speed Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 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. I heard JEBO one is pretty crap... how much are they? I think their performance is close to those Queen Cyclone ones or whatever that are selling at HFF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 They were selling for $50, I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speed Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 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 2 foot tank is not a nano tank? I think it is. anything up to 20gallons to me is considered nano, and again these are from nano-reef.com. The NanoCubes they purchased comes in 12g, 20g and i think 30g if i'm not mistaken and lots of ppl in that forum has a 20g (approx. 80L). Tanks under 10L is considered pico. And yes... i have been following a thread on that website since day 1 set up till today on a 20g tank without SKIMMER and 4 fish in that tank with corals and it is a very successful tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 There's definately something cool about small systems. I think I might try my hand at a pico, when I sort my current one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Best I can tell Jebo & queen are the same. Years ago I had a queen, & got it to do a fair job by adding an airstone to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholesy Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 You can do some simple mods on a SeaClown skimmer that make them ok skimmers (not great) for small tanks, up to 100l I reckon. Uprade the pump to 1200 or 1500lph, dremel off the innermost acrylic tube, put a wooden airstone down the centre of the skimmer. THe original design wasn't great, and these mods won't make it as good as a $500 skimmer, but it might ok for your setup. Good luck with whatever you go with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Skimmers 1 / Non-Skimmers 0 WTH is all that about? Is this a competition about who is right and who is wrong? There dont have to be absolutes in this hobby. As the more astute people on this thread have pointed out, whether or not to use a skimmer depends on a variety of things - not least what you intend to keep in the tank. I have a mate who kept a 2' tank with 2 clownfish and a scooter blenny and a few mushies and bits and pieces for 3 years with no skimmer until he decided to get a 6 footer. Everything boils down to balance. Ultimately we have to make our own decision. A skimmer will help in most instances in my opinion, but there are circumstances where they are extras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speed Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Skimmers 1 / Non-Skimmers 0 WTH is all that about? Is this a competition about who is right and who is wrong? There dont have to be absolutes in this hobby. As the more astute people on this thread have pointed out, whether or not to use a skimmer depends on a variety of things - not least what you intend to keep in the tank. I have a mate who kept a 2' tank with 2 clownfish and a scooter blenny and a few mushies and bits and pieces for 3 years with no skimmer until he decided to get a 6 footer. Everything boils down to balance. Ultimately we have to make our own decision. A skimmer will help in most instances in my opinion, but there are circumstances where they are extras. I must agree with that... "Everything boils down to balance" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 You do not need a skimmer with what you have stated in your first post, however I would myself and I've done more nanos and pico's than I can remember (not that I have a good memory anymore). There are alot of DIY plans in here www.nano-reef.com Most small hang-on skimmers don't acheive much more than a weekly 10-15% water change would, and the stuff your talking about keeping wouldn't need much more than a good filter system. Pay more attension to your water changing ability, keep a supply on hand so you can change more often. even if you use a skimmer with that size tank. If you want a skimmer I would avoid a hang-on. Can you set up a sump of some kind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 "Everything boils down to balance" Hmmm.... not quite sure what that means? However I don't really agree with the no skimmer idea, even for a small tank. My first tank many years ago had no skimmer. Then when I started up again in 1999 again I had no skimmer, in fact I did not even know what one was. But eventually as I learned more I decided to try one, even though it was just a Queen, the transformation in the tank was major, and left me in no doubt skimmers are the way to go. There are some great tanks with no skimmer, and even certain advantages with no skimmer such as leaving small organisms that can feed coral. But my own feeling is that these great tanks could well be even greater if they had a skimmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Everything boils down to balance" Hmmm.... not quite sure what that means? Of coarse you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I know what it means, it's a buddhist monk training his sidekick in martial arts :lol: :lol: Nah just kidding, I know what was meant Anyhow, there's pros and cons with a skimmer, but they do make life easier ( In my humble opinion ) Nevertheless, anybody who can make a tank really hum without one, has my respect. One way of doing it is to run a phosphate removing resin, or a fuge, or have an ultra low stocking level, or all three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I definately think skimming is a benefit. I havent seen too much evidence on over skimming and I definately think bigger is better. But when dealing with small tanks it is much more common/accepted to not have a skimmer. The majority of nanos and picos have very few fish - most often only one or two small gobys, and possibly a cleaner shrimp. The bioload from fish is much more than that of a coral, and with such a low bioload water changes are apparently enough to keep things in good order. A perfect example is the totm that was posted about.... http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/2/aquarium Why you'd have a tank like that and not buy a skimmer - I have no idea, but at least it proves that it can be done on a large tank with sps and lots of fish, showing that in nanos with a really low bioload and with large water changes more easy to do, it will probably be ok to not go with a skimmer. All nanos Ive seen use strong circulation. Can good circulation actually remove phosphates? Sharkey said ejecting the phosphate as a aerosol. Perhaps thats why nanos can do so well without a skimmer? I wouldnt recommend to anyone not to use a skimmer, but if they ask whether they need a good one/one at all on a nano/pico - I'd say its definately a benefit, but many nano-ers decide not to use them, and there are some fantastic and viable skimmerless tanks out there. And also that a "crap" skimmer would be a good compromise reflecting this situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 Nevertheless, anybody who can make a tank really hum without one, has my respect. One way of doing it is to run a phosphate removing resin, or a fuge, or have an ultra low stocking level, or all three. ...or keep animals which don't care about phosphate levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 I doubt he would want you in his tank Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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