EEL problem.....and ammonia spike question

i have the marineland advanced 100gal...sitting in my tidepool 2 wet/dry ....is this one okay? ...wasnt cheap....

 

i havent heard anything on the advanced, i know the pros can be touchy and are so- so hopefully yours is better.

i can probably give you a estimation of its performance, if you tell me how many days before it pulls a full cup of skimmate?
what is the skimmate like tea colored? thick-sludge?

name all your fish, tell me there size in inches?

how often do you feed?how much? what is it?

 

see, i dont know if i have it set properly. it says to set the water level til i begin to see dry bubbles in the neck..doing so, what i've collected is mainly thin...not sludgy.. i've got carbon deposits in it i guess b/c i didnt rinse the carbon pillow completely......but...the water is fairly clear...perhaps a brownish tint......it doesnt really fill up...i dumped it last a week ago...then just now...there was about an inch of water in there...the cup was slimy, though...........all i have is that eel(20'' long, and no thicker than my pinky), and dogface puffer(apx 4" long, and, for reference, could fit thru a toilet paper roll)... I try top target feed the eel, but he doesnt eat( no waste there)....the puffer, i just put in on tuesday, has been eating 2 large freeze dried krill in the AM, and 2 in the eve, along w/ a portion of frozen brine shrimp......he eats it, but loses alot w/ each bite........ i have about 65 snails, and 10 hermits.............during the cycling, i kept a domino dmsel in.... he ate once a day...brine shrimp.....water parameters were fine then(except nitrates, which had always stayed at 40)...no ammonia though..... i took him back after adding the eel 3.5 weeks ago....there was no spike after i added the eel...........does this help?

 

its definitely producing less then i would expect even if the 20 inch eel doesn't eat. how long has the skimmer been setup? i know the pros could take a month at time to start producing well.

did you put a carbon bag in the skimmer itself? if yes does it say you can do that as it may be inhibiting the bubble production.



as for your nitrate level, do you ever rinse your bioballs in saltwater? as crude can build up on them and cause a rise in nitrates

 

btw this is a long shot but worth atleast having for the future. do you have a ground probe in the tank?
as it could be current in the water upsetting your eel. some fish are very sensitive to electrical impulses. they are only 10 or 15 dollars and i would think there worth having as insurance for faulty equipment or your puffer which can bite through power cords in the tank.

 

to answer you, soustoudt, i've been running the skimmer for 4 weeks now(i heard it was a 3day break in period...i had been fumbling w/ adjusting it...it's pretty sensitive to the water lever in the sump(this model)...i guess since the pump, though removable, is kinda built in underneath....which means it save space.....i have marineland tidepool wet/dry filter....has like 4 stages of filtration....1st, is my diamond activated carbon, followed by 1 course pad, and 2 other pads.....then the big biowheel, which plays host to my very important bacteria(i dont touch it).......but the carbon in the skimmer cup is from the carbon pillow in my sump....my skimmer is in my sump, along w/ 1 200w heater, and my return pump....and some live rubble.....i have a marineland cornerfl tank..and got everything that was recommended for it......i do have a heater in the tank, but i only have about 4" of cord exposed...and it runs horizontal @ the water line........... do you still suggest a probe? would the heater and pumps be causing elec currents...if so, how... i think i'll get one as a precaution.......... I really dont want this eel to die...and maybe he wont, but he looks like death

 

if any part of the electrical wire frays or plastic cracks in side the pumps it could cause a small amount of electrical current get into the tank, most of the time you actually cant feel it yourself.
i have had plenty(atleast 3 i can remember) of powerheads in my tanks and sump go bad and cause pretty strong current that i could feel, so i assume theres probably been some i couldnt feel.
dont forget accidents like droping the light in the tank too.

do you think it may be a oxygen issue?

do you notice any thing funny about the animals body other then being emaciated?

if you can get it too eat there is a good chance it will come back. i just got a damsel a month ago that was so emaciated its sides and head were concave, and its nice and fat now.

edit: a worn out seal thats no longer water tight is often a common problem instance of pump problems

 

is this the skimmer you have?
Marineland Advanced In-Sump Protein Skimmer 100 Gal
does it seriously use a maxijet for the pump?

btw most of my shocking expierences in my tank were with maxijets.

 

yeah. that's the skimmer, and it used a maxijet....i mean...it's brand new though....and sits in sump....do u think it would be faulty already....... i guess my 2 koral 3's would cause a current too.....they r new, as well.....but a ground probe would prevent/stop this if it exists?
..... the puffer looks good....the eel, other than being being emaciated........ well that bulge at his gills sometimes looks too big(dont know how big it's supposed to be). it looks identical to pic of other snake-banded eels.......... the girl at the LFS said that he sometime had an air-like bubble midway down his body that they would guide up towrd his gills......i have never seen this. The guy at the store(who is far more knowledgable) said that he researched it, and that it was common.normal........ so no...nothing noticably off w/ his body.
Regarding the oxygen... the tidepool 2 and biowheel is designed for this....... after the water filters thru my pads, it drops about 3-4in in "air" before hitting biowheel, causing it to spin....the biowheel is half way submerged, and is always spinning(getting air and water)....the water, then spills over a partition(where i keep my heater) into the main part of the sump........ so i think it well oxygenated, do you?

 

i looked on this site so far its seems one have had success with it, but a few that seem like there where your at.
i would play with it more see if you could get it to work better. i think the sump water level is very important for that skimmer.
if it doesnt start producing more with that puffer eating, i would worry then.

the maxijets that shocked me kinda had to be roughed up a little before they caused problems, but nothing more then regular use in my opinion, they were to stir saltvat.

the maxijet probably hasnt gone bad yet, i just asked because while they have potential to be great powerheads after a sureflow kit, stock they suck really bad, and wouldnt be my choice for a skimmer pump.

for food you can by regular guppies, setup a ten gallon. start slowly adding salt over a few days until its reaches your tanks salinity. then you can add them, guppies can live in saltwater so they wont die like ghost shrimp. i would only do this in extreme cases, feeder fish can contain parasites. also when you try to feed it frozen stuff put the food right in front of its face. dont be afraid to lay it on his face basically

you oxygen is probably ok if your puffer seem fine and you have a wetdry.

could this bump be a goiter?