Questions

[orange shark]

Hey,

I've strayed over here to ask a few questions which i asked a while ago but completely forgotten the answers.

First powerheads, I can't remember what the minimum turnover should be

Secondly protein skimmers, can you give me the guidlines for different sized tanks please

Thirdly sand, whats the normal amount of sand per gallon?

Thanks in advance, orange shark

 

[kj23502]

1. 20x tank turnover for ph

2. as good a skimmer as you can buy for your tank...ratings aren't always good. Definitely, I'd say get one rated well over what the size of your tank is.

3. substrate all depends on what animals to keep. If you keep burrowing animals then 4-6" can be needed. Otherwise an 1" or 2" should suffice. I'm not sure off hand what the lb per gallon average is.

----adding this

also I'm going to get a skimmer probably rated at around 200gallons for my 120 gallon tank.

 

[orange shark]

thanks!

So what size skimmer would u reccomend for a 20 gallon?

orange shark

 

[orange shark]

oh and also, i see people on here talking about evapouration and just topping it up with RO, does that not affect the salinity at all?

 

[johnnyjtaylor]

oh and also, i see people on here talking about evapouration and just topping it up with RO, does that not affect the salinity at all?

Nope because the water evaporates but the salt does not.

 

[kj23502]

And if someone continues to let the tank evaporate w/out topping it off sg could get too high so that's something that needs to be tended to alot

Protein skimmers for a 20 gallon

 

[orange shark]

ok thanks for that, i just assumed that the salt would epaourate too!

i found a skimmer in my lfs that was good enough for a 20 gallon for 30 quid so im going to get that!

thanks, orange shark

 

[SkiFletch]

Honestly, a skimmer for a 20g isn't really necessary as waterchanges are very easy on that size tank. And for sand, depending on the footprint of the tank and depth of sand bed you wanted probably anywhere from 5-10kg would be enough

 

[orange shark]

no skimmer? That cuts down on the price haha

thanks for that advice, i did read that smaller tanks didnt neceserilly need a skimmer but i thought i'd buy one because there wasnt a proper expert who was agreeing or disagreeing!

theres a 30lb bag in my lfs for £27.40, is that a decent price?

thanks, orange shark

Edit: well obviously that isnt a good price because i quick search revealed a 30lb bag for £18!

 

[SkiFletch]

yeah that's a little pricey for sand

 

[orange shark]

i'll have to check out some other fish shops near me when my parents have got time, see if i can get any of the equipment cheaper...there was another question but ive completely forgotten it...

edit: oh yes i remember, RO units...when it says 50gpd, i remember someone telling me it doesnt actually do 50gpd and im all confused now

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, 50GPD means that in the ideal perfect theoretical world where you've got 100PSI at the membrane inlet and a temperature of 25C at the membrane inlet it'll produce that much water. Too bad that never exhists in the home where pressure is usually in the 30PSI range and temperature (especially in the winter) significantly colder. You'll be lucky if you get half that rate in the summer and 1/4 that rate in the winter...

 

[orange shark]

so if i buy a 50 gallon ro unit tommorow, it'll produce around 25 gallons?

 

[kj23502]

That r/o thing sounds messed up If it says 100 gallons per day, I feel that's what it should do About the same as the mile per gallon rating here in the states. It never quit gets the best mpg b/c of the "conditions" of driving. They would have to be absolutely perfect

Good question Orangeshark and
Good info to know Ski.

 

[SkiFletch]

so if i buy a 50 gallon ro unit tommorow, it'll produce around 25 gallons?

Per day yes. So basically a gallon per hour.