Protein skimmer and Canister filter?

I bought a stocked fish tank from a buddy of mine about 5 months ago. I added a canister filter a while back however the nitrate became a problem. I read online that a protein skimmer is what I needed so I bought one and set it up in my sump about a week ago. Now I currently have the canister filter working as my return pump but what should go into the filter? I read that having any sponges will lead to nitrates. Should I take everything out of it? Carbon? Bio-rings? What are your takes on this?
Also I'm testing nitrates with dip strips that say I have nitrates in the 160 to 200 ppm range. Could this be right? None of my fish seem to be affected.
Thanks! Beau

Setup- Cascade canister filter. Reef octopus 100 needle wheel skimmer. 55 gallon tank. 2 tangs. clownfish. condylactis anemone. 3 blue cromis. 4 65w t5 50lb of live rock

 

You might want to fully clean out that canister filter and use something like Chemipure elite and some carbon. As for test strips those are the worse things to use when testing water. I would go to a LFS to get it tested or purchase some Salifert/API test kits for a more accurate reading. Unless you are running a fish only tank, nitrates that high will show some type of stress to your fish.

 

Ok what about bio-ring? I heard those are a lot like live rock in that they allow bacteria to grow on them and eat nitrates

 

What kind of canister? I run a xp4 with the standard filter media and gfo works pretty good.

 

I'm confused on your setup. You DO or DON'T have a sump? If so, you mean you have an overflow that drains to the sump, and then the canister filter sucks from the sump and pumps it to the display? If so, I would ditch the canister all together and just run whatever media you want in the sump. Canisters are nitrate factories unless you clean them every other day.

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Also Two tangs, what kind are they? A 55 sounds two small for them. Smallest recomendded tank most people come to a agreement on would be a 90 pretty much. Or a 75 for a small tang like a yellow.

 

It is a cascade canister filter.
I do have a sump and it is set up like you explained; water overflows into the sump then the canister filter pumps it from the sump to the display tank.
A Vlamingi tang and a yellow tang. Yes, I know that Vlamingi tangs grow quite large and you shouldn't put one in a 55 gallon tank but I bought the tank with him and the yellow tang in it already. I will probably sell him back to the local fish store soon because he is getting fairly large.

Thanks! Beau

 

I would ditch the canister and buy a magdrive pump for the return. Then run media bags in the sump for whatever media you wanna use.

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I just went to my LFS. They tested my water with test strips! Just like I was using but a different brand. Sadly they got the same result; high nitrates. I need to do something different.
I thought it was strange they use test strips considering everyone says they are so inaccurate. Anyway I took out the sponges and they were full of crap. I only put the carbon and bio-rings back in....we'll see

 

Well we know where the nitrates were coming from now, but you still need to export them out of the system. Typically that is done through partial water changes.

Personally, I would've left the canister empty and just hang media bags with carbon in the sump.