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Discussion in 'Protein Skimmers' started by ferretfish, Oct 23, 2011.

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  1. ferretfish

    ferretfish Sea Dragon

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2011
    Messages:
    511
    Location:
    wilmington,DE
    hello, there are several things i need for my tank, however i dont have much extra cash right now so i can only buy one at a time. which should i buy first
    -second power head(i already have aqueon 750)
    -protien skimmer
    -RO/DI unit
    my tank is a 46 gallon bowfront
    thanks
     
    ferretfish, Oct 23, 2011
    ferretfish, Oct 23, 2011
    #1

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  2. nedim

    nedim Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2011
    Messages:
    87
    RO/DI if you're using tap water
     
    nedim, Oct 23, 2011
    nedim, Oct 23, 2011
    #2
  3. xmetalfan99

    xmetalfan99 Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2009
    Messages:
    3,691
    Location:
    morgantown, wv
    Tell us about your tank:

    Params (mainly ammo, nitrite, nitrates)
    Corals
    Fish load
    feeding load
    How often do you do water changes and at how many gallons?
    How many gallons do you top off a week

    Depending on these answers we can give you a better order of purchase.

    if your params are high, overfeed, keep sps corals, or have a large fish load, I would buy the skimmer first.

    if you use more than 20 gallons a week of water, I would buy the ro/di first.

    I would buy the second powerhead last no matter what.
     
    xmetalfan99, Oct 23, 2011
    xmetalfan99, Oct 23, 2011
    #3
  4. ferretfish

    ferretfish Sea Dragon

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2011
    Messages:
    511
    Location:
    wilmington,DE
    nitrate:0
    nitrite:0
    right now i just have a goni and favia ,but I plan to have a full reef
    6 fish
    flakes every day and brine shrimp twice a week
    10% water change every two weeks
    i do have a problem with algea and cyano
     
    ferretfish, Oct 23, 2011
    ferretfish, Oct 23, 2011
    #4
  5. NanaReefer

    NanaReefer Fu Manchu Lion Fish

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2011
    Messages:
    1,911
    RO/DI unit hands down!! Cyno and algae already speaks as to why for :)
     
    NanaReefer, Oct 23, 2011
    NanaReefer, Oct 23, 2011
    #5
  6. Shackman23

    Shackman23 Teardrop Maxima Clam

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2010
    Messages:
    819
    Location:
    Appleton
    1) Rodi unit
    2) Skimmer
    3) powerhead
    this is the order i did my upgrades this is the best bet!! And will help with your algae priblems as said before
     
    Shackman23, Oct 23, 2011
    Shackman23, Oct 23, 2011
    #6

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  7. tom.n.day

    tom.n.day Eyelash Blennie

    Joined:
    May 17, 2011
    Messages:
    1,276
    I would do the skimmer, powerhead (koralia for the budget minded) ten lastly ro/di. Why? Because I can fill up my two seven gallon containers of ro/di at the LFS for less then 5 bucks and I go there anyways to check out the tanks. I feel like the above posters put ro/di unit because they figure you are using tap water. If you are budget concious, using your own ro/di also has additional costs of another heater, container to mix and store salts and fresh water and salt. Also, the cost of the powerhead and a skimmer equal the cost of the ro/di unit.
     
    tom.n.day, Oct 23, 2011
    tom.n.day, Oct 23, 2011
    #7
  8. Shackman23

    Shackman23 Teardrop Maxima Clam

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2010
    Messages:
    819
    Location:
    Appleton
    Good call but in the event the lfs around him dont sell ro like my situation then hes kind of torn but it all boils down to how much he can afford and such
     
    Shackman23, Oct 23, 2011
    Shackman23, Oct 23, 2011
    #8
  9. ferretfish

    ferretfish Sea Dragon

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2011
    Messages:
    511
    Location:
    wilmington,DE
    my fridge has a water filter on it can i just use water from that
     
    ferretfish, Oct 24, 2011
    ferretfish, Oct 24, 2011
    #9
  10. xmetalfan99

    xmetalfan99 Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2009
    Messages:
    3,691
    Location:
    morgantown, wv
    No it is not the same as RO/DI.

    The cyano and other algae can be from your over feeding and high fish load. I would buy the Skimmer first and buy ro/di or distilled water from the supermarket in 1 gallon jugs until you can buy an RO/DI unit. Not just ro you need RO/DI.

    Your level are reading zero because your algae is using it up.

    Also, flakes are high in PO4 which algae also feeds off of.

    You can buy a $600 ro/di unit, but it will not fix your overfeeding and large fish load on a small tank. These two factors alone can be contributing to your algae issues.

    BTW, how many carpet sharks do you have?
     
    xmetalfan99, Oct 24, 2011
    xmetalfan99, Oct 24, 2011
    #10
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