Does a protein skimmer use up more water?

fkshiu · #1 05-20-2009, 06:59 PM

Yes, a protein skimmer will increase evaporation because of the increased surface area created by the bubbles. More evaporation is GOOD in reef tanks because it aids in gas exchange and temperature regulation. You will find that your pH will fall and your temperature will rise if you purposely prevent evaporation. Furthermore, if you are using kalk then more evaporation means you can add more kalk.

I agree with the others with the NO2, NO3 spike being caused by the canister. Get rid of it. It is not required and will usually do more harm than good.

BlueAbyss · #2 05-20-2009, 10:32 PM

If you need the canister for circulation, it will work fine for that... but do remove the media, it will move more water and won't cause issues if this happens again.

jassz · #3 05-21-2009, 03:49 AM

All right, I'm more than I little confused. I thought having proper filtration and ripe media were an absolute MUST for an aquarium. You're telling me I don't need either? What filters the water then?

I have had the tank since May 2, and was just starting to wonder when/how I should do filter maintenace on the Fluval. It was going to be my goal for this weekend. I had a vague idea what I should do there, but now even my vague idea is out the window. ACK!

Also, what is kalk? I can see how evaporation affect salinity, but I can't follow the issue with pH dropping. BTW, my pH has always been 7.8... is that too low?

Thanks,

mike31154 · #4 05-21-2009, 03:56 AM

Sump, skimmer, live rock and in some instances the sand bed provide filtration in saltwater systems. As mentioned, the canister may be used for extra flow, water volume or to run carbon or GFO for phosphate removal. All other media in the canister is counter productive.

Blom · #5 05-21-2009, 04:43 AM

My understanding of what everyone has said (fairly new to this myself) is that when you do your filter maintenance, which should be done soon. You should remove all the media (Bioballs, filter pads) as these add more problems than they their worth. Run the canister empty (or with Carbon) if you need the circulation, if not don't even bother using it. The sump is going to do the job of the canister, with the skimmer housed inside is your filter pads. The live rock is your bioballs (sorry bad analogy).

Sell the Fluval and go buy more fish with the bounty

BlueAbyss · #6 05-21-2009, 04:50 AM

Actually, you can still use filter pads... the cheap white fluffy stuff that is sold for this use is excellent. Change it every couple days and you're good... forget to change it and it becomes a problem. The skimmer is more like an advanced form of carbon, in that it removes dissolved organics (like how carbon removes the yellow coloration). It also removes proteins, aminos, lipids, and heavy metals.

I'm actually new to all this too, I've just been reading about it for over a year and finally have gotten my act together. Also, I retain a lot of what I read

I'm going to add a little bit here for you, jassz. Most people seem to have between 1 and 2 lbs of live rock per gallon of in the display tank. Less than this, and I suspect that there may not be enough surface area for the bacteria that keep reef aquariums going to colonize. Also, sand seems to be optional given enough live rock. It seems that the majority of people have around 30x circulation in their display, and around 10x through the sump (often less). These are my observations from reading a lot of posts. Most people use a skimmer... I wouldnt' run a FOWLR without one.

So yeah, go ahead and ditch that media! I followed up on another thread where the same thing was suggested, and the guy's corals have stopped dying, and are actually starting to come back.

jassz · #7 05-22-2009, 05:10 AM

Well, this has been a day of enlightenment.

I did put some of the media wool (or whatever it's called) in the sump where the overflow return is, partly for filtration and partly to stop the spray that was going everywhere. I didnt' realize it should be changed so frequently. It got icky looking on the underside, so I turned it over for a couple of days, and today I threw it out and replaced it. It was a week old.

I don't know how many pounds of rocks I have. If you saw a picture could you guess? It's quite a bit... I'd guess 200+ but I don't really know. It's only just starting to turn live though, and some of it is still base rock. Do you still think I dont' need a filter? I have crushed coral, not sand. If I remove the filter, will the water stay as clear? (Which, incidently, isn't so clear tonight. I really must get to that filter maintenance tomorrow).

Which brings me to my next question... HOW do you do maintenance on a Fluval 404 cannister filter? It didn't come with instructions as I bought it used, but I figured I would get the instructions when I bought replacment media. But, if I'm NOT buying replacement media because that's a bad idea, hwo exactly do I get inside this thing? I tried to find instructions on the internet, but no luck. Pictures, but no instructions. Do have have to clamp the lines to/from, or is there some sort of shut off mechanism? Would it be better to remove the lines from the tank so it doesn't flood back?

mike mentioned phosphate removal... I bought a square of filter pad that is supposed to remove phosphate. I got it mainly for another tank but never used it. Should I be using it here? I am using treated tap water, not RO water.

As far a flow, I have three sources. There are some pictures of the set up in this thread. http://canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=52733