Skimmer and filter for a 20 gal Reef

[Brooks_McClary]

I am putting together my wish list for building a 20 gal reef tank. I have been keeping a 5 gal reef with very good results for several months and now I want to get serious. I have some questions regarding my Skimmer/filter options...

1) Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Skimmer - Is this too big for a 20 gal? What is the GPH coming out of the unit? Does it work well enough to be worth the $$? Is it loud? I had a Skilter several years ago, it was worse than worthless and made a terrible noise.

2) I also want to put a mechanical/Chemical/Biological filter on the tank in addition to the skimmer. With the live rock (I'll have about 20 to 25 lbs in the tank) do I need a biological filter? My two options are:
-Emperor 280 BIO-Wheel Filter
or
-H.O.T. Magnum Pro System with Bio-Wheel.

Is this too much flow on the tank with the skimmer too? I want a HOB solution. I'm pulling my hair out!

[Steven Pro]

1.) The Prizm skimmers are ok, but there are far better choices.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/protein_skimmer_impressions.htm

2.) I would not invest the money in a filter like this. Instead, consider a small refugium instead. CPR makes several models or you could build your own out of a Hagen power filter.

[killagoby]

I had a Prizm and it sucked. I am using CPR's Dual BackPak now and I love it...

[Brooks_McClary]

OK, you are the second person to recomend a refugium... What's the deal?!? I understand a fair ammount about the aquarum hobby but I guess this is over my head... Here is what I know:

1) It creates water movement.
2) You put live rock in it which acts as additional bio filtration and denitrification.
3) sand or mud in it... Additional bio filtration and denitrification.
4) Many people grow macro algae in it. Is this a neccessary part of making it work? I like the idea of the algae eating up my waste products (I mean the aquarium's waste products).

Aren't there more efficent ways of doing this? If it really work's I'm all for it BTW.

Do you recommend the HOB style with a built in Protien Skimmer?

[Brooks_McClary]

I just saw the AquaFuge PS Refugium. It says it is 23.5" wide. does anyone know if it will fit a 20 gal high? What kind of light would you use? Is the Protien Skimmer worth while?

[killagoby]

Yes the protein skimmer is wotrh while. As for the refugium, I dont know too much about them, but on that small of a tank you could study the different ways of making a sand bed and live rock act as your main biological filter... The Berlin method, Monaco Style, or the natural style method...

[Steven Pro]

Originally posted by Brooks_McClary
I just saw the AquaFuge PS Refugium. It says it is 23.5" wide. does anyone know if it will fit a 20 gal high? What kind of light would you use? Is the Protien Skimmer worth while? The protein skimmer is essentially a CPR Bak-Pak, a decent performer, better than the Prizm's. As to whether or not it will fit, I don't know. It will be close.

[Steven Pro]

Originally posted by Brooks_McClary
OK, you are the second person to recomend a refugium... What's the deal?!? I understand a fair ammount about the aquarum hobby but I guess this is over my head... Here is what I know:

1) It creates water movement.
2) You put live rock in it which acts as additional bio filtration and denitrification.
3) sand or mud in it... Additional bio filtration and denitrification.
4) Many people grow macro algae in it. Is this a neccessary part of making it work? I like the idea of the algae eating up my waste products (I mean the aquarium's waste products).

Aren't there more efficent ways of doing this? If it really work's I'm all for it BTW.

Do you recommend the HOB style with a built in Protien Skimmer? As for the reasons why to use a refugium, see here
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/refugium.htm

[sterling18]

Originally posted by Brooks_McClary
I am putting together my wish list for building a 20 gal reef tank. I have been keeping a 5 gal reef with very good results for several months and now I want to get serious. I have some questions regarding my Skimmer/filter options...

1) Red Sea Prizm Deluxe Skimmer - Is this too big for a 20 gal? What is the GPH coming out of the unit? Does it work well enough to be worth the $$? Is it loud? I had a Skilter several years ago, it was worse than worthless and made a terrible noise.

2) I also want to put a mechanical/Chemical/Biological filter on the tank in addition to the skimmer. With the live rock (I'll have about 20 to 25 lbs in the tank) do I need a biological filter? My two options are:
-Emperor 280 BIO-Wheel Filter
or
-H.O.T. Magnum Pro System with Bio-Wheel.

Is this too much flow on the tank with the skimmer too? I want a HOB solution. I'm pulling my hair out!

I currently run the exact system you want to put together. With a bit of help from the good folks here andy my local reef keeper society, http://hvreef.org/yabb/index.php.

Here is what I got.

I've got a 20g with a Aquaclear HOB filter converted to refugium. I got a sea(clown)clone (someone from the club gave it to me to use since they upgraded theirs) I did the DIY mod with the bioball. 250 MH light 10K XM, ordered the blue LED moon light strip that can be underwater which I plan on putting at the water line. Got some sand from someone, added some sand from my own Nano cube and bam, instant seeding. Quick cured my LR 7 days (goto the seachem forum, we have a thread about their stability product). One 29 lb piece and 10 lb of softball size and smaller rubble. The rock stunk like something died (which something did). After 7 days, smelled was gone. Params were 0 across the board.

My tank has been going for about a month now. I transfered all my coral into this new tank a week ago. The skimmate it's pulling out is nasty as can be. The cheato has doubled in 3 weeks time. Oh yea, as soon as the params went to 0, i introduced the cleanup crew, all 35 of them, and a brittlestar. The cleanup crew is cleaning my LR and I'm still reading 0 across the boards. I see pods all over the place. I don't have fish though, not sure if I want any.

Save your money and don't buy a filter, use the LR as mother nature intended you to. If anything get more LR. Don't worry about too much flow as when you have your LR it will cut down your flow anyway.

Believe it or not, my seaclown is pretty quite. The AC fan in my pendant is louder than that. I don't really hear it anymore. lol

[Brooks_McClary]

This makes a ton of sense...

Thanks for the feedback. I guess its not so much the technology but good live rock and good care of the tank.

[Brooks_McClary]

P.S. What is Cheato?

[Steven Pro]

Chaetomorpha aka spaghetti macroalgae