Bioload

[erikharrison]

I have a 75g and a newly added 30g fuge. I want to know how hefty my bioload is. I have around 100 lbs of LR, and will get more as time goes on. My fish list issssssss:
2 Yellow tangs (big)
1 20 inch snowflake (got a good measurement this weekend)
1 yellow tail puffer
1 small humu trigger

Can I add more fish or is this pushing it?

[tony]

are you skimming adequately? if so i probly wouldnt think twice about adding another critter. i just wouldnt go crazy

[erikharrison]

Yeah I have a coralife super skimmer 65 on it. I won't be adding fish until I get a bigger one.

[tony]

i definitely wouldnt add anything with only that skimmer

there is/was a asm in the classifieds that would be perfect for it and the reviews on them are pretty phenomenal

[erikharrison]

I'd love that skimmer, but can't afford it now. Joshua, I moved alot of the excess LR out and put it in my fuge right around the return. The Coralife is skimming, but not a whole lot. Granted I have messy eaters, but they eat EVERYTHING!!!! I have been hand feeding my eel and never see any leftovers! I will have to wait to buy another skimmer, I am buying a reactor setup from Ace, so sometime shortly after that I should be buying a new skimmer. Also, what is a good HOB skimmer? I like having it outside of my fuge, and I don't want to have to start baffling anything.

[tony]

good? the deltec revews are good but its going to cost you.

i think you have a good HOB skimmer, its just on the small side for your setup/bioload. i run the same skimmer on my 37g with 4 small fish (2 clowns, dart, gobie)

hopefully this is the last time i ever run an HOB skimmer though

[erikharrison]

Yeah, I bought this one for 50 bucks from a buddy. Well worth it IMO, especially since I tore down my wet/dry last night and the hoboskimmer (hobo meaning Ace modded) is no longer in use. I put the maxijet on a media chamber that I got from Ace as well. I have been contemplating a Deltec, but that would be in about a month or so. I want to add some more fish, but I need to make sure Houdini (my eel) can't eat them! I HAD 2 clowns, but yeah, they "disappeared". I just got sick of my wet/dry, and have been wanting a sump. Then it came down to sump or fuge? Since I have a canister filter as well, I am going to pack it with mechanical filtration to help suck up any buildup gunk in my tank.

[tony]

what are you running in the media chamber?

i think that skimmer will serve you well with what you have but like i said i just wouldnt get too greedy and add to it. IIRC when that skimmer first came out it was reported on RC that it was meant for up to 100g. take it with a grain of salt though, especially since there are few absolutes in this hobby.

i wish i had more room with my tank, between my skimmer, the hydor, and the tunze i have zero room left and i would like to run a small reactor for carbon to polish my water. im thinking about putting a bag (carbon) in the return on the superskimmer to see how well just that would do.

and oh yeah, if you havent already, ditch the sponge on the return of that skimmer. ive found that filter floss works just as well if not better and i just toss it when i do a water change

[erikharrison]

This is what I have done. Yes I use the dumb little box, but I found a small piece of aquaria sponge that's really thin and I put it in the bottom, below the sponge. On the air silencer thing, it was making a TON of noise. I put a long airhose on it and it silenced it. It seems to skim alot more with it this way, and it's realllllllly black. I bought the chamber from Ace, and would recommend them. I have it partially filled with carbon, just wanted to hook it up and test it really. The chambers do not have to be in sump/fuge, although mine is. I am going to buy a light today, and this weekend I'll be adding macro, then on Monday I'll get a check on my levels.


ALSO, I almost forgot. Cliff had a HOB Filter sock holder that would work perfect for the return. I am sure Ace could make you one, but one look at the chamber may getcha!

[LoneStar]

Granted I have messy eaters, but they eat EVERYTHING!!!!


Just because they eat everything, does not mean theres waste in the water causing problems. The foods gotta come out of them some how ;)

Your max'd out with fish now. Especially with that eel in there.

[erikharrison]

I figured as much. Thanks for the information gentlemen!

[tony]

tell me more about how you modded the silencer. mine is also a little on the loud side

did you see the mods to the needlewheel with fishing line?

[hobogato]

eric, even tho i want you to buy the calc/kalk reactor from me, i think you should get a more adequate skimmer first. the reactor is much less important IMO.

[Texreefer]

A Agree with Ace on the skimmer and the Bioload itself is not too much, just with the type of fish you have it might be too much, and remember...



I have been hand feeding my eel and never see any leftovers!


Mayber your looking at the wrong end :w00t ;)

[erikharrison]

Ace if you're positive then ok. LOL Mike, I never see my eel poop, he's a hider. What's the best HOB skimmer? Tony, on the little silencer... well, here's a pic. It doesn't have to be that long, That is a multi use hose, haha.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/8052/dsc0276largech1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[tony]

thanks for the pic! longer hose, thats it? haha i guess i was reading too much into it and making it harder than it was

[erikharrison]

yeah, it's significantly quieter. It also skimms crazier! I have not tried the fishing line one yet, got a link :)

[tony]

I have not tried the fishing line one yet, got a link :)


http://www.maast.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=222659

[erikharrison]

did you add the airline? Did you see a difference???

[erikharrison]

I'm going to add ain air pump to the air intake tonight when I get home. I read it on the same thread. How hard is it to get to the neddlewheel?

[tony]

no ive been busy, i was at home depot too and forgot to see if they had any (dear god i HATE that store)

[erikharrison]

are the needlewheels easy to get to? I don't think it will be an issue, I have ripped a couple thousand laptops apart, and nothing could be worse than that right? Also, are they just tying the fishing line to itself? How many wraps did you do, and what guage was the line? THANKS! :) :) :)

[tony]

i havent did it yet, when i had mine apart cleaning it i didnt have any fishing line. id imagine any size within reason is ok, the rc thread the guy used 8# but the maast thread shows the guy used 6# with very similar results. the needlewheel is simple to take apart. look at the pics, looks like both examples have 3 revolutions of the fish line. just tie the line around one of the needles to start, then weave the line around, looks like inside out would be more efficient, then tie then line off on another needle when finished.