Bio load how do you determine

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 02:31 PM

So how do you determine if you have a heavy bio load or heavily stocked tank when looking for a skimmer for example it will say recommended for a 150 medium load tank or 110 heavily load tank

What would my tank be considered I have a 90 gal with a yellow tang, kole tang, hippo tang, 3 cromis, clown fish, Mabel wrasse, lawnmower blenny

Do coral factor in when it comes to bio load?

maddmaxx · 01/01/2014, 03:30 PM

corals generally dont factor in unless you feed LPS and an anemone things like brine shrimp or mysis shrimp. if you do feed coral then yes they factor in. you base bioload off of the type of fish you have, how often you feed. like tangs and anthias always put a hit on bioload cause you have to constantly feed them and they produce alot of waste cause of frequent feedings. normally the rule of thumb is get a skimmer rated twice your tank size, and if you know your goin to have a heavily stocked tank, add a lil more when picking a skimmer....

your tank i would say is a medium bioload cause you have the 3 big fish in tangs, then a hand full of smaller fish. if you have a decent sized sump....if you dont have a sump then the bioload jumps up to heavy.

if your looking for a skimmer for your tank being the 90g, i would look into a skimmer rated around 250g or so.

ridetheducati · 01/01/2014, 06:06 PM

Concur with Maddmaxx. Also, if you are carbon dosing, it adds to the load as well.

How big are the tangs?

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 07:07 PM

I figured I was on the medium side my sump is 30gal my tangs are 3ins with the hippo around 4in he's almost ready to go to my brothers 300gal and ill probably get a powder blue/brown my skimmer is a Reef octopus nwb 200 was thinking get a reef dynamic 135 but ill probably stick with the one I have

maddmaxx · 01/01/2014, 07:20 PM

ok so the sump is good at 1/3 the size of your display. moving the hippo will help alot. good luck wit the powder blue, that is my nemesis fish. i tried a couple, my systems were always healthy and i couldnt keep one. not sayin you cant, but i love them fish and like to see them do well. with that said. even tho i wasnt able to keep a powder blue, i was able to keep a powder brown. it got a nice chunky size in my 125g. i got one with the gold rim on top. so look for that fish, very very active and colorful.

as far as the skimmer goes. you can easily upgrade that skimmer by getting a bubble blaster pump. they are paired great with the octo skimmers. and you might even be able to pull off a powder tang and poss another smaller fish by doin the upgrade...

hope all this helped...

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 07:37 PM

Yea my tank is 48x30x14 so the hippo has room to swim I had a powder blue for a couple of months but he was not very smart and swam into my BTA as for my skimmer it's the older model the so idk if I want to update/mod it or just get a reef dynamic or diablo xs 160

maddmaxx · 01/01/2014, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NastyZ

Yea my tank is 48x30x14 so the hippo has room to swim I had a powder blue for a couple of months but he was not very smart and swam into my BTA as for my skimmer it's the older model the so idk if I want to update/mod it or just get a reef dynamic or diablo xs 160

older model as in the full body? not the hybrid cone style? if its full bodied, thats a good skimmer, cause it adds more contact time with the water and bubbles as apposed to being push up thru a narrower neck. so an upgrade on the pump would be a great upgrade, mod if you want to call it a mod..something to think about. the skimmer is fine. the body of the skimmer is gunna do the same as any other skimmer, but what makes a skimmer good is the pump. and the bubble blaster pumps are good pumps. obviously its your tank, but i think a new pump and your done would work better then paying extra money for a new skimmer that will do the same as just upgrading the pump for cheaper...good luck wit your plans...

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 08:02 PM

It's this one

maddmaxx · 01/01/2014, 08:13 PM

pffff that thing is fine for your tank, no need to purchase a new one. if it was me, ive been into this hobby for well over 10+ yrs now. i would buy a bubble blaster pump to match the skimmer, which i believe is the bubble blaster 3000, which im running on my older style octo xtreme 200 which is also a 8" full body, and i would also get a gate valve from coralvue for this thing. it will help dial it in perfectly. i believe with the upgraded pump and gate valve to help, it will be rated for something like 300-325 gallons...you def dont need more then that. and you will save a hundred or couple hundred on just the gate valve upgrade and pump upgrade. if your wondering about what gate valve im talkin about i can find a link for ya if you wanted....

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 08:16 PM

It skims well as it is But yea if you could send me that link so the pump would be a 3000 how would I do the gate valve

NastyZ · 01/01/2014, 08:19 PM

I was also looking at some of the mods for this skimmer but idk if I want to mod it scared I might break it

maddmaxx · 01/01/2014, 08:34 PM

no modding at all. you literally dont touch the skimmer... you unscrew the pump and screw the new one on, and you pull out the outlet pipe, and place the new one in and done. its as simple as taking old things off and putting new ones on...

this is the pump..
http://www.aquacave.com/Bubble-Blast...ump-P3093.aspx

and this is the gate valve..
http://www.coralvue.com/reef-octopus...0mm-gate-valve

dppitone · 01/02/2014, 06:05 AM

I'm of the practice of getting the correct sized skimmer for the water capacity based on heavy load recommendation. So in my opinion, add up your water capacity, DT, sump, fuge, etc, and match that number to heavy load on a skimmer rating. IMO I'm not one to oversize skimmers just for the sake of it. If you actually needed a larger more expensive skimmer than is rated, the skimmer companies would be the first to tell you as much.

For example, if you have nominally 90 gallons, then the Reef Octopus NWB150 would be well-suited. Even though it is designed to work with at most with a 150 gallon system (that would be for a light load), it is rated at 90 gallos for a "heavy bio-load" - which is a good match for you. Though I don't know what other parts there are to your setup so you may have more water than that, but you get the idea.

NastyZ · 01/02/2014, 06:54 AM

Yea I hear what your saying and makes sense iv heard that overskimming can be bad as well which makes sense to much of anything can be bad and I think ill probably stick with the skimmer I have now maybe upgrade the pump later it does the job well just had a compulsion to buy another skimmer but the main reason of the thread was to get an idea of what is a heavy/medium bio load in general the skimmer was just a side thought

dppitone · 01/02/2014, 07:21 AM

Well there's nothing like a compulsion to buy something new when it comes to this hobby

NastyZ · 01/02/2014, 03:50 PM

Yea I haven't bought anything in a while so Ill replace my impulse for a skimmer for a new light fixture

dppitone · 01/02/2014, 04:04 PM

wow that's a vigorous impulse

Eric45 · 01/02/2014, 06:17 PM

If you want to know if your bioload is too high, get good test kits (I use elos for PO and salifert for NO3) and see what kind of readings your getting. PO needs to be really low.

01/01/2014, 02:31 PM	#1
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	Bio load how do you determine So how do you determine if you have a heavy bio load or heavily stocked tank when looking for a skimmer for example it will say recommended for a 150 medium load tank or 110 heavily load tank What would my tank be considered I have a 90 gal with a yellow tang, kole tang, hippo tang, 3 cromis, clown fish, Mabel wrasse, lawnmower blenny Do coral factor in when it comes to bio load? Last edited by NastyZ; 01/01/2014 at 02:38 PM.

01/01/2014, 03:30 PM	#2
maddmaxx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 3,003	corals generally dont factor in unless you feed LPS and an anemone things like brine shrimp or mysis shrimp. if you do feed coral then yes they factor in. you base bioload off of the type of fish you have, how often you feed. like tangs and anthias always put a hit on bioload cause you have to constantly feed them and they produce alot of waste cause of frequent feedings. normally the rule of thumb is get a skimmer rated twice your tank size, and if you know your goin to have a heavily stocked tank, add a lil more when picking a skimmer.... your tank i would say is a medium bioload cause you have the 3 big fish in tangs, then a hand full of smaller fish. if you have a decent sized sump....if you dont have a sump then the bioload jumps up to heavy. if your looking for a skimmer for your tank being the 90g, i would look into a skimmer rated around 250g or so. __________________ One Life One Shot Current Tank Info: 40B Mixed reef

01/01/2014, 06:06 PM	#3
ridetheducati 20 and Over Club Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Bowie, MD Posts: 2,968	Concur with Maddmaxx. Also, if you are carbon dosing, it adds to the load as well. How big are the tangs? __________________ "Send more paramedics" Current Tank Info: 300g DD, SPS dominated, Apex, Tunze 6125s, ATB 1050, 400w MH, and Geo 618 Ca Reactor

01/01/2014, 07:20 PM	#5
maddmaxx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 3,003	ok so the sump is good at 1/3 the size of your display. moving the hippo will help alot. good luck wit the powder blue, that is my nemesis fish. i tried a couple, my systems were always healthy and i couldnt keep one. not sayin you cant, but i love them fish and like to see them do well. with that said. even tho i wasnt able to keep a powder blue, i was able to keep a powder brown. it got a nice chunky size in my 125g. i got one with the gold rim on top. so look for that fish, very very active and colorful. as far as the skimmer goes. you can easily upgrade that skimmer by getting a bubble blaster pump. they are paired great with the octo skimmers. and you might even be able to pull off a powder tang and poss another smaller fish by doin the upgrade... hope all this helped... __________________ One Life One Shot Current Tank Info: 40B Mixed reef

01/01/2014, 08:13 PM	#9
maddmaxx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 3,003	pffff that thing is fine for your tank, no need to purchase a new one. if it was me, ive been into this hobby for well over 10+ yrs now. i would buy a bubble blaster pump to match the skimmer, which i believe is the bubble blaster 3000, which im running on my older style octo xtreme 200 which is also a 8" full body, and i would also get a gate valve from coralvue for this thing. it will help dial it in perfectly. i believe with the upgraded pump and gate valve to help, it will be rated for something like 300-325 gallons...you def dont need more then that. and you will save a hundred or couple hundred on just the gate valve upgrade and pump upgrade. if your wondering about what gate valve im talkin about i can find a link for ya if you wanted.... __________________ One Life One Shot Current Tank Info: 40B Mixed reef

01/01/2014, 07:07 PM	#4
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	I figured I was on the medium side my sump is 30gal my tangs are 3ins with the hippo around 4in he's almost ready to go to my brothers 300gal and ill probably get a powder blue/brown my skimmer is a Reef octopus nwb 200 was thinking get a reef dynamic 135 but ill probably stick with the one I have

01/01/2014, 07:37 PM	#6
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	Yea my tank is 48x30x14 so the hippo has room to swim I had a powder blue for a couple of months but he was not very smart and swam into my BTA as for my skimmer it's the older model the so idk if I want to update/mod it or just get a reef dynamic or diablo xs 160

01/01/2014, 08:02 PM	#8
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	It's this one

01/01/2014, 08:16 PM	#10
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	It skims well as it is But yea if you could send me that link so the pump would be a 3000 how would I do the gate valve

01/01/2014, 08:19 PM	#11
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	I was also looking at some of the mods for this skimmer but idk if I want to mod it scared I might break it

01/01/2014, 08:34 PM	#12
maddmaxx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Jersey Shore Posts: 3,003	no modding at all. you literally dont touch the skimmer... you unscrew the pump and screw the new one on, and you pull out the outlet pipe, and place the new one in and done. its as simple as taking old things off and putting new ones on... this is the pump.. http://www.aquacave.com/Bubble-Blast...ump-P3093.aspx and this is the gate valve.. http://www.coralvue.com/reef-octopus...0mm-gate-valve __________________ One Life One Shot Current Tank Info: 40B Mixed reef

01/02/2014, 06:05 AM	#13
dppitone Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Queen Village, Phila. Posts: 1,697	I'm of the practice of getting the correct sized skimmer for the water capacity based on heavy load recommendation. So in my opinion, add up your water capacity, DT, sump, fuge, etc, and match that number to heavy load on a skimmer rating. IMO I'm not one to oversize skimmers just for the sake of it. If you actually needed a larger more expensive skimmer than is rated, the skimmer companies would be the first to tell you as much. For example, if you have nominally 90 gallons, then the Reef Octopus NWB150 would be well-suited. Even though it is designed to work with at most with a 150 gallon system (that would be for a light load), it is rated at 90 gallos for a "heavy bio-load" - which is a good match for you. Though I don't know what other parts there are to your setup so you may have more water than that, but you get the idea. Last edited by dppitone; 01/02/2014 at 06:17 AM.

01/02/2014, 06:54 AM	#14
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	Yea I hear what your saying and makes sense iv heard that overskimming can be bad as well which makes sense to much of anything can be bad and I think ill probably stick with the skimmer I have now maybe upgrade the pump later it does the job well just had a compulsion to buy another skimmer but the main reason of the thread was to get an idea of what is a heavy/medium bio load in general the skimmer was just a side thought

01/02/2014, 07:21 AM	#15
dppitone Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Queen Village, Phila. Posts: 1,697	Well there's nothing like a compulsion to buy something new when it comes to this hobby

01/02/2014, 03:50 PM	#16
NastyZ Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Atascadero ca Posts: 664	Yea I haven't bought anything in a while so Ill replace my impulse for a skimmer for a new light fixture

01/02/2014, 04:04 PM	#17
dppitone Registered Member. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Queen Village, Phila. Posts: 1,697	wow that's a vigorous impulse

01/02/2014, 06:17 PM	#18
Eric45 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 725	If you want to know if your bioload is too high, get good test kits (I use elos for PO and salifert for NO3) and see what kind of readings your getting. PO needs to be really low.