[mrayburn]

Ok, I have the 120 with a decently stocked livestock load, 13 fish and quite a few corals, imo heavily stocked. Currently I am running a Coral Life Super Skimmer 65 (sorry to whoever I told it was a 220) I know I am running a way under rated skimmer as I have found out and my nitrates are above 80 ppm and I'm desperate to get them down, things are dying left and right and I've done water change after water change. I've found a product called AZ No3 that is given great reviews to lower nitrates in a matter of days or weeks depending on tank size and bio load. I'm going to try this, but I need a bigger skimmer but I'm stuck on what to get, should I go for broke and get the $500.00 Euroreef or go a little reserved and get the Aquamedic Turbo Floater Multi. My friend had the Turbo Floater and gives it good reviews, says it's the best skimmer on the market for the money in the lower price ranges until you get into the ASM's or Euroreefs. My LFS runs a Turbo Floater Multi on their display tank which is a 210 covered in corals, I mean very little live rock showing, and maybe 7 or 8 fish. What do you guys reccommend, please help me decide!

[Ninong]

I believe the Turboflotor 1000 Multi would be adequate for a 120-gal tank reef tank but not for anything larger.

Have you read all the manufacturer's cautions on AZ-NO3?


Here are a few of my favorite lines from that very lengthy description of the product:

Fourth Generation Formula: The previous discoloration & blackening symptom has been fixed. (I'm glad they fixed that little problem.)

Since that it is not bacterial-based, its potency will not be affected by any other additives, medications and supplements. (Based on their description, the product causes bacterial respiration to utilize nitrates. In other words, it's food for bacteria. The bacteria then consume the nitrates.)

Watch your ORP while using this product and use BioOxygen Tablets if there is a need. (The bacterial bloom that consumes the nitrates will also lower the oxygen content, so watch out for the possibility of oxygen depletion.)

It is obvious from their description that the resulting compounds must be removed either by efficient protein skimming or polyfilters, otherwise they will breakdown and you won't have any net reduction in nitrates.

Some people have reported that they used this product and were satisfied with the results. Some people have reported that it caused "cloudy water" in their tank. Some people reported that it didn't work for them.

Let us know how it goes. Just read the manufacturer's description first so that you will know what you're dealing with.

[mrayburn]

Thank you for the reply. Is there a good protein skimmer out there for people on a budget?

[mrayburn]

I should mention that I might upgrade to a 210 gal. if I can get things under control so I would like to find a skimmer for a tank this size.

[Ninong]

I don't think the Turboflotor 1000 Multi would be adequate for a 210-gal tank. You'll probably have to spend somewhere in the $400-$600 range. There are lots of good choices.

[Ninong]

I forgot to mention that some people who tried AZ-NO3 reported problems with cyanobacteria that they attributed to the use of this product.

[mrayburn]

Thanks for the info! I did an 60 gallon water change 2 weeks ago along with removing the top 1/2" of my sand bed and shook off all my rock before water change. My nitrates went down to 25 ppm. Then bought a turbo floter multi skimmer and been running it for a week and nitrate are aboutt 20 ppm.