Skimmer Question

J

jreimers

Hi all,

I have a 36 gal bow front, which I have been having decent luck with running an Aqua Clear 70 HOB and a CPR Bak-Pak protein skimmer. Based on input from several people I decided I would be better off using a refugium so I purchased the large CPR Aquafuge 2 and set it up.

Here is the problem...

My tank dimensions are 30"L x 15"W x 21"H. The Aquafuge 2 dimensions are 25.5"L x 4.5"W x 12"H. The CPR Bak-Pak dimensions are 7.5"L x 3.2"W x 17.25"H. Simple math shows the issue... I can't fit the Aquafuge and the Skimmer on the back of the tank.

So my questions are .. Do I need a skimmer or will the fuge suffice? Is there a HOB Skimmer with a smaller footprint available?

Any comments or suggestions greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jody
 
I'm pretty new to the hobby myself but I think the answer partly depends on the bio load in your tank and the frequency of your water changes. With a low boiled and regular water changes you might not need a skimmer.

Absent adding a sump, could you hang the skimmer on one of the ends of the tank instead of the back of the tank? Otherwise if you are handy with woodworking or acrylic you might be able to put some support underneath and put the HOB skimmer on the back of the Aquafuge. Not hanging on it, but supported underneath but placed where it can still work on the Aquafuge.

Best bet if it were me, I'd hang the aqua clear on one end of the tank and the skimmer on the other end with the Aquafuge on the back.

Erik

@jreimers wrote:
 
There is a way to mod the AquaClear 70 into a fuge. I don't have the link handy but there is a guide on how to do it over on Nano-Reef.
 
what corals do you have?

how often do you feed and amount?

are you religous to do water changes?

any macro algae in your tank for nutrient export?
 
Thank you for the information about the AquaClear.. I'll look into that option as well.

As for corals I have a small frogspawn and a small kenya tree. I also have two small false perculas, 2 emerald crabs, and about 6 hermits in the tank. I feed once a day. Articpods for the clowns. I do 10% water changes every 3 weeks. Well it's more than 10% as I am doing 5 gallons every 3 weeks... I guess that is closer to 15%-20%. I have macro algae in the fuge as it would be eaten by the emeralds if it were in the tank.
 
if that is the fish you have then i you could go skimmer less you really dont need to feed the fish every day they can be fed 4 times a week in my opinion unless you have anthias that defiently need to be fed everyday. i would bump up water changes to once every other week. just test for phosphates and nitrates if they get high then you might need to add a skimmer.

look into dragons breath macro algae also crabs wont munch on the macro algae
 
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