[Reefer769]

hey,

im starting to worry about all these bubbles just sitting on top of the water towards the sides, it kind of looks like foam, can anyone tell me whats going on...

- i have a peguin bio power filter, its up to 20 gal, and i have a 10, maybe i need to buy something additional that im missing? like a protein skimmer or a sponge filter?

[James]

What you probably need is a protein skimmer with some type of pre-skimmer to skim the surface of your tank. This is what I suggest:

http://www.cpraquatic.com/products/bakpak.html

and maybe one powerhead for circulation.
Live sand and live rock will also help in the cycling of your tank water.

"Most important" since this is your first tank, go slow. don't spend alot on fish, becouse your tank has not cycled yet and you will probable lose the ones you have. But don't let this discourage you. ( ask your pet store if they will take your fish back for store credit or hold them until your tank water is ready). check your water chemistry daily or have your pet store do it for you. Ask alot of questions and read some books on marine tanks.

Good Luck

[Reefer769]

wow, you think i should toss my filter? what would i use for filtration then? just a good protein skimmer with a filter in it already, right?

[Reefland]

No, just a protein skimmer and good quality live rock. To get rid of the film you are seeing, some device to filter the surface of the water (a skimmer with a surface skimmer) or a powerhead aimed up towards the surface to move the film into the water column for removal by another type of filtration will work too.

Scott Z.

[Leddy]

i'd say keep the filter in untill you get a skimmer, but take out the bio-wheel and carbon cartridge, its just gonna be for water circulation. a small powerhead as scott said would be good to mix up that foam, and for more water turn over. but def. go with the live rock and a skimmer.


Live Rock
Skimmer
Powerhead


leddy

[Reefer769]

could you recommend some products for me, cuz i dont wanna buy a cheap skimmer or a cheap power head and end up wasting money. thanks

[Leddy]

get the best skimmer you can afford, i use a SeaClone, but some on the site will say no to that. for a 10 gal, it should be fine, and they run around $80-$90. as for a powerhead, go with a maxi jet 1200 or something thats gonna pump a lot of water. i use 2 penguin 1400's, and a maxi jet for my skimmer. i'm sure other people will let you know about other skimmers, and how the SeaClone is called the SucKlone on the site. i didnt like my skimmer till it was about 2 weeks old, because for those first weeks, it was still breaking in, and not skimming. then all of a sudden it started pulling out all this black muck.

leddy

[Reefer769]

thanks leddy,

ill take your advice on the seaclone and look around for one. hopefully everything works out great.

[Reefer769]

oh yea one more thing leddy,


give me your advice on all of these protein skimmers.

[Leddy]

i'm not really familiar with any of those, but from what i hear the bac pacs(first pic) are good, also ive been hearing alot about the AquaC Remora skimmers, i guess they're the top quality, but for a 10 gal, a SeaClone 100 should be perfect. i'd get some more LR and scape it so you can make some hiding spots, instead of just placing it on the substrate. maybe like 3 or 4 more chunks just to help stack it. i'm going to be getting one of those bac pac skimmers from a guy at work that is used for about 30 bucks, so i'll let you know how it works.

leddy

[Reefer769]

alright thanks leddy
ill be waiting to see what you have to say about the bak-pak.