Nano skimmers ***Pics added***

[Neo_TA]

Anyone out there running a nano reef with or without a skimmer? If yes what type? If not, are you running a airstone of any kind?

I just set up a 7gal mini bow. So far with just live rock,sand and a DIY refugium on the back. I'll do water changes every week so is it nescesary? Water quality, oxygen level.....

[ February 08, 2005, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: Neo_TA ]

 

[bad coffee]

I ran a 15 gallon high for two years with a backpack2, a 7 with a hang on fuge, and a 10 with a hang on fuge( the output was above the water line. I figure a little more evap and a bit of salt creep were worth it.) neither had a skimmer. So I always had good gas exchange on my tanks.

With a nano, you HAVE to keep up on the water changes. End of discussion.

Save the money you'd spend on a skimmer and get a top off pump. I've got a litermeter and the thing has saved my arse!

BC

 

[Justin_NY]

Neo_TA---thats good enaough. i used to have 10 gallon tank with only refugium and they work fine with me. only problem with nano, is the evaporated so quick. so my sugestion get small float switch.

 

[House of Laughter]

I still have a 7g minibow at work with a pistol shrimp a watchman gobie and some LPS and SPS.

No skimmer, no fuge

Haven't done a water change in 5 months it has a 94 powerquad on it and things grow, but not quickly which is what I want since there isn't that much room to grow anyway@!

House

[ February 07, 2005, 09:06 PM: Message edited by: House of Laughter ]

 

[stingnyc]

Jim,

I'm currently setting up my 5.5 gal nano and I'm not planning to use a skimmer either... But what do you use to keep the water temps constant, I tried a 50 watt heater and almost fried the tank. The temps were at 92 degrees!!! Also do you use a small HOB filter? I might rig up an aqua clear and use it as a fuge. LMK

Thanks

Steve

 

[Neo_TA]

Thanks guys. I give it a go without the skimmer then. Water quality wasn't to much of a concern as like I said its just so easy to do a 20% water change everyweek on a 7gal compared to my 90gal at home. My concern was oxygen levels. MAybe I'll just put an air stone in the refugium.

I actually do have the litermeter allready, you absolutely right best thing I could of done. Its only been running since saturday but it looks like I'm evaporting about 1 Liter a day.

House..
5 months dam and with all that light,I gues your not feeding much?

I only have 4 13W PC's in the hood, only looking to do softies zoo's. SPS is at home.

StingNYC
The refugium I built myself out of plexi. I drilled two slots in the back glass and attached my plexi box(refugium) to the back. Its working out great. It adds about 1.5gal of capacity with the semi deep sand bed in it. No other HOB. I hear the Aqua clear works good also.

Let me try and get a pic. I very happy with how it looks.
Don

 

[Neo_TA]

7 GAL

 

[Neo_TA]

Refugium

Refugium2

Refugium3

 

[aaron]

I have a 15 Gal High tank that i originally ran a prism skimmer on, I have tried a few other thing but they were either too loud or bulky to be satisfactory. After all this worry i have had nothing on the tank for a couple of months and everything still looks pretty good, I was actually thinking of "souping up" the prism by adding an airstone to the reaction chamber. will post with results one day soon
Aaron

 

[Neo_TA]

I guess only time will tell. I probably wont add fish for another 4 weeks or so. Well maybe, im using water from my 90 at home to cycle so maybe less. more worried about oxygen exchange.

 

[rickytsui]

what did u cut the tank with to make the overflow

 

[Neo_TA]

Rotozip with a carbide tile bit.

 

[MrAnderson]

I'm running my 6 gal eclipse right now skimmerless. I have about 12 lbs of LR in it, and I use a small palm filter just as a place to keep carbon and phosban in media bags. It's been up for about 6 months, and so far, so good.

People have told me I'm full of it, but I haven't had any detectable nitrates any time I tested (salifert). I attribute that to effective denitrification due to the high LR:volume ratio. Also, I have no fish... that helps alot.

I'd love to add a sump, but I really wanted to make this work in the tank alone just as an exercise in simplicity.

 

[nanotank]

I don't run skimmer on my 2.5 or my 5.5 gallon nanos. I've got a palm filter on the 2.5 with some rubble in the bottom of it. Tank parameters have been just fine with weekly water changes.

2.5 gallon

I got an AQ150 HOB filter on the back of my 5.5 with rubble rock in it as well. That tank is absolutely thriving.

5.5 gallon

I do have a prizm on my 20 gallon though.

[ February 10, 2005, 02:54 AM: Message edited by: nanotank ]

 

[Neo_TA]

Absolutely beutifull nanotank.

Thanks for the advice, but just want to make sure it doesn't look like there are any fish in those tanks? I was possibly going to do one a goby, havn't deceided yet.

 

[nanotank]

Nope, no fish in either of those tanks. I had a clown goby in the 5.5 for about a month then found him dead one morning. Those fish can be such pesky eaters. If you do get one, I'd suggest making sure you actually see him take food at your LFS. I think ours down here were caught with cyanide and are basically sick when we get them. I'm not the only one who has had one die on them here recently. Either way, I still wouldn't run a skimmer in my tanks unless I had three or more messy fish.

 

[Tiger Lily]

Hey,

About that home built fuge - nice job. Did you just cut the plexi and silicone sealent it all together? What is holding it up?

Thanks,
Anne

 

[bad coffee]

Great setup Neo. My hang on fuge kept the tank algea free for a while.

(that tank looks strangely familiar!

)


BC

 

[Neo_TA]

Thanks for the heads up on the goby. I have a good LFS so I sould be safe from the cyanide issue.

Thanks for the compliments, I used Weldon #40 to put it together and its siliconed to the glass of the tank. Weldon isn't the easiest thing to use but I got the hang of it after awhile.

I had forgotten who I had bought it from coffee it was so long ago. Yes it was the one I got from you. Thankyou

By the way. The cycle is taking place just today I noticed the first algae cycle. Going to do a water change tomorrow and pick up some snails.