smilliej
New Member
I have a 16gallon reef tank, that i am in the process of re-organizing after a few
mistakes in setting up. Firstly, i removed the undergravel filter and crushed coral as
it was causing high nitrate levels in my tank (loss of my fishes). I replaced it with a
1" layer of coral sand.
My tank now consists of:
Aqua One 2x20W light reflector w/ 1x Marine white 9,500K and 1x Marine Blue Actinic
10kg / 22 pounds live rock
2kg / 4.5 pounds coral sand
Eheim 2008 Internal filter - output 150-300l/h
5 x turbo snails
3 x spotted cleaner shrimp
1 x ball coral (not doing so well)
1 x branch / tree coral
I think i need two things:
1x powerhead for additional water flow.
Some sort of protein skimmer.
My LFS suggested I should not get a power head as they are just a waste and can be problematic,
that I need more filtration as the Eheim filter does not provide enough surface area for
bacteria. I thought I had enough of that with all the LR in the tank.
So he tried to sell me another internal filter (2 internals in a 16g tank?)
Anyhow, my question is, was his suggestion correct or should I stick to my original plan
with the PH and skimmer? Also, any suggestions on a skimmer for 16g tank?
Also, im doing 20% changes weekly at the moment because since removing the CC my
nitrates are 80ppm+, and also cleaning out the filter. Should the filter sponge be cleaned in
the tank water? How does this effect the bacteria.
Sorry, so many questions... just getting to grips with this extremely addictive hobby.
mistakes in setting up. Firstly, i removed the undergravel filter and crushed coral as
it was causing high nitrate levels in my tank (loss of my fishes). I replaced it with a
1" layer of coral sand.
My tank now consists of:
Aqua One 2x20W light reflector w/ 1x Marine white 9,500K and 1x Marine Blue Actinic
10kg / 22 pounds live rock
2kg / 4.5 pounds coral sand
Eheim 2008 Internal filter - output 150-300l/h
5 x turbo snails
3 x spotted cleaner shrimp
1 x ball coral (not doing so well)
1 x branch / tree coral
I think i need two things:
1x powerhead for additional water flow.
Some sort of protein skimmer.
My LFS suggested I should not get a power head as they are just a waste and can be problematic,
that I need more filtration as the Eheim filter does not provide enough surface area for
bacteria. I thought I had enough of that with all the LR in the tank.
So he tried to sell me another internal filter (2 internals in a 16g tank?)
Anyhow, my question is, was his suggestion correct or should I stick to my original plan
with the PH and skimmer? Also, any suggestions on a skimmer for 16g tank?
Also, im doing 20% changes weekly at the moment because since removing the CC my
nitrates are 80ppm+, and also cleaning out the filter. Should the filter sponge be cleaned in
the tank water? How does this effect the bacteria.
Sorry, so many questions... just getting to grips with this extremely addictive hobby.