Protien Skimmers?

[danelle]

Hello everyone. This is my first post so be gentle! I am currently cycling a 75 gallon tank been up for about a week now I am using live rock and damsels to cycle. When buying more live rock today my LFS owner told me I would need a protien skimmer soon. He suggested a bak pak. He wants $170 and I have found it on the web for around $130. My only filtration at this point is a Penguin 350 bio-wheel. I know I will need more filtration but my question is would it be better to go with a bak pak which has both biological filtering and the protien skimmer or buy another penguin 350 (or emperor 400) and a protien skimmer. While I want to set the tank up right I don't want to go overboard on money at this point so trying to stay away from canisters for now. If I should go with a stand alone skimmer do you have any suggestions on what skimmer does the best job without costing an arm and a leg?

 

[rbaldino]

You don't "need" a skimmer, but if you want one I would suggest an AquaC Remora Pro. It should be able to handle a 75 gallon tank. Whether or not you want to run a hang on back filter is up to you. Really, your live rock is going to be doing the biological filtration.

 

[danelle]

Thanks. LFS owner said the live rock could cause the water to smell. Is this a possibility?

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Danelle
Thanks. LFS owner said the live rock could cause the water to smell. Is this a possibility?
If it's not cured, you might smell it. After that, you won't smell much of anything, unless you get close.

 

[danelle]

thanks again. a few skimmers I was looking at are:
Aquarium Systems Seaclone Protein Skimmer - 100 or 150
Red Sea Prizm Skimmer
Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Hang-On Skimmer
heard of any of them? I am trying to stay around $70-100

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Danelle
thanks again. a few skimmers I was looking at are:
Aquarium Systems Seaclone Protein Skimmer - 100 or 150
Red Sea Prizm Skimmer
Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Hang-On Skimmer
heard of any of them? I am trying to stay around $70-100
I wouldn't go with any of those. As far as skimmers are concerned, you get what you pay for. The nice thing about the Remora is that it requires no real adjustments (except maybe collection cup height) so it's really easy to setup and use. Search the boards and see what people have had to say about the Remora.
Like I said, you don't need a skimmer, but they're good to have. Given that, wait a while and save up for a good one. In the mean time, you'll be fine as long as you're not overstocked, overfeeding, or undercleaning.

 

[danelle]

Ok good to know. After spending over $500 in the last week to buy the tank and sand and live rock and fish and everything else the pocket book is getting thin. So I think I will just wait for it to cycle, trade the damsels back to the LFS and see where I am at. This is my first saltwater. Just scared I am going to overlook something and screw it all up!

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Danelle
Ok good to know. After spending over $500 in the last week to buy the tank and sand and live rock and fish and everything else the pocket book is getting thin. So I think I will just wait for it to cycle, trade the damsels back to the LFS and see where I am at. This is my first saltwater. Just scared I am going to overlook something and screw it all up!
Sounds like you've got the basics covered so far. I should point out, though, that a lot of people frown on cycling tanks with damsels. I did it myself many years ago, and they came through fine, but it's not really the accepted practice these days. It's hard on the fish, and you may find that they're difficult to get out of the tank once established.

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by rbaldino
Sounds like you've got the basics covered so far. I should point out, though, that a lot of people frown on cycling tanks with damsels. I did it myself many years ago, and they came through fine, but it's not really the accepted practice these days. It's hard on the fish, and you may find that they're difficult to get out of the tank once established.
Agreed. Most people don't want their damsels after a they've cycled. Most are very agressive fish and can kill future tank mates. Problem is they are hard to catch once in the tank.

 

[dawman]

I use Seaclone skimmers and they work great ! There are many different opinions on what is good and not . Seems when a few start calling something junk a majority of the people jump on the bandwagon without even trying the item . Also , different forums seem to have their opinion on something and another forum thinks the item is great . Not sure why everyone here bashes the Seaclone ? I have 10 tanks and 9 of them have Seaclones for skimmers . Never have any problems and they pull a lot of crud out that filters can`t . Not saying to go buy it but don`t always believe what someones opinion is .
I to use damsels to help cycle my tanks , when I remove them I feed them and use two nets . It`s worked for as long as I`ve been in this hobby .

 

[danelle]

Thanks Dawman that helps I was wondering about the bandwagon effect. Does anyone have any advice on the bak pak? is a bak pak and a penguin 350 bio wheel enough filtration for a 75 gallon?

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Danelle
Thanks Dawman that helps I was wondering about the bandwagon effect. Does anyone have any advice on the bak pak? is a bak pak and a penguin 350 bio wheel enough filtration for a 75 gallon?
I've never used a Bak Pak, but I feel I should point something out. Sea Clones are inexpensive, but they require constant adjustment and sometimes even modification. With the Remora, all you do is hang it on and plug it in. And since most places sell Remoras at about the same price as the Bak Pak, I don't know why you wouldn't want it. Sometimes, lots of people are on the bandwagon for a very good reason...

 

[wcroft987]

Originally Posted by Danelle
thanks again. a few skimmers I was looking at are:
Aquarium Systems Seaclone Protein Skimmer - 100 or 150
Red Sea Prizm Skimmer
Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Hang-On Skimmer
heard of any of them? I am trying to stay around $70-100
i am also new to this hobby but i have a red sea prizm skimmer which hangs on the side of the tank and i think it works wonderfuly i adjusted it once when i first bought it now all i do is dump out the nastyness it takes out rinse it and put it back to work. its been up and running for about a month now and i havent tried any of the other skimmers and i am like you short on money but i think the prizm skimmer works good in my 55

 

[hogs]

I have a Bak Pak on my 72g and it works great. How many GPH is the Pengiun pumping.
Originally Posted by Danelle
Thanks Dawman that helps I was wondering about the bandwagon effect. Does anyone have any advice on the bak pak? is a bak pak and a penguin 350 bio wheel enough filtration for a 75 gallon?

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by rbaldino
You don't "need" a skimmer, but if you want one I would suggest an AquaC Remora Pro. It should be able to handle a 75 gallon tank. Whether or not you want to run a hang on back filter is up to you. Really, your live rock is going to be doing the biological filtration.
I agree completely, the best HOT skimmer, by far, I've ever used.