Do i need a skimmer? and my fish are not eating!!

[SuellenAdams]

Hello, Sorry for asking dumb questions but Im new to the hobby and as you can imagine I have a thousand questions.
My tank is a 100L and I have about 11kg of live rock.
The people from the local fishstore told me to get a canister filter, but after reading a lot about it it seems like its not suitable for marine tanks... I still havent got a skimmer because they also told me I didnt need one... But i am now considering buying a Aquaone proskim g216. Does anyone know if this skimmer is good?
Will a 3000L/H powerhead be good enough for the tank or should I buy another one to create a better flow?
My goal is to have some easy to care corals in the future and I want to make sure I do everything right from the begging. Although I feel Im already making mistakes
The tank has been running for about a month now. Yesterday I got some clownfish, theyre really small about 3cm each and some frozen food, but they are not eating... they spit the food out. Is that normal?
Amonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are how they should be. And ive been doing 15% water changes weekly.

[nlgill13]

How old is your tank?
you want your tank to fully cycle before you add any fish to the tank (you should take them back). read this sticky:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=239848

[ReeferBill]

There are not any dumb questions in this hobby. A skimmer is definitely one of the best pieces of filtration we can add to our systems . Most reefers get a skimmer that is rated for double the amount of water in their tanks. Reef octopus puts out a good skimmer that is very popular . I have an Eshopps hang on rated for 125 gallons and I have 84 gallons in my system but I would like to get a better skimmer. Do you have any powerheads in your tank or any filtration?

[cmeadows02]

I personally like the bubble Magnus protein skimmer's cone shaped I feel it works pretty well

[cmeadows02]

When you do put a protein skimmer on there be aware it will take several weeks of getting the skimmer to act right I would just turn it down as low as possible list airflow and let it run at least for the first 3 to 5 days before you try turning it in at all

[SuellenAdams]

I only have a 3000L/H wave maker and Im still using the hang on the back canister filter. I will get my skimmer tomorrow hopefully
The tank is cycled amonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrates 10pm...
Juvenile clowns dont want to eat... dont know waht to do .

[mgraf]

Nice looking aqua scape. Give the clowns a chance to settle in, they will eat. Don't over feed, they will eat if there is a little bit of food, just as well as if there is a lot of food floating around the tank. I would never tell any one that they don't need a skimmer, it just really helps to keep the weekly maintenance down.

[Mcgeezer]

A protein skimmer is one of the best pieces of equipment you can use. You will be shocked at what you see in your collection cup once you start running one.

[julie180]

Fish take time to get settled into their new home. As mentioned above, don't over feed them. Give them time. A healthy fish can go many days without eating and be ok. That is not the ideal situation, just saying that to ease your worries.

[Uncle Salty 05]

The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.
I am not a fan of HOB skimmers but the one you are thinking of getting is one of the best I've seen. It should do a great job.
Have you decided on lighting yet?
There is a thread in the Lighting, Filtration forum about LEDs vs Metal Halides.
I would suggest staying away from LEDs.
If you like shimmer get halides, if you don't require shimmer (I do) go with T5s.
Welcome.

[Mark9]

Originally Posted by SuellenAdams

Yesterday I got some clownfish, theyre really small about 3cm each and some frozen food, but they are not eating... they spit the food out. Is that normal?

What type of frozen food?
Every fish I have cannot resist frozen PE Mysis.
Most will eat
- Larry's Reef Frenzy (frozen)
- Spirulina flakes
- Omega One flakes
- Pellets (can't remember the name)

Some will eat
- dry Nori

I suggest trying a variety of different foods.
If they don't eat what you have, try something different.

[premilove]

hey, good choice with staying away from the canister filter. look into a HOB refugium. lighting for your tank- kessil a150w sky blue. what kind of powerhead do you have? if you want the best of the best, go with a mp10. you won't regret it!

[SuellenAdams]

Im still using the fluorescent that came with the tank but I have ordered a programable full spectrum led ! are they bad? Shoot... they were expensive ... oh well...

Mark9 its called fishfuel it contains: squid, octopus, clam, New Zealand green lipped mussels, krill superba, prawns, fish, krill pacifica, scallops and dietary fibre.
Its what they got fed at the store but Im going to try other foods cause its freaking me out lol. The problem is that i live in the end of the world and there is only one place i can get the things I need and they do not have much...

Premilove- The powerhead I have is just a cheap one i will look into that one

Im so glad I found reefcentral! Def making my life easier.

[Uncle Salty 05]

As far as lighting goes, read through this:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2203067

As for food, I soak all of my food (frozen and flakes etc.) in this stuff.
It is a great supplement and appetite enhancer.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Marin...eywords=selcon

[swcc]

your tank is small so no need for a skimmer. water changes are your best course of action.

[premilove]

What led did you go with?

[Uncle Salty 05]

Get the skimmer.
It will not only remove dissolved proteins but is an excellent aerator.

[Spyderturbo007]

Try and get your hands on some Cyclop-eeze. It's like crack for Clownfish. I've never used the dried version, only the frozen, but it might be all you can get your hands on depending on where you live.

[Fishyoga]

Originally Posted by SuellenAdams

Im still using the fluorescent that came with the tank but I have ordered a programable full spectrum led ! are they bad? Shoot... they were expensive ... oh well...


Im so glad I found reefcentral! Def making my life easier.

I am new to the hobby as well, and discovered RC a couple weeks back.
As far as lighting goes, take the others suggestions and read the various threads on lighting. Not to sound cliche, but if you paid a lot, i probably is a least decent. so don't worry about the waste.
I had a 20gallon (about the size of your 100L), and bought an expensive FluvalSea LED bar. It looked fantastic and really helped with a variety of growths in my tank at that time.
Like a lot of people are saying, lighting seems to be as much a preference (LED vs MH-metal halides), as a good/bad issue.
It all depends on what your 'end game' is with your hobby, and what you want your tank to look like.

[Uncle Salty 05]

If you have not used the LED fixture I would return it if I were you.
I am returning mine as soon as I can get ahold of the retailer it came from.
They are avoiding me today.

[Fishyoga]

Just out of curiosity (and because I haven't bothered to search it), are MH lightings viable for my small 10g tank? Waht kind of costs would I be looking at?

[premilove]

Fishyoga, Maybe a 70w MH. If I were you id go with LEDs.

[Uncle Salty 05]

Originally Posted by Fishyoga

Just out of curiosity (and because I haven't bothered to search it), are MH lightings viable for my small 10g tank? Waht kind of costs would I be looking at?

A 70 watt 14K would be fine on a 10 gallon.