should my protein skimmer run all the time?

cajundolphin

cajundolphin

Member
Hi, I am new to the saltwater aquarium. My tank is a 55 gal has been up and running for about 4 weeks now. About a week after setting it up I added all of my live rock that has already been cured. I just bought a protein skimmer today and was wondering if I should run it all the time? I have a bit of a problem...my tank is not far enough away from the wall for it to fit behind it so right now i just have it on the side but my lid and lights wont fit with it on the side. I figured if the skimmer is only to be used sometimes then maybe I can leave it on the side and just take it off when not using. If anyone has an easy solution please let me know. If I drain the water and move the tank some, will I most likely loose my new fish I just put in. 2 damsels were added last week and today I added a dwarf lionfish and a yellow tang.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Those that don't run them all the time still run them for 12 or more hours per day. Most everyone runs them all the time (except when feeding). It would be better to move your tank.
Just remove the rock and the fish will be easy to catch. If they prove hard, drain down some water and try again.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Oh sure save the water!
I actually had to do this once with my first sw tank (and cooincidentally enough, it was 55g).
I used (2) rubbermaid 32g trash barrels... brand new, of course. You can get them for about 12 bucks each just about anywhere. There may be an LFS that can lend you a dozen buckets.
Anyway, I just drained down the tank, moved it, and pumped the water back in. The whole thing took about 10 minutes.
Be sure not to leave your live rock out of water for more than about 10-20 minutes. If it dries off too much you'll have to re-cure it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top