Filtration questions

mayb keeper

mayb keeper

Member
The skimmer that I got with my tank is junk. Running for 2 weeks and no foam. Not even close. I just read that you can skim with black diamond carbon as long as you replace it every month.
My three options are:
1. To buy a remora pro for my 75 g to use for the next 6 mo-1year which I will then use on a 29g tank I will set up at that time.
2. To wait 3-4 weeks until my cycle is over(which, of course, is code for I get 2 more paychecks) and buy a very nice skimmer for my 75.
3. To use the carbon instead of option #1 and buy a very nice skimmer in six months to a year.
Any thoughts?
 
mayb keeper

mayb keeper

Member
I dont know, but looks very cheaply made. I'm pretty sure it will never provide any quality skimming, so I ask about other options.
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
The skimmer I got w/my Sealife Systems wet/dry filter was junk so I got a HOB Seaclone for my 55. I have read comments from other here on the SWF forum that they too have had problems w/the skimmer that came with their initial tank setup. It was easy to setup my Seaclone and it works great. Any skimmer can take awhile to start producing foam and if you have a very small bioload there may not be enough waste and DOC to make any foam. Have you been adjusting airflow on your current skimmer? You don't want too much air (lots of bubbles in the discharge) or too little air (absolutely no foam production). It can take some fiddling to find that sweet spot. Also, I found that too much stress coat can interfere w/foam production
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
I would suggest getting the remora skimmer (I just ordered one for my tank) so you will have at least a good skimmer going for your new tank. It would be an investment that would work for you now and would still be useful down the road, especially in the 29 gal tank you mention. Going this way wouldn't be a short term waste of money that you might regret later on.
As for carbon, my experience is that it is effective at removing DOC's, etc. from the tank, but not as effective as a good or even a mediocre skimmer. If you don't have a large bioload, this could be a band-aid way to go along with possibly getting your current skimmer to start working just a little bit. Even junky skimmers should be able to be made somewhat functional. I would question the one month interval that you mention for changing out carbon. I have canister filters w/carbon and run them for a few weeks only before changing the media. With the paper cartridge filters I also use, reduced water flow tells me when to change them out but my carbon cartridges will still flow long after they are gunked up.
Hopefully someone else will chime in on carbon intervals.
 
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