new 70 litre tank do i need a skimmer?

[terrar]

I have just set up a small 70L reef tank in my office. I have added a Powa protien skimmer but this results in a large amount of bubbles in the water.
This is not desirable but I can't fix it. Do i really need a skimmer or will water changes be enough.

 

[liquid]

I'd say as long as you do weekly waterchanges you should be OK. However, I don't have experience with tanks this small. Brandon or Matt should be along sometime here as they're *way* more knowledgeable when it comes to small reef tanks.

Shane

 

[brandon4291]

Hey Terrar, how's it going? I agree with Liquid, weekly water changes can be calibrated to match your bioloads and resulting nitrate measures to keep things in check. The main question is, how many fish do you want to support in the tank, and will the focus be more on inverts (corals) or the fish, or the usual combinations? The important things are:

1. Have enough live rock to process fish waste in such as way as to never have any detectable ammonia or nitrite. Adequate circulation for all the nooks and crannies plays a vital role here

2. Have Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits to use on the tank for the first few months, keep nitrates as low as possible and the rest at zero for the best chance.

3. Watch algae patches, if you let them get a foothold in an unskimmed tank that houses fish they will eventually wreck your whole setup. Remove any algae and increase water changes to bring nitrate even lower if they are persistent. Established algae patches (grown in elevated nitrate water) can survive in clean water without nitrate for a long time--the groups they form catch detritus and proteins in the strands providing a small nitrate source, and they can run on internal stores for some time before dying off. Water changes in a nano aimed at beating algae must go on for a long long time, and then you must redesign the nutrient balance of the tank to prevent them from returning. Best to never let them develop.

Good luck, and post some pics if you can so we can get very specific about your tank setup.

Good Luck!@

Brandon M.

 

[Anonymous]

Since you already have the skimmer, I'd just leave it on. There are a number of remedies for the bubbles, but I'd have to see the skimmer to know what's wrong. Try searching for "bubble trap" on this site.

 

[Apophis924]

I would not use the skimmer for an office tank. Problem being weekends and holidays, Unless you are willing to come into work to adjust and empty the collection cup. I would stick with a water change before a weekend test on monday and let the test results determine if another water change is required. I know when i leave the JOB for the weekend i am not even thinking about going in for any reason. 8)