protien skimmer or refugium

beaner

beaner

New Member
i have a 36 gallon i want to know which one i should get
first i was told to get a refugium
then at the pet store they said i should get a protien skimmer
also what type of lighting i just have a 120v 20w it can with the fish tank in the future i do want to get corals.
hey guys my mandarin dagon is still alive i have been keeping a close eye on him he has been eating
at the pet store they told me he would be fine in my 36g
i did though google it
 
mie

mie

Active Member
first i was told to get a refugium
then at the pet store they said i should get a protien skimmer
Well if you want your manderine to survive long term you need a fugewhich will produce copepeods these will keep the manderine alive (he will eventually starve) you could skip the fuge and buy copepods regularly.
Protein skimmer is a must especially if you want corals.
also what type of lighting i just have a 120v 20w it can with the fish tank in the future i do want to get corals.
If you want corals alot of them require strong lighting with halides, attinics, and vho's,go to the reef section of the forum for more lighting questions, it usually depends on your coral selection.
 
bonebrake

bonebrake

Active Member
Unfortunately the pet store lied to you: a mandarin will not live long term in a 36 gal. aquarium. It will live two or three months because it takes that long to starve to death. It all depends on how long it has been starving at the pet store first. Even if you set up a refugium it needs to mature before it can supply a continuous flow of pods and that takes time. You would have to buy 200-300 pods each day to feed the mandarin appropriately.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top