Make my tank better! w/Poll

[travisurfer]

would something like this work in place of one of the powerheads in the corner?
http://www.tunze.com/149.html?&L=1&C..._tunzeprod_pi1[predid]=-infoxunter048
its the nanocleaner

[Andrew]

Don't add an anemone for awhile. Your tank is pretty much brand new. Wait a year or so on the anemone.

[travisurfer]

i didnt plan on adding one, someone told me to get one and i admitted i couldnt keep one . anyway, i came home and now my bakpak is working. i may end up holding on to it for awhile if it keeps skimming.

[travisurfer]

do CSS's overflow b/c people adjust them improperly?

[Andrew]

The pump that they come with is a little too strong. My cup would fill up in seconds so I decreased it some and it worked great. The pump broke awhile ago so I no longer use it.

[travisurfer]

ok thanks. i may think about getting one. still not sure since my bakpak decided it didnt want to be taken out of the tank by producing some skimmate. it still is pretty loud though.

[Andrew]

What pump is it using?

[travisurfer]

maxijet 1200

[reefinmike]

Originally posted by travisurfer
1)i can only get a cheap skimmer due to parental restraints, so its either this, a prizm, or a seaclone(since i got it used)
2)ok, anemone gone
3)ill get liverock with my corals
4)i have two 145gph powerheads in each corner

dont let your parents hold you back from making your tank sweet.. look what i installed in the room behind mine one day

[travisurfer]

thats awesome. the only way i could get one behind their back would be if I ran to my local pet store(no liscense) and bought an overpriced skimmer. i am thinking about a CSS but im not sure if it is worth it. the tunze nano skimmer also interests me. just trying to do my best with parents watching and a semi-limited budget.

[Andrew]

Show them skimmate shots and tell them it will make the water cleaner and will "improve" the health of the fish. I told a few lies to get some things I need my parents said were a waste of money.

[affan]

Why don't you just use their credit card to order all that stuff online? This way, they wouldn't even know unless they keep up pretty good with their monthly statements.

[travisurfer]

theya re bery good with their monthly statement, double check everything because my mom is a banker. i do have to talk them into things though. ive been working on getting a T5HO retrofit and an ATO for this summer. i maybe able to get a CSS but it depends on if it overflows or not., becasue i would pretty much have to run away for awhile.

[travisurfer]

here is some skimmate(basically the best i could get):

[travisurfer]

and my newest tank inhabitant:

hmmm. what should is name be? i may get him a partner later on. make this a skunk tank with a pair of cleaners and a pair of clowns.

[jwd]

So I'm guessing that your parents buy everything then..........I would say then that u should do some research on products.......come up with a tank plan to kno exactly what you need......then make a price list........after the price list and plan are finished make a presentation to your parents so they can understand a little bit more what you are trying to do

[travisurfer]

No, i have to pay for EVERYTHING! Im not a spoiled little rich kid. My parents are just strict on what I use my money to buy. Like the ATO I want to get, he thinks its too expensive and that my tank will be fine for 4 days while we are on vacation. I have to talk them into everything ands its a major pain. I think the only reason they let me buy stuff is because I have been buying everything slowly over the winter so that they dont notice it as much. I guess making a presentation would help but they just dont really know anything about the tank even though i try to tell them. Its very frustrating. You cant imagine what it took to get my dad to let me put 20 gallons of saltwater in my room.

[Wombat_101]

Travisurfer, don't worry about your skimmer right now. The skimmer has nothing to skim. Looking at our tank pics it looks like their is no fish in it right now. If this is a new setup, it will take the skimmer about 2 weeks to break in anyway. The break in period should also help with the micro bubbles but you may need a pre-skim box.

I've heard decent things about the bakpak skimmer. I would use it and when you start adding fish see how it skims. If you feel that it is not cutting it than you can replace it. If you have spending limitations spend it on the other things you want for the tank.

Good Luck
Greg

[Andrew]

For a new tank the skimmer is doing an ok job. Not the best or anything. I'm going to make some skimmers this week for my tanks.

[travisurfer]

If i was any good with acryllic id try making one. Anyway, the skimmer has been on the tank for almost a month and its still throwing out bubbles though it did stop for a day.

[Wombat_101]

check this out

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...1&N=2004&Nty=1

You might be able to adapt it to work on your skimmer.

[Andrew]

^ All that would do is keep the surface of the water clean. Those are made for powerfilters anyways. Wouldn't work on a skimmer.

[lessans]

travisurfer, depending on how much water surface agitation you have from power heads, your tank salinity could potentially fluctuate a lot because you have a 20 gal tank. BTW, I bought the ATO you're considering for when I went on Spring Break this year. It was very reliable. Back during Thanksgiving Break, I left the tank for a week and my auto top off I made consisted of a bucket filled with water raised about 4 feet above the surface of the sump water and put a C-clamp on the 1/4" tubing producing the drip effect used for acclimation. Sometime during my vacation it stopped dripping even though I had tested two-5 gal buckets on the setup before the trip and the water level in my sump was low enough that the pump for my skimmer was slightly above water. My tank loses about 2 gal water/day. Luckily for me the salinity won't fluctuate that much in my 65 gal, but imagine the effects on your 20 gal. The ATO is a good investment and fairly easy to set up. Just needs tweeking of the level you want to set your water sensors.

Another word of advice. Before the trip, if you have any power heads, clean the algae behind them and off the suction cups. I didn't do this back during Thanksgiving Break and the first time the powerheads lost suction against the glass was while I was gone. The powerheads had altered the usual water flow pattern and thus blew some of my mushrooms off the rocks b/c the flow was too strong. Hope this helps.

[travisurfer]

thanks. i couldnt stand the suction cups so i mounted my powerheads on the edge of the tank(penguin 550's). with the ac on, i lose less than half a gallon a day on my 20H which couldnt be too bad since im keeping a brittle star. im looking to get my ATO from www.autotopoff.com . anyway, i may consider a surface skimmer that is made for the bakpak. the bubbles are slowly going away, hopefully they will stay that way.

[lessans]

When I said ATO I meant the actual product by JBJ called the ATO System Water Level Controller. This baby costs $100 and I know what you said about how your parents put money restraints on your budget, but this thing I can trust. I chose not to use one of those DIY top off sensors because who knows what defects it may have. I also went with the JBJ ATO b/c it took away the hassle of wiring the top off myself which is necessary for the float valve in the hyperlink you made. I strongly suggest trying to convince your parents to buy this. However, if you can get someone to help you wire the DIY auto top-off well, then by all means do that; it'll save you money. Just give it some thought.