rated" for 125 gallons, but really it's only good for 50 gallons or so, WHEN they work.

I've had the same skimmer on my 67 gallon tank since they first came out and am happy with mine as well.

rtsen · #6 10-23-2006, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale

I can't tell from your schematic, is the skimmer hang on back or in the tank?

Ya i'm using it as a HOB skimmer. I bought the setup used so it didnt come with instructions, but do I regulate the flow so the bubbles reach the small connector tube? the clear tube that connects to the big bottom canister and the top canister.

Also I measured the tank on the weekend and found out it's only a 75 gallon. My equipment list is listed above, will I need anything else? like a phosban reactor? I have about 100 lbs of LR.

Der_Iron_Chef · #7 10-23-2006, 04:51 PM

Use the water-level adjustment dial (the red one on top of the water output line) to regulate the micro-bubbles. For a dryer skimate, the manual suggests allowing the bubbles to come 1/4 inch up the collection cup cone. For a wetter skimate, they suggest 3/4 inch. Hope this helps?

I could probably scan my manual and send it to you...if you'd really like. It's only 10 or so pages.

midgetwaiter · #8 10-23-2006, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Der_Iron_Chef

I could probably scan my manual and send it to you...if you'd really like. It's only 10 or so pages.

You can get it in a pdf file from ESU's website, www.esuweb.com.