Emperor 400

i had 2 emperor 400 running, but i had to take one out to put in my protein skimmer...would that be a problem on a 55 gallon tank???

 

what kind of skimmer? I used the emperor on my 55 with an AquaC Remora. It did very good, though I was fish heavy.

 

picked up a seaclone SCPS 150, but now i am concerned. i set it up yesterday and did a water change this afternoon and now my water is cloudy, my yellow tang and angel fish is breathing hard but the blonde naso, dogface puffer and maroon clown seem to be doing fine as they are eating. Also i tested all the parameters on my water and all is great amonia, ph nitrite and nitrates...dont know what to do right now? its my first water change since the tank has been set up about 2 months now.

 

IMO(and a lot of other peoples) Seaclone is junk. I had one and it never skimmed, just spit out bubbles and filled up the cup with light tea colored water. Make it into a phos reactor. You said Tang, Angel, Puffer, Maroon and Naso. Are there more fish in there? Those are all too big of fish for a 55 and they are (majority of them) messy eaters and poopers. You might want to reconsider your livestock choices. The Emperor and the Seaclone together will not support the bio load of your current livestock. If you ahve to keep this combo, you will need to change your filters twice a week(IMO) Sorry so long, but I really have been exactly where you are.

4 choices
1. Get smaller fish
2 Get better skimmer
3 Build a fuge/sump
4 Get that other emperor back on there, some how.

Seaclone,
Via Aqua,
Jebo...
3 Protein Skimmers to stay FAR away from.

 

the fish are not big they are small about 2" per, one less as i dont think the tank is going to make it. dont know if i can return the seaclone and even if i do and pick up a better skimmer and putting back the other emperor i can really hang it on the back of the tank...i am so bumbed out dont know what to do. i just picked up this skimmer yesterday...no other fish in the tank just some snails...

 

is the water really cloudy or is it the micro bubbles from the skimmer. YES take it back and buy a better one, if you can afford to. Clean it, dry it and put it back into the container and bring it back!!!! I would take the tangs, angel and the puffer back too and use that money for a really good skimmer and a few less demanding fish, that won't get so big....

 

That's some good advice.

 

to be honest, they might not make it by tomorrow for what i see. its not cloudy because of the skimmer

 

Like how no one stated anything about the gasping fish...:-/ Sounds like a temp. and/or chemical problem. Probably a mix of both imo. Whats your temp range? Also, since u had that tank for about 2 months, u missed out on about 7 water changes (again, imo). I really dont see how ur params are ok w/1 water change.... How much live rock do u have?

Now for the protein skimmer- i have the same 1, and am among others who've use it sucessfully. A protein skimmer is only going to skim what needs to be taken out of ur tank. If u have a lot of filtration, its not going to skim that much. With me for example, im running 2 hang on the backs, a canister, about 30lbs of liverock, dose biozime, and i still have to empty the cup once weekly or it overflows.. However, it took about a couple months for the skimmer to 'break in' and skim that much, but then again, durring that time, my stock increase- therefore, increasing skimmate...

I would keep the 1 emporor, keep the skimmer, and put the biggest filter u can fit between the skimmer and the remaining space u have on the back of the tank.

Also, u may want to take a water sample to a lfs to test for copper...

 

this from my experience, with an overloaded 55 gallon tank and the same eq as they are using..