Protein Skimmer or Macro algae

[Lbrewer34]

So I am 6 weeks into my first reef tank, and have put off buying a protein skimmer until I set up a sump. Well, did that this weekend, but someone I bought some used equipment from was running a 150g without a skimmer and using macro algae. I don't have room in the sump for both, unless I can put macro algae in the same section as the skimmer. This will be for a 65g. Here is my current set up: 65g main tank, 20g sump, 850 Gph return pump, 2 1050 Gph power heads and about 31 lbs of live rock. I know I need more live rock, maybe I should get that first.
If the skimmer is the way to go, any thoughts on a skimmer, preferably a quiet one.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF if I haven't welcomed you already! . As for a skimmer there are so many options out there. We might need a bit more info on your sump in terms of the dimensions you have to work with where you want your skimmer to go. This will give us better idea as to which skimmer to suggest.

 

[ReefLogic]

I am going to go with Mangroves to see if I can actually remove my skimmer....until I know I would recommend Skimmer.

 

[Krish]

I am going to go with Mangroves to see if I can actually remove my skimmer....until I know I would recommend Skimmer.

You are going to need ALOT of mangroves! Do a search on it here. Not highly recommended at all because of how much you'd need just for it to be worth while. I'd stick to the skimmer IMO.

 

[ReefLogic]

Yeah I have been reading something like 1 for every 10 gallons. I was going to put 4 on a 14g nano and see how it goes from there.

 

[Krish]

Yeah I have been reading something like 1 for every 10 gallons. I was going to put 4 on a 14g nano and see how it goes from there.

Talk to Don (DonW) a bit about it. I remember him talking a bit about mangroves recently or better yet, maybe even start a thread about it and see what kind of feedback you get. I'd hate for you to toss the skimmer for mangroves and they not do the trick for you.

 

[ReefLogic]

oh no....you got me all wrong Krish. I am keeping my skimmer running on my display. I am on experimenting with Mangroves on my 14g.....not main display. IF, and again IF it works I would consider ditching skimmer. I have read online that Mangroves make skimmers obsolete. Is that actually true.....doubt it....but I figured it is worth the shot to find out.

 

[Krish]

oh no....you got me all wrong Krish. I am keeping my skimmer running on my display. I am on experimenting with Mangroves on my 14g.....not main display. IF, and again IF it works I would consider ditching skimmer. I have read online that Mangroves make skimmers obsolete. Is that actually true.....doubt it....but I figured it is worth the shot to find out.

Oh...My bad Well, let us know how it turns out.

 

[ReefLogic]

no worries. I don't think I explained it very clearly so I left plenty of room for confusion. I seem to like doing these experiments....like the LED one I did a while back. I bought a LED light that was under $100....sacraficed 15 different corals of different types and ran an experiment to see what happens. I started initially with RIO Mini Sun's and was actually a bit impressed. The shrooms took off. The I did the LED light I previously mentioned and again was impressed. I didn't lose any corals due to lack of light or too much. I did lose a Birdsnest frag....but I blame myself for that one. All else either maintained or trived.

 

[mojoreef]

Lbrewer34 welcome aboard!! Alot of that is going to be up to the bioload you have in the tank and whatyour feeding habits are and so on. Skimmers and algae kind of fight for the same products so if your bioload is small then your not going to need to run both. IMHO if it were me I would start with the algae and then add the skimmer if the load becomes enough to run both.

Mojo

 

[Skimmy]

So I am 6 weeks into my first reef tank, and have put off buying a protein skimmer until I set up a sump. Well, did that this weekend, but someone I bought some used equipment from was running a 150g without a skimmer and using macro algae. I don't have room in the sump for both, unless I can put macro algae in the same section as the skimmer. This will be for a 65g. Here is my current set up: 65g main tank, 20g sump, 850 Gph return pump, 2 1050 Gph power heads and about 31 lbs of live rock. I know I need more live rock, maybe I should get that first.
If the skimmer is the way to go, any thoughts on a skimmer, preferably a quiet one.
Thanks for the advice!

skimmers and media reactors with carbon are a simple and efficent way to keep the water clean,
and i bet you could even squeeze in a small amount of chaetomorpha or caluerpa somewhere in your sump too.
just make some extra baffles out of egg crate and ziptie some plastic gutter guard on them.
you should have room for all 3, especially with the small footprint of these 2 skimmers;
SWC150 BMK
SWC Cone

 

[Skimmy]

I am going to go with Mangroves to see if I can actually remove my skimmer....until I know I would recommend Skimmer.

oh no....you got me all wrong Krish. I am keeping my skimmer running on my display. I am on experimenting with Mangroves on my 14g.....not main display. IF, and again IF it works I would consider ditching skimmer. I have read online that Mangroves make skimmers obsolete. Is that actually true.....doubt it....but I figured it is worth the shot to find out.

I dont think mangroves can remove nutrients as fast as a skimmer and carbon,
and mangroves dont promote gas exchange and oxygenation like skimmers do.
as far as plants/macoalgae, i think caluerpa is the fastest absorber of nutrients we use.

 

[DonW]

I am going to go with Mangroves to see if I can actually remove my skimmer....until I know I would recommend Skimmer.

Going to need alot of mangroves. They work just like macro in that they use the nutrients. They grow so slow they dont do much good. You export with mangroves by throwing away the leaves that usually end up droping in your water and plugging up a pump or something. Dont get me wrong I personally think they are cool and for the coolness factor I think they add a liitle nice green to a sump or tank. More along the lines of a house plant, if you can find good well NSW aclimated mangroves then go for it.

Don

 

[ReefLogic]

thank you guys for the input. I was only leading in that direction for all my "googling" I was doing last night....led me into mangroves. I would like to add one to the display but seems they only come around 8 inches tall or so and need root in water and leaves out of water....well my water surface is 22 inches above my sand so that is literally impossible unless I want to float it in styrofoam....which I don't.

 

[Lbrewer34]

Thanks for all the input, I think I might try the skimmer first as that seems to be the more traditional route. I would lilke to try the macro maybe in conjunction like skimmy said down the line.

 

[IPisces]

I have a space issue in a 10 gal sump I have set up on my 30 gal tank. I built a 5.5"square 8" tall box (no top) out of egg crate and covered the outside of it with vinyl window screen and put macro algae in that. Its all held together with superglue gel. It fits in one corner and keeps the algae from getting into pumps anything that grows thru the screen, I just pick the box up scrape it off and put the box back in the sump.