Protien skimmers, an essential piece of equipment

Cumminz

Medium Fish
Aug 1, 2007
90
0
0
32
utah
#21
hey guys im new to the whole saltwater thing and i am wondering what a good inexpensive brand of a protein skimmer is. thnx
 

Sep 24, 2007
3
0
0
Saginaw, MI
#26
I was curious on protein skimmer operation. Whenever I open the valve (even slightly) I still get micro-bubbles coming through into the tank. (I have a Red Sea Max I set up for my daughter). If I turn it down enough to where I don't see bubbles, I can't really tell if the skimmer is doing anything, as nothing is removed. Do these micro-bubbles harm anything in the tank? Or, do they actually add any oxygenation? I'm not sure what else I could do if this is a problem.
 

Verga

New Fish
Feb 16, 2008
8
0
0
Indiana
#27
Hello everyone I am a newbee at this and I wandering if there is a way to build my own skimmer or should I purchase a new one. Also I was told to use ocean water in my tank instead of the salt mix. Can someone let me know which way to go. Thanks.
I wanted to add my $0.02 in on the topic. I built my own air-driven Skimmer:



It consists of a Red Sea Collection Cup and a plastic tube. In the tube is a replacement pre-filter for a pond pump with an air pump inside it. the entire thing is in a hang-on-the-back filter [cleaned regularly to keep nitrates < 10ppm] so except for the collection cup the entire thing is under water.

Works well. Empty the cup every three or so days when its about half full.

My thoughts about skimmers in general is to be a step ahead rather than play catch up. with my over the back filter, i collect a lot of the solid waste that i just rinse down the into the sink. I dont use the bio-pad though.

Plz tell me what you guys think.
 

TRe

Elite Fish
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#32
a skimmer is needed evn more if u dont have any live rock in your tank since live rock is your biological filtration! what size tank is this? u should have roughly 1 lb of live rock per gallon as a rule of thumb.... skimmer are nice to have but you could get away without one if u do weekly water changes, bad part is most of us are too lazy (thats where the skimmer comes into play)
 

Aug 17, 2008
42
0
0
#34
Hey guys, I was just about to buy an Aqua C Remora skimmer with maxijet 1200 pump when I thought I should ask you all if that sounds good for my 50 Gal tank. I don't have any powerheads right now so I liked that this included that. Also, keep in mind with your answers that I may like to upgrade the tank one day to a 75 or 90 Gal tank.
Thanks!!
 

Lorna

Elite Fish
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#35
The aqua c remora is an excellent skimmer for tanks up to about 55g. Any size over that and you would need the remora pro. Most skimmer ratings are really not very accurate and their tank ratings should probably be halved to be more accurate. I have this very same skimmer running on my 29g and it work great. Do no be confused that the powerhead that comes with this replaces any in your tank that you need for flow. The maxijet will only power the skimmer and the amount of water that drains back to the tank from the skimmer will only be a gentle flow nothing compared to what is needed in your tank. You should think of adding 2 additional maxijet 12's to your tank one on each back corner pointing toward the center middle......this will create random irregular flow which is what you need.
 

Aug 17, 2008
42
0
0
#36
Thanks Lorna! I would have had no idea that that I still needed a separate powerhead. Btw, is one of these better than the other: Aqua C Remora Pro with Rio 1400 Pump vs. the Aqua C Remora Pro with Mag 2 or 3 Pump?
 

TRe

Elite Fish
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#37
rio's are notourius for not starting back up when turned of like for example if for some reason your power flickers and is off for a few seconds it may not start back up ;) id go with the mag3 or even the maxijet over a rio
 

S-Blev

New Fish
Nov 20, 2010
5
0
0
Cali
#39
I have a 70 gallon tank that I have just started so no need in buying a skimmer yet. But do you guys know of any place online that sells good skimmers? And what kind for a 70 gallon?