70l Nano Journal

[SkiFletch]

how often do you feed? . Skimming helps reduce phosphates in an indirect manner. By removing proteins that contain phosphorus, you help remove phosphates before they get into the water column

 

[JaminRat]

Small amount in the morning and evening.

Also scrub my previous post I've found a container I forgot I had that holds enough for a 50% change so that is warming up at the moment. I've run out of Rowaphos and couldn't get any locally but did manage to get the API version which the LFS manager was adamant was better so I'll give it a go. Also picked up an air powered skimmer for £5 new so figured it would be worth a go until I can get a better one. If it's sh!t I'll bin it but if it pulls anything out it's got to help.

I had an algae problem with one of my FW tanks and I was feeding Nutrafin in their at the time and have since changed to Tetramin and that solved the problem in their. I'll stop using the Nutrafin and stick to the frozen and pick up a different type of flake in the new year.

 

[rhysiboy]

just a prediction the skimmer wont do jak sh** probably not even worth the plastic its made from

 

[JaminRat]

just a prediction the skimmer wont do jak sh** probably not even worth the plastic its made from

I think your probably right but for £5 anything would be a bonus it's only a temp meassure anyway till I can get hold of something a bit better.
I keep seeing the Prizm skimmers going really cheap and I know they get a bad rap but bearing in mind this is only around 18 usg would it be worth a try. Most skimmers I see are rated for much larger volumes and there is conflict over whether to overskim or not so I'm a bit confused.
I'll be doing the 50% change shortly so I'll keep you all up to speed with the progress.

 

[SkiFletch]

I doubt it won't do anything. Air skimmers are actually reasonably effective if they have a good wood air stone. The reason people dont use air skimers anymore is cause air stones need to be replaced often, and air pumps are loud...

 

[JaminRat]

I've just given it a wash in DI and run it up in the bucket which I'm making up my fresh sw in and the was a nice head of foam produced. Looks like it may work.
A bit of advice on setup as the instructions are cack. I think the head of the foam should be just below the lip of the collection cup. The only adjustment I can make is on the airstone on the outlet side this seems to raise and lower the amount of foam and obviously up and down in the water to set the level. I was going to set this level just below the base of the collection cup. Right / wrong? Then adjust the outlet so the foam is just below the top of the cone piece inside the collection cup. Right / wrong?

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, you got it. If you go too high, you'll skim mostly water, if you go too low you'll skim dry and not very effectively. Its a little balancing act, you'll get used to it

 

[JaminRat]

Yeah, you got it. If you go too high, you'll skim mostly water, if you go too low you'll skim dry and not very effectively. Its a little balancing act, you'll get used to it

Cool Saving the day again Ski

 

[JaminRat]

Skimmer on but is a bugger to get right sort of got it now was running quite wet at first and collected 1/4 cup of dirty water not thick gloopy stuff so it's doing something. I'll let it run overnight and see what collects.

 

[LouiseRat]

SIgned in as the missus oops.

 

[JaminRat]

Well my pound shop skimmer is doing something.

Still very wet but I'm still tweaking it to get it right.

Even one of my snails now has an algae problem.

And a FTS as I've not put one up for a while. I've got to get some of this equipment out of the tank it's taking over.

Forgot to mention PO3/4 was down to 1ppm a few hours after the big water change. WOOOHOOO

 

[SkiFletch]

Sweet, keep those phosphates down, good job

 

[JaminRat]

Did a quick test last night before going to bed and PO3/4 was @ 0ppm but the test was off colour so I'll retest again this afternoon.

I've also noticed one of my clowns trying to host the cleaner shrimp. She'll weave in and out of his feelers but if he tries to clean her she shoots off and comes back a few seconds later. Funny to watch.

 

[JaminRat]

Well PO3/4 has been @ oppm for a couple of days but the algae is still growing at a prolific rate. I've tried syphoning it out but the syphon wont lift it. The skimmer is still pulling gunk from the tank and combined with the Rowaphos I think is helping to keep the PO/4 down. I have discovered there is a strong chance it is the flake food that is the source as my LFS had similar problems at home while feeding it. I am now using Gamma Improvit Marine Diet (frozen mix) and also frozen brine as a treat. B)

Ammonia Nitrite both @ 0ppm and Nitrate is trace (there is a very faint reading but doesn't register on the scale). I am going to try and remove as much of the growth from the substrate as possible by hand. I don''t know how successful this will be as last time I tried it was breaking up as I tried to lift it.
I think that my problem now is that the algae is taking the nutrients it needs before the Rowaphos can remove them and the Rowaphos is taking out the rest so giving a 0ppm test result. I could really do with suggestions on how to tackle the problem now the source has gone. I'm open to most suggestions e.g. additional cuc or altering light patterns whatever you can recommend that will help to resolve this will be very much appreciated.

 

[Nalaundi]

Skimmer on but is a bugger to get right sort of got it now was running quite wet at first and collected 1/4 cup of dirty water not thick gloopy stuff so it's doing something. I'll let it run overnight and see what collects.

Ohh ohhh i heve exprience with this one...hheheh

I got one of those red sea prizm dx.... and had it on my 55 gallon fish only tank.. when I started it i had no idea what it was supposed to look like.... I turned it about half way down ( it was rated for a 100g tank) and went to work... I came home to the smell of burnt plastic.... I looked in my tank stand cabnet.. and the skimmer had been messed with and was all the way on.. the collection container (which was supposed to be emptied once a week) was majorly overflowing.. the water had gotten down under and had fried all my equipment where it was plugged in to a surge protectr... you could see that it had been on fire... I had to replace about 90% of my equipment cause they were litterally toast.. so yeah.. i was kinda nervous about getting another skimmer like that one.. sooo ummm just be careful and dont do what I did hhehe.. at least we had a house left lol