rio nano protein skimmer

beeguiles

they call me fish geek ;p
So I checked out the skimmers at my lfs today and they had three types. The Rio hang on back. A submersible one. Didn't like the look of it and one that I couldn't afford lol. So I got the Rio nano for my 29g. I realize this is underkill but its better than no skimmer at all. Soo I put it on the tank and everything and the directions say it can take 24 hrs to start to foam but mine was on there for about half an hour and it already is foaming pretty well. Is this normal? I am at work right now, when I get home and I gonna find tons of foam coming out of the skimmer? It seemed to be putting the foam out at a fast rate. This is my first ever skimmer so I have no idea what to expect. Any advice is appreciated! Also I read that things might need to be adjusted on it? How do I know if I have to adjust something?
 
Maybe it's working right away. Do you use any tap water conditioner? If so, that will make it foam more.

In the future, I'd stick to buying equipment online instead of at the LFS. I can pretty much guarantee that if you look up the prices you pay for equipment at the LFS, and you look up the same stuff online, not only will there be a much better selection online, but the prices will be anywhere from 25% to 50% lower than what you will pay in a fish store.
 
No I don't use conditioner. I know that you are supposed to but every single tank I've had without using it has been perfectly fine. I try not to use any chemicals. I agree but I am trying not to use my credit cards. I tend to get a little pit of hand with online shopping bc its just so easy to get to your max when all you have to do it click this and click that and then your credit card bill is horrendous lol. I did get my led lighting system online for cheaper though.
 
You are not supposed to use water conditioner. If you are using water conditioner it means you are using tap water, which is not good. ;)
 
My skimmer has been breaking in for two or three days, its foaming nice and pulling out like algae coloured water, is that like yours??
 
The skimmate is, quite frankly, going to smell like a sewer, really bad. The foam coming up and spilling over should be relatively dry, and the skimmate should be dark, like coffee, maybe not that dark. Once it gets broken in it will start to pull some real "chunks" of stuff. Make sure you clean out the cup and the throat to keep it working properly, and don't use any soap, just hot water and wipe it clean with a sponge, then rinse it out and put it back.
 
So using tap water is bad? How come? If you use tap water and have a skimmer won't the skimmer pull the bad stuff out? And I just got mine today so the foam doesn't have any color to it yet.
 
No because tap water contains chlorine and copper, along with other crap that can affect your tank and its contents.
 
A protein skimmer won't clean 100% of the water -- only the water that passes through it. And it only removes dissolved organics. It will not remove heavy metals.

Tap water can contain metals, nitrates, phosphates, chlorine and chloramine. Using tap water can lead to all sorts of problems, like neverending algae problems and an inability to keep inverts.

Using RODI water is one of the most important things you can do for your tank.
 
You can buy an RODI unit and make your own at home. You can get it from your fish store, or you can buy it from any grocery store or Walmart.
 
You get an RO/DI unit for around $100-$150 online. Or many lfs sell RO/DI water for very cheap per gallon.

Just make sure you get a TDS meter either way. This will make sure that you actually have pure water. If its reading over 10 ppm its time to change the filters. Its very important to check your lfs water because they often dont replace the filters as often as they should. You can buy them online for around $15, be sure to get the calibrating fluid for it.
 
My local home hardware has a RODI unit, to fill up the blue cooler bottles, so i use that, and its pretty cheap.
 
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