Skimmer ?

[scu95821]

Ok before you click the link. I know this isnt big enough for my tank but I am looking for a temp solution.

I have a hang on skimmer but have had two clsoe calls with over flows and I am out of town at least one or two days every week and am concerned about coming home to a dry tank and wet floor.

Aquarium Filters & Water Quality: Current SubCurrent Internal Wet/Dry Filter

I want to add a sump and put my skimmer in it. then I can have cut off switches and all kinds of fancy stuff.

any other ideas appericated.

 

[ccCapt]

I'm not sure I know what your question is. You are having issues with your skimmer overflowing and you posted a link for a wet/dry filter. They are not the same thing and both serve a different purpose.

 

[Altohombre]

I think it is an alternative solution instead of the HOB skimmer he is posting about.

 

[dcantucson]

I don't think that in tank wet/dry filter thing could ever replace a skimmer even in temporary usage. Especially on a 55 gallon tank.

 

[scu95821]

I think it is an alternative solution instead of the HOB skimmer he is posting about

What he said

 

[Bifferwine]

I would pass on the wet/dry altogether and just do extra water changes until you can get a skimmer.

 

[darren0311]

Dude, you will need at least 3 of them, I had to run 2 of them on a 30 gallon tank at one point and you are always cleaning it. it comes with 3 compartments in there, 1the overflow with filter pad, 2. small bioballs in a mesh bag and carbon, 3. The pump.

On the upside to these, I have a little 15 gal frag tank which i run one with a HOB fuge and it works great, VERY QUITE too..

your going to spend $40.00 on it anyways,

Just buy a ten gal tank, Cut glass or Acyrlic, i am sure you can find a used mag 7 and an overflow box or drill it yourself if you do this with the overflow box, it will cost you around $80.00, if you drill your tank and use strainers 50-65 , and put your HOB skimmer in the sump..

think about it!

 

[scu95821]

I cant drill it the fishies they would not be happy. I want to do it right which is why I want to wait and get a decent sump going. I guess I'll do more smaller water changes if thats ok.

 

[darren0311]

I am a little lost with your response, I was recommending building a sump for only a few dolars more that what you would spend on those skimmer filters.

 

[Rcpilot]

Slap a cheap HOB refugium on there. The refugiums on this page have built in skimmers that work pretty good.

Scroll down past the back-pak skimmers to the HOB refugium. 2 sizes. You need to supply a powerhead, as they do not come with a pump. I used the small version on my 10g frag tank (overkill) for about a year.
http://shop.aquatraders.com/Hang-On-Back-s/37.htm

No room behind the tank? Screw it! Hang it on the front or the side. It's only temporary until you get the sump going.

 

[darren0311]

RC I totally agree with you on that one, BUT what kind of fish is he going to have in there, some of them have HUGE bioloads, A HOB fuge isnt a bad thing but they are simply NOT big enough for a 55 gal tank.

I have never seen in my life a Beautiful reef tank with some fish in it and lots of coral have a HOB fuge.

 

[Rcpilot]

But he's only going to use it TEMPORARILY. That's the whole key in this little puzzle. It's a temporary fix - sort of a way to add additional filtration - cheaply and efficiently - until he can get the sump up and running.

I think the large HOB would be the PERFECT solution until the sump is operational. It's got a built in skimmer that ain't too shabby. It will hold a DSB in the bottom. Granted, it's a small skimmer and a small DSB. But it's better than nothing. If he seeds the DSB with live sand (this is the ONLY time I'd advocate paying for olive sand - get the jump start - get it working QUICK - any other case buying live sand is a waste of money) it will begin working faster and begin getting a handle on any nitrates. Drop the cheato or other macro algae in there and a cheap clamp-on light.

The skimmer will start working in 3 or 4 days and the DSB in 6 weeks.

 

[darren0311]

For a 55 gallon tank, are you talking about one of them HOB refugium with built in skimmer?? If so I totally disagree, But it is his chioce on what to do. You have to have so many Sq ft of Mud or sand whatever your using, multiply that by 5 if your using sand, Thats the correct way the refugium works, and your going to add a skimmer on top of that, you ar lucky to have 1/4 of th fuge recommended for a 55 gallon tank. an on top of that the Skimmer is Nowhere near big enough.

 

[Rcpilot]

You still don't seam to understand the point. It's temporary. It's only supplemental filtration over what he has right now. The sump parts are being collected. He's probably waiting on the big brown truck to deliver some parts. It will be 2 or 3 months before the sump is functional. This is a temporary and supplemental solution. It'll work for a couple months. I wouldn't rely on it as a long term solution for a tank that size.

Agree to disagree though. You say tomatoe and I'll say tomato. :Cheers:

 

[scu95821]

Dude I bought the same one you have. My problem is I travel for work a lot and I am afraid of an over flow. I had two near over flows already. I know that probably my fault for setting something up wrong but it ran fine for 3 days before the last near over flow.

I usually go out of town for 1 or 2 days but sometimes its a week or more.

When I have spare $$ i want to get an ATO. My girl friend is my ATO now but i'd like one that works more efficiently. Don't tell her I said that.

She is a good auto feeder though.

 

[darren0311]

As a temp yes, it will work. but please get that sump going as soon as possible, I will help in anyway that I can.

Darren

RCpilot, I totally get ya pal, Agree to disagree, I wasnt bashing you by any means bro...

 

[Rcpilot]

Dude I bought the same one you have. My problem is I travel for work a lot and I am afraid of an over flow. I had two near over flows already. I know that probably my fault for setting something up wrong but it ran fine for 3 days before the last near over flow.

I usually go out of town for 1 or 2 days but sometimes its a week or more.

When I have spare $$ i want to get an ATO. My girl friend is my ATO now but i'd like one that works more efficiently. Don't tell her I said that.

She is a good auto feeder though.

I know. It is touchy. I've overflowed mine 3 or 4 times. Finally just set it and forget it. It's not overflowing and it'll skim when the water gets dirty enough to actually produce skimmate. Screw it.

I'm lucky though because mine is in the sump. If it overflows, I just dump the cup and turn the adjustment know about 1/16 turn to let more water out instead of pushing it up into the cup.

My wife feeds the fish every day. I'm not hear at 10am when the lights come on. I have to do the top offs though. She would do it if I was out of town though. I have trained her to use the RO pump and fill buckets. The problem is I fill the buckets in the sink and then lift them out when they are full. She's 5'4" tall and can't lift a 5g bucket out of the sink. So she has to leave the bucket on the floor - and sometimes she forgets about it - and she's been a couple messes on the kitchen floor. :grumble: I've done it too. :frustrat:

Get one of those HOB refugium and sideline the Aquatraders skimmer for now. I wish I was closer. I'd put your sump together and plumb it for a ride in the plane. Hint!! hint!! How much fuel does that thing use per hour? 8 or 9GPH? I think my friends Cessna 195 with the Jacobs radial uses about 17GPH cruising. It cruises at 180knt

 

[Bifferwine]

RC, get your wife TWO 5-gallon buckets! Fill one up halfway, then switch it out for the other one, and fill that one halfway. That's how I do it -- I have a hard time moving a full 5-gallon bucket myself!

 

[Rcpilot]

Thats a good idea, but she's really only had to mess with the buckets once or twice.

Most of the time I am home when I need to refill those buckets. If I'm not home, she just unplugs the pump when the bucket is almost full. Then she waits for me to get home and wrestle the bucket out of the kitchen sink. I fill them in the kitchen sink because I'm a space kadet and I forget about them. I'll bet I've run several hundred gallons of pure RO water right down the drain.

Hey!! Happy New Year!! :Cheers:

 

[darren0311]

Bif, you cant move a 5 gallon bucket??