Back on the Saddle...

[theclemsonkid]

I'm not exactly new to SW, I'm just several years removed. I had a 55, then upgraded to a 90 reef and fish tank. At the time, I didn't have a sump, refugium, QT, skimmer, or anything else. I basically had day and night T5 lighting, a basic filter, heater, and three powerheads. That was it. In that simple setup, my corals and livestock all did really well, until one day stray current from the electric heater basically killed the whole tank.

It's been about five years since then, and I really miss my old tank. I'm thinking about getting back into it. But this time around I wanted to be more educated and aware of what I'm doing. So, I guess what I'm hoping for is a "Reef Tank for Dummies" type webpage, or blog, or even a physical book.

I want to know how and what a protein skimmer is and does, how I should be dosing, how I can set up my own water top off device, RO water, etc. A lot of stuff I see a lot of people talking about that I really just don't know a whole lot about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[snakeblitz33]

Welcome back to the forums man.

To answer a few questions, ...

A protein skimmer is basically a mechanical type of filtration. What it does is create many small bubbles for large organic molecules to attach to and then they get foamed up into a collection cup. The protein skimmer removes proteins, planktons, diatoms, algaes, flocculants, and stuff that can break down into nitrates and phosphates for algae to thrive in your display tank. It's a beneficial piece of equipment that gives long term success to a tank.

Dosing is really up to the user. some people prefer manual dosing, others prefer automatic two part dosing, there's also kalkwasser dosers as well as calcium reactors. Most of the time the easiest way of maintaining chemical balances is by water changes.

Top off units are easy. JBJ is one of the medium grade top off systems and it is also in my opinion one of the most dependable. You have to have a separate container and the unit with an aqualifter pump. What the system does is keep the salinity stable.

There are a lot of good books to read on the subject. I like Tony Vargas book. The Reef Aquarium volumes 1-3 is also a great start. The conscientious marine aquarist by Fenner is a good starters book. There are also many more specific books on the subject, depending on what your interest is.

Lots of information to digest, and too much to cover in one post. Try a search for "guides for new hobbyists" and read a few articles.

 

[theclemsonkid]

Alright. So lets say I get a 90 gallon tank this time. When you have a protein skimmer, how exactly is that integrated into the tank? As in, is there a water line from the tank into the skimmer, and then a return line back to the main tank? Do you have to have a special drilled tank, or one with a special chamber for a protein skimmer? Also, I understand if you have a sump tank, you can up your overall volume, as well as help filter things more? Is that also something that you can operate with a line in/line out type setup? And lastly, how exactly does a top off system work? Do you just keep it filled with x number of gallons, and then it automatically fills when needed? Thanks so much for all the info!