skimmer or ro

[otem]

I just got some christmas money in the mail and don't know what to buy.I have a 180 gal tank with two tetratec 400's and a wet/dry sumpand 150lbs of lr for filtration.The lfs tells me i don't need a skimmer but i 'm not to sure about that.Or should i get a ro unit.

 

[Anonymous]

The lfs tells me i don't need a skimmer

:roll: - Why am I not suprised?

If I had to choose between the two... - RO/DI

Happy holidays and....

 

[PeeJ]

i would too...just cuase lugging water home in 5 gallon jugs sucks

 

[Anonymous]

Yep... - And so does dinos/diatoms/cyano! :wink:

 

[Len]

Same here I'd get both, but i'd get the ro/di first. It solves more problems then a skimmer does, although it's not as sexy.

 

[Anonymous]

If you have access to RO water from you LFS, and they are not soaking you for it, I'd go with the skimmer. This way, you have both bases covered for now. I've been at this a while, and I STILL lug jugs home from the LFS. I'm just not motivated to get an RO unit yet, but I wouldn't give up my Euroreef skimmer for anything.

Cheer
Jim

 

[king1522]

ro

 

[Anonymous]

Same here I'd get both, but i'd get the ro/di first. It solves more problems then a skimmer does, although it's not as sexy.

What? 8O Weird comment Len. :lol:


Why do all of you think an RO is more important than a skimmer?

Every one of you has more experience than I do, but here's my logic: If your water isn't that bad, like it reads less than 50 TDS and is pretty low on chlorine and ammonia, you should be able to throw an airstone in some jugs of it and add a dose of amquel to make it usable (I have a unit and would never do this with my crap water, but I know several very experienced reefers with great tanks that use plain tap water with amquel for all top off and water changes...having decent tap water of course).

If you worry about cyano, etc....won't that develope if the waste from your animals builds up because the only thing taking it out is floss filters...in which case it just decays in the filter unless you change them all the time. With a skimmer, that fish/coral poop just ends up as green scum in a cup.

Last, with a 180 gallon tank, he shouldn't have to do that many water changes. Top off is a ***** at that size, but even in my 72, I really don't have to do any water changes at all, having zero ammonia, trites, and trates. So if his tank is that big, all he has to really worry about is small water changes now and then and the top off water.


I think the skimmer will get rid of a lot of material that will end up roitting in the water as it flows through the system and will just create more trates that will need to be removed by more water changes.

I would get the skimmer and haul water home.


Oh...almost forgot another point: The RO unit may or may not remove what is bad out of your water. When my city water ammonia went way up to over 1ppm, the water ciming out of the unit was at almost .25ppm...not good. I had to add a DI chamber and the ammonia was still there. Things have calmed down now, but it goes to show that RO is not perfect.


Good Luck

 

[MiNdErAsR]

You should have both. Quit beating around the bush and get both.

 

[JennM]

RO first. Nothing else matters if you do not start with the best possible water quality.

Unless of course, you have easy and inexpensive access to RO water, then I'd get the skimmer.

Jenn

 

[Anonymous]

I would get the skimmer if I was not having any problems with my water.

 

[Mogo]

I don't HAVE to have a skimmer, but my tap water quality says I MUST have an ro.