i went to a petstore a couple days ago and i bought a domino damsel and a piece of live rock for 3.99.The guy asked if i was a beginner and i said yes.he asked do you have a skimmer so i said no.he said to buy one in a couple of months because i have live rock in it. What should i do?Should i get a protiens kimmer or not?
do i need a skimmer right now?
- Thread starter chris345
- Start date
Welcome to MR!!
What size tank do you have? Also give us a list of your current equipment. I would say make a protein skimmer a first priority. Check the for sale forum as great deals always come up.
Steven
and be wary of any advise given at a LFS.
What size tank do you have? Also give us a list of your current equipment. I would say make a protein skimmer a first priority. Check the for sale forum as great deals always come up.
Steven
and be wary of any advise given at a LFS.
- Location
- 11756
First off what size tank is this?
Also that damsel should not be in the tank this early. The tank should be allowed to cycle before any livestock is added.
Regarded of the tank size you're going to need more than 1 piece of live rock.
And having a skimmer depends on a lot. What are your plans for the tank?
-Kris
PS. Welcome to MR
Also that damsel should not be in the tank this early. The tank should be allowed to cycle before any livestock is added.
Regarded of the tank size you're going to need more than 1 piece of live rock.
And having a skimmer depends on a lot. What are your plans for the tank?
-Kris
PS. Welcome to MR
Ok.
Return the damsel. Buy as much live rock in as many pounds as u have gallons in ur tank. So if tank is 30 gallons put 30 pounds of live rock. More IMO is Better. Buy nice strong porous rock. Allow it to run for a month.without skimming. Now how much sand u got? Anyway after that test ur water. And perform a water change. If levels are good.0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. Don't buy a damsel. Buy something nice like a firefish.if u want add corals. Test every few days. And then if u want run a skimmer. FYI that damsel u have will not get along with any other fish u get without beating it up first
Return the damsel. Buy as much live rock in as many pounds as u have gallons in ur tank. So if tank is 30 gallons put 30 pounds of live rock. More IMO is Better. Buy nice strong porous rock. Allow it to run for a month.without skimming. Now how much sand u got? Anyway after that test ur water. And perform a water change. If levels are good.0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. Don't buy a damsel. Buy something nice like a firefish.if u want add corals. Test every few days. And then if u want run a skimmer. FYI that damsel u have will not get along with any other fish u get without beating it up first
no, actually you want a good amount of nitrifying bacterica to build up, plus there is no need to worry about it while cycling since you shouldn't have any livestock in there until your readings are all 0 (or 0 with nitrates as close to 0 as possible).
as for needing a skimmer, chris, what size is your tank. if it's a nano, you may not need one. most people who run nanos don't use one as frequent water changes are usually enough.
yes, you are supposed to cycle your tank with the LR in it. when i say livestock i don't mean LR, i mean anything you add after that...CUC, fish, corals, etc. anything live on your LR will either make it through the cycle or not, but it's not really worth messing with your cycle to try to save what's on your LR by doing water changes or adding a skimmer. plus, if it survived through harvesting, shipping, etc., it should make it through a cycle.
I assume you are now confused by the answers. I am not an expert but I think you need to learn a lot.
Your question is something like this. I went to Sears and they sold me some tires. Do I need a garage.
So lets start over. As someone above pointed out give all the details when asking a question. Details means all the equipment you have, sizes, is it running and for how long. What is in the tank (live or otherwise) and for how long. Water parameters.
Very few people in an LFS have knowledge to answer your questions. They have one goal, to sell you lots of stuff. So for starters you need to read a lot. You can get lots of info here and ansers to questions as well. There is a website called wetwebmedia which also has many experts to answer questions plus loads of info. Unfortunately you bought before you did any research so you are starting out with a problem. If I were you I would try to return the fish, read a lot, ask questions and then formulate a plan.
Your question is something like this. I went to Sears and they sold me some tires. Do I need a garage.
So lets start over. As someone above pointed out give all the details when asking a question. Details means all the equipment you have, sizes, is it running and for how long. What is in the tank (live or otherwise) and for how long. Water parameters.
Very few people in an LFS have knowledge to answer your questions. They have one goal, to sell you lots of stuff. So for starters you need to read a lot. You can get lots of info here and ansers to questions as well. There is a website called wetwebmedia which also has many experts to answer questions plus loads of info. Unfortunately you bought before you did any research so you are starting out with a problem. If I were you I would try to return the fish, read a lot, ask questions and then formulate a plan.
- Location
- Union Square, NY
What he said.
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