hi im thinking of setting up a 2' marine tank, what kind of hang on back skimmer can i use and what lights should i use if i only want mushrooms and a leather in it?

I always think you should get a deltec MCE600.

This is because it is the best and if you ever upgrade (most likely)

then you can still use it.

Cheers

thanks i dont really want that flasher skimmer as im going to use it as a Q/tank for when i get my bigger tank setup which hopefully wont be that far away

Check out www.deepblueaquarium.co.nz , they have a small hang on back skimmer that's pretty cheap.

I always think you should get a deltec MCE600.

This is because it is the best and if you ever upgrade (most likely)

then you can still use it.

Cheers

for a 2" tank? I don't think it's necessary, if you go to nano-reef.com, a lot of ppl in that forum doesn't use skimmer at all but is consistent with water changes. What i'm trying to say is, you don't need to spend over 500 bucks for a skimmer for such a small tank... Just get a reasonable skimmer will do you good.

I disagree.

For the following reason:

I always think you should get a deltec MCE600.

This is because it is the best and if you ever upgrade (most likely)

then you can still use it.

Cheers

Layton - HAHAHAHAHA.

I agreee completely (with Layton). How many other skimmers have your tried before you came up with that pearl of wisdom RAEH1? Hahahaha. MCE600 the best pfffft.

Pie

:lol:

Come on....... a skimmer that can handle 720L for a tank that's gonna be ~80L.

What if he doesnt upgrade? The money lost on such an excessive skimmer is probably more than a low-end model that would get the job done.

Plenty of the nano's/pico's Ive seen dont use skimmers, and water changes + a power head keep them quite happy. With that in mind a skimmer is not even an essential peice of equipment, its just an extra.

What is the meaning of life? -It certantly isnt Deltec IMO.

Buzzy weirpro 2014 is a cheap hang on back skimmer, along with a jebo, pm petplanet or deepblue and see if there are anymore.

With mushrooms you wont need MH, but I dont know what type of tubes come in 2 ft lengths.

A 2 footer can get pretty cruddy if it's overstocked, and would merit a good skimmer.

However a lot of nanos I see have got next to no fish, if that's the plan a low end skimmer may do.

What if he doesnt upgrade?

HAHAHA You haven't been in this game long have you?

Layton

I used to have a weirpro 2014.

It would do the trick and good value for money.

The only problems I see are the pump sits in the tank, and when you want to clean it it can be differcult.

Brianomones 88litre tank used to run one and did a great job.

Cheers

This is my 2ft 90L tank has a via aqua hang on skimmer I change around 15-20L NSW every 2 weeks, everything is growing its new owner picks it up on the weekend

thanks i dont really want that flasher skimmer as im going to use it as a Q/tank for when i get my bigger tank setup which hopefully wont be that far away

If its budget you want you could think about a Seaclone. People dis them but i had one on a 2' tank and it worked great. Its all related to the kind of load you will put on it though. A cheaper one will cope if its not pushed but if you intend to stock high then you need to consider a better one - especially in that small volume of water. Good luck with a 2 footer - thats a challenge to do it right, just keep on top of water quality and temperature control.

What if he upgrades to something that requires MORE than a MCE600 ?? I reckon it would be better to get a good second hand one for now and make the "big committment" when you know what you want to do a bit better with regards to your larger tank. By that time, who knows - the current best might have been bettered or be cheaper !?

With that in mind a skimmer is not even an essential peice of equipment, its just an extra.

WRONG. In fact not even close to being right. In fact I would say 100% the opposite if right.

I doubt there is a person here not running a skimmer. I know I didn't buy mine for the '' value. Its not a 4" chrome exaust on a Toyota Corolla. Its is the heart of the berlin method of keeping fish, which we all (99%) are using. Rock, skimmer + light.

Just an extra, where do people come up with this stuff...

Pie

im still cycling my tank and admit to knowing nothing, however the first 3 rules are

1. size matters.(if anyone tells you otherwise its because theirs is small)

2. deltec skimmer.

3. tunze streams.

You must have seen that there are plenty of nanos'/picos out there without skimmers.

Just an extra, where do people come up with this stuff...

Taken from an article on nanoreef.com......

The natural method of filtration consists of only liverock and livesand. No protein skimmers are used and no additives are dosed. The nutrient export is provided by frequent partial water changes of 10-15% about every week.

.....It is uncommon to not use a protein skimmer, but nano reef keeping isn't the same as a traditional sized reef (though this method also works great on larger tanks). It's simple, it's cheap, and there is no equipment to worry about.

Now obviously any tank is gonna be better with a skimmer, but if the main website on nano reefs says they arent 100% essential, chances are it's probably true, or at least partially true.

Perhaps the skimmerless nano and pico tanks out there are using a type of vodoo sandbed magic, but who knows?

I get to be Layton for a day , and it's exciting!

A 2 foot tank is NOT a nano tank. They are talking about tanks well under 10 litres.

Interesting though the Pico on here (Tom Gunner) has a skimmer running on his.

The reson they usually don't use them is practicality, its hard to get one to fit, especially on the small glass nanos that are so popular. 100% water changes are trival in small tanks, so you can do them once or twice a week no problem.

I also see my post got edited, it doesn't make as much sense now. Although its not listed as a word on dictionary.com so maybee it was just in the name of being gramatically correct...

Pie

I get to be Layton for a day

Not quite, Layton would NEVER say dump the skimmer and just use a sandbed! ever...

Skimmers 1 / Non-skimmers 0.

Pie

Depends what you're keeping in the tank

I wasnt meaning to use a sandbed instead(of a skimmer), I'm fully clued up on the sand bed thing by now!!!

But in some circumstances you may be able to. Depends on the size of tank, and what you want to keep in it.

Layton

Wow lucky i didnt ask what type of skimmers best ,i think i might just get a jebo one.i want to get a deltec for the main tank tho.just out of curiousity are there any d.i.y metal halide bits you can buy eg from and electrical shop? waht are the good brands if so.

Wow lucky i didnt ask what type of skimmers best ,i think i might just get a jebo one.i want to get a deltec for the main tank tho.just out of curiousity are there any d.i.y metal halide bits you can buy eg from and electrical shop? waht are the good brands if so.