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protien skimmer and other maintenence questions

4K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  caferacermike 
#1 ·
i just bought a bakbak 2 protien skimmer ans i need to know a few things about first your opinion was it a good purchase. and what other filtration do i need to supplement this.right now i have the protien skimmer, an aqua clear 300 hob with a pre filter and a cascade 500. can i eliminate any of these things? what media should i put into what filter? if i can eliminate the AC HOB can i put the plants in the bakpak? i have a regular spiral flourecent bulb ontop of the hob is that enough? it is starting to grow alot of brown hair algea. is that good or bad? its not making its way into the tank. also my ph is at almost 0 how do i raise that

i have a 55gal community tank
2 green cromis
1 neon damsel
1 coral beauty
i snow flake
bunch of snails and hermits
 
#4 ·
I'm not sure if the "fuge" is large enough to make a real difference but it will provide micro organisms that your fish will like.

I'm a huge fan of Euroreef and DEltec skimmers myself. I've heard good things about the bacpaks bust since I've no experience with them I won't comment.

Your tank sounds well stocked and you seem to have the desire to take care of it. Keep an eye on that eel as it will grow quite large.
 
#5 ·
What we will need to know is what kind of substrate, lighting(tank), lbs of live rock, do you plan on using a sump in the future? What are the water parameters. I dont use no filters on mine 120gal, my filters are the skimmer, sand(somewhat), live rock, many different inverts, algeas growing in the sump. As for the bakbak 2 protien skimmer I hear they are bad but what do I know I never had on. Its better to have a sump because you can hide all your equipment from view. Actually canister shouldnt be used , they havest nitrates. You can use a canister to polish(clean) the water and thats about. I would just invest in a sump and better skimmer. I have a 30gallon sump in the stand. I am currently shopping for a better skimmer as I am useing a seaclone100. But by the end of next month it will be replaced.
 
#7 ·
The BakPaks are an ok skimmer, not top of the line, but not bottom, either. They can be difficult to adjust, but once adjusted, are usually pretty reliable, and work pretty well. It's one of the better skimmers for the price.
I agree with needing to know more info about this tank... especially amount of live rock.

I run HOB filters on many of my saltwater tanks, and they do just fine, some more sturdy than others. AquaClear is one of the better ones, and Whisper the worst for saltwater. AquaClear filters provide a good amount of circulation, plenty of space for bio media, and are easy access for maintenance (in most cases). The drawback of running HOB is that salt creep can be more of a problem, so watch walls and furniture around the tank and keep them well cleaned from any salt residue. You will tend to run into issues of salt creep with any filter, and sump can be just as bad as HOB. I have seen entire walls where the drywall just crumbled right away because of salt creep that wasn't take care of, and carpeting that was eaten away by it. Canister is best for salt creep, but make sure your spray bar is always clean and be sure to add power heads to make up for lack of circulation.
If it were mine, being all fish, and dirty fish at that, I'd work with hang on and/or sump, forget the cansiter idea.

I would not try to grow macro algae in the hang on filters. This is bad for the filter, will force the parts to work harder to achieve the same water flow, and may grow down into the impeller chamber, causing more mechanical issues. It would be difficult to have proper lighting over a HOB filter to accomidate the macro.
The sump, however, would be an ideal place to grow it. Macro algaes can be great for keeping water quality in check, but make sure to allow for the proper lighting over it. Without the proper lighting, it will die and pollute your tank instead of help it.

If you need help with your BakPak, feel free to PM me, where it would be easier to work out the details I'd need to cover to help you get it adjusted properly. My husband is a whiz with them.
 
#8 ·
I hadn't noticed the typing error before, wha is PH is at 0 supposed to say?

USMC and I both ran canister filters with no ill effects as far as the way the work. I always prefer a can to a HOB. They are more precise. I've had HOBs clog up the filter and much of the water spill over the edges and onto the floor.


Dawn the HOB fuge is very common. Many reefers use this for smaller tanks. It is a very common practice. It's nothing more than a mini fuge hanging on the tank.
 
#9 ·
Any issues with nitrate using biological media? As we know with the cycle process, nitrosomas bacter consume ammonia and produce nitrites, nitrobacter consume nitrites and produce nitrates. Therefore, the biological media is working as it should, producing nitrates in a tank. This is why LR is commonly used in, becuaes nitrates are also being taken in.
 
#10 ·
Indeed CE, I to believe that a healthy tank should have a trace amount of nitrAtes. A tank without nitrAtes is a ticking bomb in my opinion. If something where to die the filtration would immediately be overwhelmed. I've not had a problem with my bio filters being so good that I don't see any trates. The bio filters are meant to absorb (eat) excess nutrients, not so much from the cycle. They will just eat wastes before they break down enough to become nitrItes and ammonia.
 
#12 ·
Such as canister filters and the like or do you have another "biological" mdeia. In essence anything left in a filter is "biological" media. bioballs have fallen out of favor in reef tanks because they were never cleaned. They clog with detritus which just breaks down and pollutes the water. It's not going to effect the average tank but with reefs you tend to want to remove them down to about 10ppm. When left unattended bioballs can contribute to a very high, over 50ppm danger zone, nitrate count. Same goes for filters on a reef tank. If not kept clean on a very religous schedule a canister filter can quickly breakdown and pollute a tank with nitrates. This is also sped up to do to high PH, high alk and the numerous minerals found in a reef tank. All of these thigns together can add up to bad tests. So for a fish only tank bio media, as in wet/dry filters, canister filters, HOB is not a bad thing as fish can tolerate excess nitrates so long as they are from the breakdown of nitrites and ammonia.

It's not that they are a bad thing in reef tanks, instead think of the extra maintenanc of cleaning all your filters weekly. Since skimmers are so efficient, traditional filters have fallen to the side.
 
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