Best Internal skimmer for a 10 gallon

i have it but its not too bad and my emerald crab and my baby pod populations really like it, i let it grow on the back wall because its normal in any environment, too clean of a tank imo is no good

 

Is there such a thing as "too clean"?

 

yes, i can wipe off every rock with a brush as well as the back wall and the fuge - i'm sure someone else would be better to explain this but you'd be getting rid of too much "slime coat"

 

I don't knwo about too clean as far as the glass - it can be wiped clear, or not. I like to keep my background clear fo all algae, so it is just black glass. But you certainly don't have to. I clean it so I have great photos when I get coral.

But yes, you can actually 'over-skim'. I run a coralife 125 on my 29gallon aquarium. This is waaay oversized. I got it for a 75gtanbk which ended up shattering. Anyway...a skimmer will run and run, to remove nutrients in the water column which have been produced by fish/inverts. This is a good way to 'clean' the water of unwanted waste before it turns into nitrates and phosphates. But there are limits. An aquarium has a bioload of waste put out by fish and you can actually remove too much. If water is too clean, then you begin to see (in small amounts) lower iron levels and trace elements being skimmed out.

You will have to guess and check and this will take a while, but it is best to not run the protein skimmer 24/7. Basically for your specific biolad, run the skimmer for a few hours. See what the nitrate/phosphate levels are. They should be < 10 NO3 and low PO4. Oh, and you will have to adjust the skimmer run-time if you add/remove livestock. This is much better explained in the Reef Keeper article...

Bubble traps in a sump - I think that's unnecessary as well.

Myth #14 and myth #17

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/?article=3

http://www.reefbuilders.com/forums/equipment/11532-bonnevilles-protein-skimmer-thread.html

 

So would the Biocube skimmer work for a 10 gallon, or would it be too big?

 

I've also been looking at the Tunze Nano DOC skimmer also.
Tunze Nano DOC Protein Skimmer 9002

Would this skimmer work better?

 

I have actually decided to go with a 20 gallon instead of the 10 gallon. With w=twice the water my params will be more stable for SPS corals.

 

it would work but i returned mine because it never produced foamy skim only pure liquid

 

Thanks for the review. I think I'm gonna go with the Aquaticlife internal mini 115 skimmer. and a 20 gallon tank.

 

wise choice, oceanic products are sketchy - its all made in china and it sometimes gets banged up during shipping, marine products made in Germany seem to last the longest with fewer problems in my short saltwater experience