New fuge/ skimmer

[Mappelbaum37]

I have been planning on ordering a new skimmer/fuge and I need to get a certain one. I dont have a sump and this new skimmer/fuge is taking over for my hang on-the back prism protein skimmer and my fluval 405- I have some live rubble rock in my fluval and was thinking of putting that in the aquafuge and replacing the rocks in the fluval with carbon. Some people have talked about what type of chaeto to grow and stuff, but I dont have a clue what it means- I have an algae problem in my tank and im pretty fed up:

First off this is what I want to get:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...0aquafuge&Np=1

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...l~vendor~.html


question #
1) Will this help my algae problem?
2) Is it worth getting and is it a smart idea to get it?
3) what exactly is chaeto and what does it do?
4) Will this prevent any outbreaks of algae Like im currently experiencing? (red slime algae)
5) What exactly does having a refugium do (keep nitrates low and thats it?) How does it do it?

Thanks a lot- Appreciate it

[dc_909]

Chaeto is just a fast growing form of macro algae.

Refugiums house macro algaes which "eat" the nutrients, which in turn makes for less food for nuisance algae.

That seems high priced for me. I have seen people make fuges out of old aquaclear filters.

[ledford1]

IMO, combo skimmers aren't that great. I think you'd be much better off with a separate fuge and skimmer. With a 75g, you have plenty of room to hang equipment off the back of the tank.

A good skimmer can help remove organics before they breakdown into fuel for your nuisance algae, and a fuge with macro would compete for the same food your bad algae is getting. Cheato is often the macro of choice because of its fast growth (which means it's eating alot of the bad nutrients in the water) and doesn't have the issue of "going sexual." A fuge can be strictly for nutrient export, but it can also feed your tank. Fuges are also nice because they can be a predator-free environment for things like pods to reproduce and grow into food that the critters in your tank love to eat.

[Mappelbaum37]

Now, would you be able to show me a hang on the back skimmer and seperate refugium that would work for a 75 gallon tank?? Basically the only thing that is limiting me right now is the space...

thanks

[dc_909]

HOB skimmer of choice seems to be the AquaC remora, not sure if Tunzes can HOB???

[dsn112]

Tunze can't hang on back, they hang in the tank.

I am running a aqua c remora and a Aqua Clear 70 converted into a fuge, all on a 28g with space to spare. With your size tank you should be able to do that but using the Remora Pro and the Aquaclear 110. Its really simple to do. Some people have done it buy modding parts of it, but really all you need to do is take everything out of it, add some LS, some LR rubble(put it right up next to the impellar to stop the sand from going everywhere. Get a clip on light and your ready to go.

[dzeadow]

W/ a 75g tank, you'll need something like the Bermuda Rogue or Octopus 300F, no other hang on is really suited for doing any tank over 55. The AquaClear fuge is a good idea, any refugium is better than no refugium.

I'd vote against getting a Remora, in my experience, they're not very efficient, there's much better skimmers out there for the money.

If you're having a red slime break out, cyano, you more than likely need to increase flow in your tank. Do you have a skimmer at all right now? If not, you need to increase the frequency of water changes to make up for the lack of a skimmer. If you do have a skimmer, how often do you feed your tank and w/ what? Let's get some more info before you go buy over $200 worth of stuff.