protein skimmer for 10 gallon

[pr0teus]

i was debating on posting this question in the new reefkeepers forum, but i think this forum is more appropriate.

here's my question:
i'm thinking of buying a protein skimmer to replace my filter for my 10 gallon tank. i was researching how skimmers are effective at cleaning the water and how the live rock can act as a filter. what is a good protein skimmer to buy for a tank of this size?

the bioload of my tank: 1 clown, 1 sea cucumber, 4 hermits.

 

[brandon4291]

Hello Proteus, and if I haven't already zapped you then:

The issue of protein skimming a nano has pros and cons. A pro is that it can result in fewer water change requirements, oxygenate the water very effectively and also reduce algae infestation risks by pulling out nitrogenous compounds from the water. Some of the cons are the price, the extra plumbing and pumping of the setup, the storage space etc.

Basically Id say if you want to skim one that is definately fine, but for the bioload you have described I think your tank will be okay without one.

What you mention about live rock is generally this: Live rock acts as a 'filter' {in a general sense} by providing surface area (tons of it depending on the porosity of the rock) for nitrifying bacteria. These are the organisms that convert harmful ammonia in a series of events to less harmful nitrate, a fully-oxidized form of nitrogen that does not 'burn' or react to pH of the water as primary ammonia/ammonium does.

Live rock simply oxidizes the nitrogen compounds we have in solution to a less harmful form, nitrate or NO3. The actual work is done by aerobic bacteria, but they need a large surface area to live on and this is where LR comes into the picture. NO3 is still very usable fuel for algae though, so we try to deal with the buildup of NO3 through water changes most often, then macro algae refugiums, then reduction equipment or sandbeds (much less common in nanos than in larger systems).

What are you nitrate measures each week? A skimmer can help reduce this. I think Matt likes the CPR bakpak series and I read a lot of good input on this for a ten gallon tank. Have you tried 50% water changes bi-weekly to keep your nitrates in an acceptable range (unskimmed Id shoot for 10-30 ppm)? If this is too much hassle then a skimmer may reduce maintenance hassles.

Does your system ever register a reading for nitrite or ammonia? With the one fish you've described Id guess it does not, so in my opinion I think you should buy a skimmer if you want to be able to go an extra week or two in between water changes. Sorry my response was so lengthy, but thats whats floating around in my head when I think of skimmer/no skimmer for a nano.

Welcome@

 

[pr0teus]

brandon,

thanks for your very helpful post. i'll be honest, i must have a nitrate reading of 8O 9238458370927982743092875092 because i always seem to have major algae problems. it was so bad, i had to throw away the live rock that was originally in the tank. i was thinking that maybe a protein skimmer can help clear some of the algae problems.

here's the background about the tank. i inherited the tank from my sister. she hasnt had time to take care of the tank like she should have. quite frankly, i'm surprised the fish is still alive. anyway, basically the tank has been neglected. combine this with the fact that my sister likes to overfeed her fish. i think this is the reason why this tank has such a bad algae problem.

i threw out the old live rock and tried to clean the substrate as best i could. i put in 1 piece of live rock from my bigger tank to the 10 gallon. i've been doing water changes and trying to keep water params as close to 'perfect' as possible. the tank still has algae problems. i think part of the problem is the water in my area (i have no ro/di unit, but one is being shipped to me soon). i feed the fish every other day; 1 small pinch of Hikari Marine-S pellets.

i think i will just go ahead and buy a cpr bak pak for the 10 gallon tank and see how it works out. i am debating on just scrapping the whole thing and starting fresh, but we'll see.

 

[grav]

Adding a skimmer made a huge diffrece for me. Nitrates were in the 20-40ppm range and now I cant find them. I say over doing it is far better than under doing it. My 33g has a skimmer for a 90g tank.