Well then you are going to want a bare bottom (BB) or a shallow sand bed (SSB). I use a coarse sand in my SSB and it only requires a quick vacuuming with every water change. I think that if you used a crushed coral SSB you might have problems with detritus building up over time, but I'm not sure (I've never had one).
new and acquiring good equipment
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Well then you are going to want a bare bottom (BB) or a shallow sand bed (SSB). I use a coarse sand in my SSB and it only requires a quick vacuuming with every water change. I think that if you used a crushed coral SSB you might have problems with detritus building up over time, but I'm not sure (I've never had one).
is there a company for coarse sand and what grain size that you would recommend
Thanks to all for your help--there are lots of people who think that nubies like me should suffer through the same mistakes they made when they started, i appreciate all those who see knowledge as a cumulative effort.
Thanks to all for your help--there are lots of people who think that nubies like me should suffer through the same mistakes they made when they started, i appreciate all those who see knowledge as a cumulative effort.
I wanna punch that guy in the face! :lol:
Grain size? I have no idea. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not even sure it is "coarse"; I just know that it is a little bigger than the beaches in RI and that I have seen sand a heck of a lot finer.
sc18702
Well-known member
Does anyone have experience with the coralife needle wheel skimmer ? I am currently using it and it appears to be working reasonably well but have I have nothing to compare it to at the moment. I don"t want to upgrade to a more expensive model if there is not much benefit. I checked with a few lfs and they all said it is adequate but you can always upgrade to the rolls royce models but all the aquarium needs is the chevy.
Any thoughts.
Any thoughts.
Damsel13
Well-known member
I have done a few suggested DIY modifcations on my CPR Backpak skimmer "Chevy" and it really helped. I would investigate making modifications on the skimmer you have before buying the Rolls. 
sc18702
Well-known member
Thanks. Never know when it is worth spending versus staying with existing equipment.
Sherman
Has Met Willis
Those Coralife SuperSkimmers work pretty well, actually. Hopefully, you're running it inside a sump, though. The problem they have is erratic behavior, so they'll just start making skimmate like crazy all of a sudden, and overflow the collection cup and flood, but it's just clear water. If it's in the sump, it's not as big of a problem. You're just spilling over back into the sump. If you're running it HOB, you get to clean up the mess, and if you're also running ATO, you get skewed salinity. Unfortunately, every last reefer I know who has one of these has had at least one flood at one time or another.
Damsel13
Well-known member
Ah Sherman, you hit the nail on the head for my skimmer ( with diy mods) not always consistant. Is THAT why we pay so much money for something that looks so simple? ( Not my question, my husbands...)
sc18702
Well-known member
You clearly have knowledge as this has been my experience. Fortunately, it is in sump. The erratic behavior is the problem. I set the dial control and all seems fine and then sometimes it suddenly starts producing skimmate. I have left the cabinet open and watched this occur. Also, sometimes it does not produce enough. To make matters worse, it naturally gets adjusted just based on evaportation alone which is hard to compensate.
