Protien Skimmer

[Gashauler]

http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/pumpman3480/20140216_1421451_zpscee7c4f5.jpg

[Gashauler]

http://i1348.photobucket.com/albums/p725/pumpman3480/20140216_1421551_zpsd10351a4.jpg

[Gashauler]

Okay...So I'm a complete newby to saltwater. My question is does this look right for a skimmer that has only been running for two days??? There s no foam and I thought that was the way it worked

[shifty51008]

if there is nothing in the tank to skim then it is normal, plus there usually is a break in period that can last about a week, this gets the oils out of the skimmer and creates a slime coat.

but yes it looks normal.

[1fishkeeper]

Looks good to me. You will be having to adjust it here in a few days as it starts to break in.

[Gashauler]

There is 4 fish, 10 hermits, lr and ls in there but the tank is only 4 days old. I did what my lfs said and now after finding this site I'm thinking they aren't as knowledgeable as they make themselves out to be.

[shifty51008]

on a 4 day old tank, yeah that LFS is not a good place to get info from. either bring the livestock back or get ready to do daily water changes to keep the ammonia levels down. hopefully the LR was fully cured and not much die off happened when you transported it.

Good luck

[Gashauler]

I also have a fluval 206 canister filter...will that have any bearing on water changes. they tested my water yesterday and said it was perfect.

[Gashauler]

Thanks for y'alls help

[nlgill13]

I also have a fluval 206 canister filter...will that have any bearing on water changes. they tested my water yesterday and said it was perfect.

Nope...As for the LFS that said your water was perfect, I would be very wary of that. You really should test your own water regularly for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate (ie every day or other day). I would suggest getting an API saltwater test kit for this.

Any amount of ammonia or nitrite in you tank is bad for your fish and inverts. Try to take them back to the LFS until the tank has fully cycled (this usually takes 4-6 weeks).

[skidoctor]

Never take "perfect" as an answer from a LFS. Get hard numbers, even create a journal so you can keep track and pass that info on to others on this website. Better yet, get your own test kits and then you have no need to trust a LFS who's main goal is making $.

[acabgd]

Also, canister filters are not the best solution for saltwater tanks. They can work, but require thorough cleaning weekly. Protein skimmer should be enough.

[Gashauler]

Okay...S I ran to the store and bought a tes kit. Results are PH-8.0, which I know is a little low. Ammonia-.25. Nitrite-.25 and Nitrate about 10

[julie180]

Your tank is cycling. Ammonia is toxic to livestock. I highly recommend taking all fish and hermits back to the store and start reading the stickies at the top of this forum.
Also, find another LFS!
Keeping a journal of water tests numbers is extremely important to good reef keeping.
Best of luck and glad you found your way here.

[Gashauler]

Thanks to all of you. I don't know that taking the fish/hermits back are an option but there is another lfs in town I'll start going to

[Reel North]

not to advocate this, but I have read that if you are stuck, adding prime will make the ammonia not-toxic

Im sure others will chime in on that

[R1ant04]

Wondering what LFS did u go to?

[gigabyte]

you should ditch that canister filter, or maybe just use it polish the water during maintenance.

[bpaston]

Patience is a virtue when stocking the aquarium, the tank needs to be allowed to cycle and develop the beneficial bacteria required for the denitrification process. And as fish are added try spacing out the bio load you place on the ecosystem. As shocking the tank with all the fish you plan to have at once will shock the tank and the existing bacteria may not be able to keep up with the load and may cause a rise in your ammonia.

[Gashauler]

I went to b and b r1ant04...are you from the mobile area??

[Gashauler]

Also why no canister filter...did the lfs trying to make money get me???

[shifty51008]

canister filters are considered nitrate factories, unless you regulary clean them. I wouldn't say they just were tring to make money, but they arn't used in SW tanks very much. you can use it to run carbon and GFO (phosphate remover) though but I wouldn't run anything else in them.

[lwhite37]

I'm new to SW too and also running both a canister and skimmer. Have noticed the canister doesn't seem to collect much while the skimmer is pulling out lots of 'goodies'. Is that the general consensus that the canister is not needed in SW?

[Gashauler]

According to everything I have read and been told on here they are not needed.

[Gashauler]

I have also read on here if you plan on having hard coral in your tank they filter out a lot of the food for them...maybe someone with more knowledge could expound on that.

[swk]

I would ditch the canister as well. I'm a total newb and followed some advice that I thought was crazy...So, I don't even use filter socks in my sump. Surprisingly, my tank is crystal clear

[lwhite37]

I guess I'll try running without it for awhile. Thanks that makes sense about losing the food for the corals.

[Dustyboots]

+1 no canister, filter socks definitely (multiple so you can change them frequently)

[Dustyboots]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/20/3ehe2e4y.jpg
My new goniopora after 1 day

[Gashauler]

upon further research and thought I think I'm going to turn mine into a phosphate reactor??