do i buy a p/skimmer? first post new to this!!

hey everyone

just bought the river reef 94, really pleased with it!

the tank has been runing for about a week now with 3 large rocks and one small, also has live sand and coral at bottom.

so far have seen about 6 blue star fish, 3 worms, 3 snails and some tiny shrimps all must of come from the live rocks!

everything is doing well part from the shrimp that died about the third day in!

got home the other day after being away for three days 2 find brown algae in the tank all ready!!!!

question 1 shall i leave all the lights off until i get the clean up crew? or is it worth buying a fish that eats the brown algae? blenny?

question 2 when i set up the tank the man at the LFS said i wont need 2 buy a skimmer yet as the tank is set up with all it needs, is it worth buying one yet? and taking out the white n black bags?

question 3 saw something on youtube about bad worms? the 2 worms iv seen are prritty small n look like blue n redish are these okay for the tank?

really greatful if someone can answer any of these questions for me

 

Wow wow wow.... U need to slow down sorry to bash u but three weeks with all of this and fish are on your mind. I waited 3 months to put my clean up crew. the Alge is a cycle and will dissipate over time. No fish tell u test u water. A skimmer is a must with a reed tank. The worms IMO are bad all are bad to me. Some like them. Pleas read and ask for help and welcome to the form

 

I agree, you need to slow down. Your tank should still be going through the nitrogen cycle and you don't want to change anything at this point. The only thing you need to do right now is get a test kit and keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels.

The need for a protein skimmer depends on a lot of factors. Some may argue that it's an absolute necessity regardless, but I've seen a lot of beautiful reef systems running without one. I believe it depends on what you plan to keep and what other filtration you have... I.E. if you are going to do soft corals with only a few fish, given you have adequate filtration and circulation, you may not actually need one at all. If, on the other hand you're planning on SPS corals, then a skimmer would be a must as most SPS demand absolute pristine water conditions.

As for the worms, reality is it would be most helpful if we could see a pic. The vast majority of worms are actually beneficial to your system, with only one exception- the Hawaiian Fireworm.

Good luck with your new system. Keep us posted on it's progress.

 

cool, thanks for ya interest

3 months 2 get clean up crew, wowww u r extremely patient!, thort i was 2 but getting 2 excited with me tank!!! lol (sad)

because of all my brown algae I decided 2 buy 5 snails and 2 hermits and see how they do! 3 days on they r looking great and eating loads! going 2 be very patient and not get any fish for sure!

Iv tested the water alot recently and its still all fine, part from the ph is slighty low , am wanting it 2 be another 2.0 more. Its showing light green but needs 2 be dark green im told, but says on the net most things are happy with that apart from corals which im not getting for ages!

will try and take a pic when i see them next! lol plus im hoping 2 get a all rounder tank with a bit of everything! but not 2 much at the same time.