protien skimmer and 29 oceanic biocube...no carbon cartridge needed?

[2008pollyanna]

Just purchased this protein skimmer intended for my biocube. Have had my cube perking with live rock and live sand for 2 months. It is now getting time for me to consider adding snails, sand sifters, ect..."Coral".
My question is: It appears that my protien skimmer is designed to replace the carbon filter they have on this??? Does anyone have this type of system with a skimmer? Is it okay to run this without the manual carbon and only the protein skimmer? The airstone is meant to be changed monthly. Rather like a carbon cartridge filter. So maybe its adviseable. Since the skimmer is meant to be installed where the filter cartridge is normally set in, I am assuming the system is meant to be run with on the skimmer. Can anyone give me a heads up?

[Bifferwine]

It is perfectly fine to run a skimmer and no carbon. Many people still run carbon in their tanks, but not 24/7. Usually just for a day once a week or every other week. Carbon will take bad stuff out of the water, but it will also take good stuff out of the water, so using it regularly but not constantly will help purify your water without stripping it of good elements.

As for nutrient removal, the skimmer will do as good a job (if not better) than any other filter out there. Of course that also depends on the brand of skimmer, but I think any skimmer is better than no skimmer.

Beware of skimmers that use airstones though. Airstones get clogged with salt very easily and usually aren't very efficient. Just keep an eye on it and figure out how often you're going to need to change the airstone as it may vary from what the instructions say.

[messiah023]

Polly,

I had the same skimmer and returned it in 1 day.
It was a $50.00 toy.

Biff is right about the airstone....really cheesy.

I would suggest THIS as a replacement for your 29 Biocube.
A bit more money, but hey....it's a "real" skimmer.

Good luck!

[2008pollyanna]

Hi Messiah,
Yes, I agree...THAT skimmer looks much better. But, since the smaller one is in my tank, I am probably stuck with it....darn it...shoot....oh poop!!!

[messiah023]

OK Polly, good luck with it....you are good to make your own judgments anyway. PS, you can replace the airstones on that skimmer with these from Petco.