skimmer or not?

[falcon4]

i am thinking of changing my 76L freshwater tank into a marine one.
i have a fluval 104 external filter and i will add a powerhead for extra flow. two questions i need answering are
1) will the filter i have do the job, and would it be better on a spray bar rather than the nozzle. shall i clean it out or can i use the bacteria that is already in it.
2) will i really need a skimmer. dont want to spend alot on one if i can do with out it.
i am thinking of haveing just a few fish and maybe some shrimp.
also how many fish can a tank this size hold safely.
thanks.

any other tips appreciated

 

[S.Reef]

The filter you mentioned should be fine. I personally like the spray bar better because it agitates the surface of the water better. You cannot use the bacteria thats already in the tank.

I would go for the skimmer. It removes a lot of dissolved organics that will accumulate in a tank. There are a lot of good models out there for not a lot of money. I would try some of the online sources first.

As for fish I would say 3-5 small ones should be fine.

 

[fishandchips]

have you ever used copper in this tank if so forget about using it for a marine tank

 

[SALTY WATERS]

You should be fine as the Fluval 104 is rated for up to a 100L tank. I would replace all your filter media as the FW bacteria in there now will just die off in the SW and just add polutants into the water. I did the same 1 1/2yr ago with my 40G. I have a fluval304 and started w/FW, then went Brackish and then full SW. I would strongly advise on getting a P/skimmer, and some live rock. I would also strongly advise on reading up on SW tank keeping, as well really think about what you want to do with the tank (as far as live stock) and reaserch, reaserch and reaserch. Don't make the mistake alot of people make (I was one) and just rush into the hobby and end up wasting alot of money in the beggining, not to mention (which is even worse than losing $) killing numerous fish or corals from lack of patiance and knowledge. I recal one time I purchased a fish apprx.$30 and added it into my tank thinking it will make a nice addition, next thing you know my other fish was now eating more expensive meals than I was. oops! I never purchased a thing after that without first reading up on it.

 

[wayne]

1. Yes it will be ok. I would also clean out the media. Actually a lot of filter bacteria aren't too fussy about salinity at all, but I would still chuck the old media as it will be pretty gunked up I guess.
2. On that size tank you can get a away with reasonably large water changes, lets say one 8 or 10 litre bucket a week. A skimmer is nice though.

Research live rock systems, and read through my stickied thread at the top. I would go for 3 fish, no more in that tank, plus 2 or 3 cleaner shrimp + some other easy inverts.

 

[S.Reef]

fishandchips...what are you talking about?

 

[Managuense]

there actually are a small number of old reefers out there who are returning to skimmerless set-ups on their tanks........just a few, but still some people nonetheless.

the "modern" way to set up salt tanks (berlin i think it is called) is to use LR as your main biofiltration, and just supplement with both movement (powerheads, pumps) and a good skimmer.

fork out the money for a decent skimmer, or you will be constantly cussing a cheap one.....i would go for cpr-bak pak or aqua-c......avoid prizm and sea clone at all costs.

M

 

[falcon4]

thanks for that. i was going to put some live rock in anyway, how much should be enough (dont want a tank just full of rock).
water changes sound good at the moment i do 2 10L buuckets every 2 weeks on my FW.
what sort of fish would be ok, dont want a full reef system just a few pretty and interesting fish / shrimps. perhaps a clown and i like the little gobys that skip around the bottom.

 

[SALTY WATERS]

one site you can look at for some quick stats on marine life is www.liveaquaria.com this site gives you info on how big the fish gets and what it eats, water conditions needed,compatability with others etc.

 

[S.Reef]

Well...they usually recommend a pound per gallon. But a few big peices of rock should be fine. Some little gobies and a clown or two should be fine.

 

[fishandchips]

fishandchips...what are you talking about?

some ppl use copper based products in their f/w tanks to kill snails and the silicon in the tank can soak up the copper..so if you change you tank over to a s/w tank you carry the risk of the copper being released from the silicon and killing your snail's and invert's

does that answer your question?

 

[S.Reef]

I doubt that copper medications from freshwater soak into the silicon and will release back into the tank. I have a few tanks that were once used as Q-tanks that have had copper in them, and have since then been used to keep corals and other inverts.

 

[dbacksrat]

with no ill effects s.reef? hmm...did you do anything special to get rid of the copper in the QT tanks?
the only systems i've seen successful w/o a skimmer is those little 2.5 gallon tanks outfitted w/ a PC bulb and a pump--they need massive water changes probably every couple of days though...i would not recommend doing this unless you can keep the water params stable and have a lot of experience and dedication

 

[S.Reef]

As long as you rinse it out well enough...it doesnt soak into the silicon.

 

[wayne]

There's a few ways you can make a tank run without a skimmer, but they certainly make life easier if you buy one that actually works properly.
I've seen people with big homemade air powered skimmers get stacks of muck out of systems with next to nothing in, so when I see a setup where someone has a loaded up 55 with a seaclone or whatever and they're getting a cup a week I know full well ths skimmer is only pulling out a small percentage of what it might. A big water change weekly might be more effective than the effects of the rubbish skimmer.
Or you can have an algal refugium..

Or you can follow the trail of one well known author and his unskimmed 10 gallon who swaps out 100% water change every week

 

[Managuense]

skimmers, however, also pull out a LOT of benefical materials.....so the mere evidence of "stuff" collecting in a skimmer cup is not evidence of how much better your tank is getting.

i read on www.reefcentral.com where a guy hooked his aqua-c up to a bucket of pure RO water with salt, and the skimmer STILL collected crap in the cup....

that being said, they certainly provide a good means of export and can save you a lot of trouble on many tanks.