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Help with skimmer or circulation pump?

3K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  GwenInNM 
#1 ·
So, I'm new to this. Putting my GSP in a larger (68 gallon) tank. He's currently in brackish of 1.012. I don't understand if it's necessary to get a protein skimmer if I stay in the high end brackish, or is it only needed for full marine? Would I be better getting a water circulation pump or a skimmer? Do I really need both? I may go full marine one day to keep live rock, but I really don't know at this point.

Can someone help me understand what equipment I need. Thanks!

Gwen
 
#2 ·
When in the wild GSP migrates to a fully marine environment. On the skimmer, it is not necessary but it won't hurt to get one. It might be a wise idea to get one just for the sake of spacing out costs of converting to fully marine.
FYI. I found a website that said macro algae can survive in a high end brackish environment such as yours. I have not confirmed this myself
 
#3 ·
I agree with you on the marine, one day. But he's still young, and I'm trying to go at this slowly. Some to not spend all the money at once, so my husband isn't completely mad at me :), Second we don't have a lot of extra money, and lastly, I'm still worried if I was to set up this tank full marine, and acclimate the puffer to it, I'd have some type of mini cycle, because I don't have the right amount of good SW bacteria.

I could ask this guy to give me some of his substrate from a tank or filter media (if he'd do that) and use that, I guess. Would that be enough? Than in time get the protein skimmer so I can do less water changes over time. I still think I would first be better off getting a water circulation pump, but this is what I don't know?? Is running two filters for now going to give me enough water movement? I have 2 filters I can use. One the fluval 304 the other the emperor 400.

Gwen
 
#4 ·
You should be fine with your 2 filters puffers don't require a lot of flow they just tend to do better with it. when he gets to 4 inches start bringing up the salinity slowly until you are fully marine. Add the extra salinity by adding an extra scoop of your salt after the water change per month, meaning you have reached your target original SG from before the water change then add the extra. Month 1 1 extra scoop, month 2 2 extra scoops, etc.. This should take long enough that he should be 5-6 inches long by the time you are fully marine and the very slow acclimation will allow your bio filter to slowly adjust too.
On the skimmer and filters you might be better off going to a sump with an over flow. If you or your husband are handy you should be able to make one using acrylic also the sump gives you someplace to put the skimmer, heater, uv filter, etc that is not in the tank. I know I love a project especially if I have the time to get it right. I found lots of DIY directions on how to make a lot of stuff though not many go into the detail I need. Check out the DIY algea scraper here you can put that in the sump or overflow as well.
 
#5 ·
Hey, thank a lot. That is helpful. He's only about 2 inches. I'm already slowly raising salinity, but I'm going to hang around at 1.012 for a bit, because I had a short nitrite reading, so I figure I need to slow down. I bought 20 lbs of dead rock, and would like to create live rock from it. I'm going to get a cup full of substrate from a coral tank, and hope some of the living creatures will find a place in my rock and "grow". I guess I don't know if they will live in the salinity I have, however. Do you know?

Gwen
 
#6 ·
Generally at that lower salinity the live rock will not survive for very long, it would need to be full marine at around 1,025 SG.

Aranogonite sand can be transferred from Brackish to full marine as well as powerheads.

If you go full marine, it will require live rock SOLELY as your filtration and no use of the filters you have now, unless you intend on running them for water movement only or for carbon.

The protein skimmer is almost useless as with no live rock in the tank, it will function less efficiently. Puffers are renowned for picking live rock and will clean it of almost all the living things on it.

Wait until you are near full marine before adding true live rock, it will not survive at the lower salinity and will only likely cause water issues as it dies off.
 
#7 ·
Wow, that's pretty cool. So, your saying, if you have lots of live rock (assuming a GSP didn't eat all the creatures) you could have only a powerhead and no filtration? Really?

Gwen
 
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