Seeking Advice on Filter/Skimmer For Beginner

[hammer-head]

Greetings Everyone,

Let me apologize before hand for the stupid questions. I have been doing research for about a month now, reading everything I can on saltwater aquariums (Including the excellent advise on this website). I think I am finally ready to jump into one, but I wanted some expert advise on my planned set-up. So here goes if you don't mind:

30 gallon tank (I want to start off small until I learn my way around)
PC lights (65 watt attinic, 65 watt 10,000)
DSB of about 4 inches (Natures Ocean)
30 - 35 pounds of Live Rock
Snails
Crabs
Cleaner shrimp
One or Two powerheads (small/medium)
Plan to keep just a few fish, a couple of clowns, and a blenny
Plan to have some mushrooms and maybe one or two LPS
Plan to do 25% water changes once a month

The one thing I am still unsure/unclear on is what filter/skimmer to use. I would like to keep it as simple as possible so the options I am considering are: 1) Skilter (My boss says he has one on his 30 gallon and that it works fine) OR 2) EHEIM Canister Filter OR 3) NO FILTER AT ALL and simply rely on the LR and LS for filtration and just go with a Skimmer (I have in mind something like the Red Sea Prizm H.O.T.) Will any of these sustain the inhabitants I have described above?

Any advice/suggestions on the FILTER/SKIMMER Issue would be very much appreciated. Thank You Very Much

 

[Len]

hey there,

No stupid questions here Skimmer recommendation is actually one of the more frequently asked questions.

You will probably find that experienced hobbyist have a poor opinion of skilters. It's something nearly everyone has had once, but also something everyone has moved on from due to ineffectiveness. My experience with them tells me they really don't do much protein skimmer, are rather loud, and on top of that, mine broke when an anemone got sucked up its intake :? (this was about 10 years ago).

If you can religiously do water changes (e.g. weekly 25%+), you can do without a protein skimmer. But it's a lot easier and safer to use one. Alas, decent skimmers all cost a good chuck of money, neighboring around $100. Good choices for a 30 gallon are AquaC Remora, Precision Marine HOT-1, and CPR bakpak. Even a cheap internal Lees air-powered skimmer will work better then a Skilter. Personally, I recommend you invest in one of the first three skimmers I noted. In the long run, it'll give you lots more leniency against mistakes and will ultimately be cheaper then the Lees (if you factor in airstone replacement and air pump price). For a $100-200 investment, you may very well save that much worth in livestock, not to mention less headaches that stem from water quality instability.

That's just my opinion, of course

 

[ReefMan75-20-15]

Sorry to bust in on your post Hammer-Head but Len, would you also suggest these skimmers for a 20g. I too am looking for a really good skimmer. Price is not an issue here.

 

[liquid]

Yeah I'd recommend any of those skimmers for a 20 gal. I'm a little gun-shy of the BakPak tho as I've had problems with mine in the past on my 38 gal tank. I'd vote for either the Remora or the PM HOT-1.

BTW...welcome to RDO!

Shane

 

[srbayless]

Howdy,

I agree on the AquaC skimmer for you tank. I have been using a remora pro on my 40g for a year and never had a problem. You mentioned the red sea prism, but I would stay away from that. The AquaC doesn't cost that much more and can handle a larger tank. Also, I purchased a prism for my tank when I first set it up, but returned in less than a week because of the noise and lack of skimming.

The lighting sounds like more than enough for a few mushrooms, but make sure you find out the light requirements of the LPS you want to put in the tank. Don't add too many crabs or snails to the tank. A 30g should only need a few snails and crabs, especially since your feedings will be small with only a few fish.

Good luck,

Scott.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey there , welcome to RDO , glad you are asking questions.

My reccomendation from personalexperience is the Aqua C Remora - probably the best performing, low maintenance and easy to set up skimmer going. You can actually get good performance from some of the cheaper skimmers like seaclones, skilters , prizms etc but it usually involves serious tweaking and / or buying additional parts to make it work.

Remora no doubt -several of the sponsors here at RDO sell them - I can wholeheartedly reccomend Marine Depot and Premium Aquatics if you are willing to do mail order - stellar service and excellent varietyof products.

 

[kparton]

I just started up my 50G tank with a Remora. I used a Prizm previously and I would very highly recommend the Remora. It was simple to set up and I am skimming much better than I previously was. With the Prizm, I was either pulling out mostly water or nothing at all. Also, the most frustrating thing was that it just quit working a lot. It's intake was so passive that any obstruction would cause it to stop working. The Remora is much easier to get to and service and works much better.

At www.inlandreef.com they have them with free shipping right now. That's where I got mine.

 

[hammer-head]

Thank You all for the feedback, it has been most helpful. I think the choice is clear, Remora is the winner.

One last question if you don't mind just to be clear. Will the Remora along with the LR and LS be sufficient for my filtration needs? Will I need anything else or will this do the job for a 30 gallon.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

[liquid]

That's all I run: BakPak skimmer (wish I had a different one), liverock, live sand, monthly waterchanges, maybe run carbon occasionally. That's pretty much it.

Shane

 

[hammer-head]

Can you please give me some details on the carbon. How much, how often, and how to apply in the tank. Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Get the best hangon skimmer you can afford and thats all you will need as long as you have enough cured Liverock. I myself like to use a hangon filter too. Do not use a cannister filter. They are a pain in the butt and can become clogged without you knowing it. They can also start spittin out acidic water.

 

[hammer-head]

BangBang,

Thanks for the response. What kind of filter do you recommend. Thanks

 

[Expos Forever]

The Remora/Remora pro is the way to go IMO. Have you considered a slightly larger tank? IMO a 55 gallon or so is a better "starter" tank. The extra water volume provides a bit more stability than a 30 and may stave off the iwannabiggertank disease for a bit. Just a thought.

 

[jwwill0]

Can someone please tell me how much space is required behind the tank to use the AquaC Remora?

 

[Reef_Monkey]

The box for the AquaC Remora is about I think around 3-4 inches deep, not much. I have a 55Gal FOWLR and I am running an AquaC Remora protein Skimmer and I love it. And I agree with Save_the_Expos (except the Expos CAN NOT be saved) that a good starter tank would be a 55. Good luck with it.
GO EXPOS!!

 

[Anonymous]

You can't go wrong with a Bak-Pak 2. Have Fun!

 

[BrianH]

Hammerhead,

The LR, DSB and remora will handle all of your biological filtration needs. The only thing you may want (not needed) is a small HOT filter to use occasionally for any chemical media.

Brian

 

[Anonymous]

I use Aquaclear Filters with Carbon and Phoshate Sponge. I change it monthly.

 

[jwwill0]

Can someone please tell me how much space is required behind the tank to use the AquaC Remora?

 

[Anonymous]

Can someone please tell me how much space is required behind the tank to use the AquaC Remora?

I believe it is four inches......but I like to leave 5 -6 inches behind my aquariums.... Then just about anything you need will fit.