protien skimmer no sump?

hi all 2 questions,

I just bought a reef octpus bh 2000 protien skimmer the guy at the store sed i did not need to use a sump at all. i have a 55 gal. and it will mainly be a reef tank with maybe a fish or 2. Is this True?

also, should i ge water and sand up and running for a bit befor i get my live rock?? :-/

 

what does the skimmer look like if its a hob skimmer then you dont need a sump to use it.

 

Yes it is a hang on back. Should I start with water and san then add rock later?

 

i would add your rock and sand at the same time and give it a few weeks for everything to cycle before putting anything else in your tank

 

The reason why some people put their LR in first is that if you end up getting a fish that likes to tunnel in the sanded under the LR, then it doesn't end up hitting the glass. If the rock hit the glass wrong, it could cause a leak. A lot of people prefer to put egg crate in first, then sand, then the rock.

I personally use 1.5" PVC piping sort of like stilts. You can see it on the left side a little bit to see what I am talking about.

 

I forgot one thing, Another reason why I used the PVC piping is so that I get good flow all around my rock and to help decrease dead spots. Where the bottom of the rock is exposed by the sand bed also also for more beneficial bacteria to grow and for more hiding places for my fish, when I get more, lol.

 

One question, does the PVC leach anything into the water, I read a while back to be careful using it cause the leaching effect.....


As for the rock and sand.....I'd put them both in at the same time, I've lost a fish or two already due to after aquascaping, get your plan set down quickly, then do your best to leave it alone. 6 P's I believe it's called, Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

 

I sent a PM to the member that I got my idea from for using the PVC. They have a very successful tank, so I don't think that they would've used the PVC if it would leach. But, you never know if you don't ask, and I'm sure that I did. I just don't remember right now off the top of my head.