ordered my tank and etc

[reefer2b]

So here's what I've got coming
37G tank (I had to go with smaller size than I wanted. I'm putting it in my bedroom but if I need to move it to the living room I only have room for a 30" tank)
Stand, T-5 lighting, Fluval 305, Fiji Pink Sand, heater, 2 power sweep heads, IO salt. He gave me a package price of $500. The LFS guy said he'd also throw in 6 damsels to help my tank cycle quicker ( I know, I know) If I wanted to. If any are still alive he'd take them back and give me a store credit.
The only thing I need to add is the LR. I'm thinking of donig 11lbs of LR and 30lbs of base rock.

 

[yote]

Wheres the pics?
Just be aware that those power sweeps will eventually stop sweepping.They'll still work for flow though.
Looks like you got a plan going,Good luck with it.


PS
Dont forget your test kits.

 

[reeffreak]

Not that it can't be done with the equipment you listed but I highly suggest a good skimmer in that package.Perhaps a skimmer in place of the canister.If you decide to keep the canister,clean it regularly or they can become nitrate/phosphate factories which leads to nuisance algae problems.I would check with them for better powerheads like maxijets.Those power sweeps are junk,the rotating outlet will eventually stop,get stuck and the flow are horrible compared to how large those pumps are.

 

[reefer2b]

I will be picking up the stuff; hopefully this weekend. He had some things in stock and is ordering the other. I decided I'd wait and pick it all up at once. So no pics yet.
I'm hoping that since the filter is rated for twice the size of my tank it'll do ok. LFS said he's seen lots of people with problem levels get a skimmer and still have problems and then figured out that it was a different problem and vice versa. He suggested we wait and when/if I have problems he'll help me figure out how to trouble shoot it. Be that buy a skimmer or something else.
Power heads, I figure for now their cheap enough - on sale at half price. If they stop sweeping they'll still move water and with two that's more than enough for my tank size.
Also my lfs guy said not to buy the test kits yet. He doesn't charge for testing the water and he has better quality tests than what he sells. He said once my tank is up running and stable then the tests are better to make sure it is staying within acceptable ranges. He did sell me a hydrometer so hopefully I'll be able to get the salinity within in range. He'll double check that for me too. I know they can be unreliable but it's better than not having anything and running to the lfs all the time.

 

[reeffreak]

Sorry,I don't agree with your LFS.IME,a good quality skimmer is the single most important piece of equipment you can buy,certainly more so than a canister.Remember ''knowledge is power'',don't blindly follow and rely on what a fish store tell you.

 

[poolshark181]

although it's interesting he isnt trying to sell you a skimmer, perhaps he really does believe it. there are some that run reef tanks without a skimmer to no ill effect.

 

[yote]

Sorry,I don't agree with your LFS.IME,a good quality skimmer is the single most important piece of equipment you can buy,certainly more so than a canister.Remember ''knowledge is power'',don't blindly follow and rely on what a fish store tell you.

Reefs 100% correct.
I wouldnt set up any salt water tank without a skimmer.
Heres what I think is happening.You'll start having algae problems,so he'll gouge you from something to kill it out.
You'll have fish die,he'll do his best to sale you another fish.
you'll fish will get ick,he'll sale you medications for it that will probably kill your inverts.
How are you gonna know when your tanks done cycling if you dont have kits for ammonia,nitrite,and nitrate?I wouldnt even trust the guys at the LFS I help at on that one.
See what I'm getting at?

 

[reefer2b]

I might be "old school" but I feel better with the filter and I can always add the skimmer, which is what I was thinking anyway. I think his thinking with the kits it that he has had people that obsess with their new tanks and test all the time and wind up using it all up before they should even begin to worry. At least that's what I got out of the conversation. If you don't have the kits you can't get obsessed with testing and drive yourself crazy in the first few days trying to fix what ain't broke yet.
I also figure since I've got 6 free damsels coming to me, if they die I'm not out any money on fish at first. If they live I can exchange them for something better.

 

[cthegame]

How will you remove all the toxins from your water without a skimmer? I had the same "Frame of Mind" (for you freak) about the filters but oh how wrong i was. I realized that the skimmer's purpose was what i thought the filter would do. I thought the filter will remove the toxins from my water, but nope, its the skimmer that does that job.

Maybe you too have your aquarium Poles reversed. A skimmer is a better filter than a "filter" itself. Once you grasp the concept of a skimmer you will see just how essential it is to your tank.

I really dont see how you can keep the tank running for too long without a skimmer. Good luck though!

 

[Bifferwine]

A skimmer completely removes the toxins and organics from the water and isolates them in a cup, which you dump out into the sink. A filter traps the toxins and organics in media such as carbon or filter floss, but your water is still moving through them. Thus, there's potential for the toxins and organics to get re-released into your water. Which is what DOES happen eventually. That's why filter media needs to be changed every so often, because it will start to leach back into the water all the crap that it's accumulated. I would choose a skimmer over a filter any day. In fact, I don't think that filters are necessary at all in saltwater setups. A good skimmer is all you need.

 

[reefer2b]

Is the skimmer mainly good for fowlr tanks or reef only or for both. I ask because I never had one (15yrs ago) and had no problems with my fish. I had a ug that died (and left tons of crud in the crushed coral), then a HOB on a 55G tank.

 

[cthegame]

When you see all that dark, nasty & smelly stuff in your skimmer cup after only a few days, you will be glad you have something that is actually removing these chemicals from your water. Even if filters do remove all these toxins (which i doubt), its better seeing the actual result of removal.

 

[cthegame]

Is the skimmer mainly good for fowlr tanks or reef only or for both. I ask because I never had one (15yrs ago) and had no problems with my fish. I had a ug that died (and left tons of crud in the crushed coral), then a HOB on a 55G tank.

For both. Reef tanks probably even more so than FOWLR.

 

[fishbait]

I agree that a skimmer is the best choice for filtration. but, if you decide to run the canister instead, be sure to clean it weekly, and do larger than normal water changes. that's what it will take to keep up with the job that a skimmer does.

 

[reefer2b]

larger than normal? what would normal be on a 37G tank?
won't the LR help out with the filtering also? The canister didn't seem to be that hard to clean out at no more so than the HOB that always dumped water on the floor and chunks of salt back into the tank. With the canister being rated at 2x the size of my tank (it's rated for up to 75g or so) would I still need to clean it once a week?

 

[UnderwaterWorld]

around 10% once a week or around 20% a month depending on ur bio-load

LR is ur best filter

yes you would still have to clean it once a week because it's still going to build up a lot

also make sure you have enough flow in ur tank

 

[yote]

For a skimmerless tank,you'd be better off changeing 20% of the water once a week,over the normal 10% for a tank with a good quality skimmer.

 

[fishbait]

the rock is the bioligical filtration. It contains the bacteria that breaks ammonia and nitrites down. the skimmer is the mechanical filtration. it removes doc's (dissolved organic compounds) as the canister is also a mechanical filter. except it traps things in it, and the water still passes through the traped debris, thus still contaminating the water. canister filters are ok to run occasionaly, but not as a main source of mechanical filtration.

 

[ladypheesh]

my two cents is that you need the test kits as well. Once you get running it's a good idea to test daily just to monitor the progress of your cycle. You don't have to obsess over it, but I think home testing would be easier than running to the LFS every day.

 

[Bifferwine]

If you do not clean the canister filter on a regular basis (weekly), nitrates will start to build up in your tank. I used to run a canister filter on my old tank and had nitrate problems constantly. Removing the canister filter cut my nitrates in half.