What's your opinion?

[BigLou]

I want to turn my empty 75 gal into a marine. It'll be running an Emperor 400 filter. I was wondering if you guys think I could be able to do it without a protein skimmer. I don't want to put a lot of fish, or any big fish right now. I've never done marine before, so i would start with small hardy marine fish (maybe clowns?) I figure with that heavy filtration, a couple of fish wouldn't be a problem for it. I was just going to do a regular sand bottom. I know I have to get the salt mix for marine tanks (I'll probably get Instant Ocean), but I was wondering how important it would be to R/O the water before I put it in. I don't have an R/O system, but I know somebody who does. I know my water here is pretty clean, but I also know that marine fish are very picky (for lack of a better word-I'm tired) about their water conditions. I may be leaving stuff out, it's late...but please let me know what you think.

 

[Navarre]

HI and welcome to the marine section. GOod to hear you are considering the move to Marinelife.


75 Gallon is a nice sized system and most fish can be kept in this size (maybe not the larger angel, tangs or larger trigggers).


I have never heard of the filter you intend to use so i really cant make acomment on that. You seem reluctant to use a skimmer? They are well worht the investment (depending on the filtration method you choose) but a system can be run without one. I would say that you would be able to setup the system without a skimmer but you will really need one within a few months to be honest.

RO Water relly is the way to go when setting up the tank and also for water changes. Where i live we have excellant water from our taps but i still use RO water. The water authority can without warning put trreatments in the water at any time. This can be copperbased or any other form of chamicals tht are almost certainly going to harm your tank. They also does regualr with chemicals to kill off freshwater shrimps that live in our pipes. This will be just as deadly for marine shrimpsa also ) So its very likely that your water will be fine for 99% of the year but if you use the water on the day they make a treatment then you could risk the lives of the tank. At best you would get a large algae bloom. At worst you will get a tank wipeout.

I have known people that use tap watera and they are struggling with large amounts of algae, I would chose RO every time IMO.


Lastly...
Its not that Marines are picky with their water conditions. We must remember that they live in probably the most stable environment on the planet. After growing in this water for millions of years the fish have little resistance to changing conditions. Therefore we must try to keep a stable environment (i feel this is more important than anything) for them to thrive.

 

[BigLou]

You said that using a skimmer depends on the filtration I use...can you elaborate on that please?

 

[J-Money]

look at Navarre's sig, his skimmerless setup is detailed right there for ya'

 

[Navarre]

Yeps thats right

Basically I have the benefit of a sump which means i can run a mineal mud system. This allows you to use a skimmerless filtration as the nutrients are being exported via the macro algaes. The manufacturers of mud systems actually recomend that you DONT use a skimmer with this filtration....

howwever...

I see they are now turning full circle on this and they are releasing a miracle mud pro system and this recomends a skimmer!

From what i have heard, a few people that use a mud system "with" a skimemr are very pleased with ther results. There is a shop in the uk that gives very solid aadvice and they have said that running a mud system without a skimmer is a good system.. however, a mud system with skimmer gives first class excellant results!

Because i use natural sea water i am still happy to stay skimmerless due to the fact that i feel the skimmer would remove more harm than do good from the seawater.

When i upgrade to the larger tank i dont feel i can continue with natural sea water so i may well convert back to a skimmer then.

For most filtration systems though, A skimmer really will work wonders for your tank and if you cant fir one right away you would be doing yourself an injustice NOt to use one

 

[White Whale]

Or instead of fish, get just one nautilus. Those are really cool! B)

 

[chkltcow]

Don't use an Emporer filter with it. I know people complain about wet/dry filtration being a "nitrate factory".... and the Emporer is a bio-wheel, a wet/dry system. The easiest way is to get an AquaClear 500 for your chemical filtration, and load up on live rock and let it handle biological filtration. Or, the best way is a sump/refugium setup like Navarre can explain to you, I'm sure. Read the threads on sumps that have been around here the last week or two.

Good luck

 

[hyrookin]

yeah, the aqua-clear is a very good filter. simple design, easy to maintain,
and works very well.

 

[Scorp1on]

Have the emperor running here with no problems. everything is right in line. on the water side we are having the inevitable algae bloom that come from not using RO water (little tight to do for us right now but working on it). just went through the slime algae stage. boy is that ugly