Help with hob protein skimmer

[Stickgal]

At wits end!! Have AS seaclone 100 hob on 45 g tank. Tank is 24" height, 12" wide and 36" long.
Set up for 2 months approx. Currently have 0 nitrates, ammonia and nitrites. pH was 8.2 when checked a week ago.

Bought 3 peppermint shrimp a couple weeks ago to take care of small Aptasia problem that came in with live rock, which they did quickly. Added 10 cerith and ten nassarius about a week ago Added one red scooter a few days ago. That's all the critters. I also have added over the last week a couple of small red macroalgae, one purple whip gorgonian and a codium.

My skimmer was put on at the start of cycle. It has skinned about a half inch in all this time. I keep tweaking it, but have failed to find the sweet spot. In the meantime, I now have a diatom bloom for about a week and now have spotted some kind of dark green fuzzy algae on one rock...grrrr...

I feed the scooter daily a small chip off frozen mysis or bbs cube. I figure the snails and shrimp pick up most leftovers.

I've read as much as I can about dialing in the skimmer, but nothing works. The skimmer cannot be adjusted up or down as far as position on the tank itself. The waterline stays pretty constant as I top off every few days.

I have ordered a phosphate test kit and am picking up some phosban today to try to help, but I know that if my skimmer would do its job, this problem might not exist. I've always had pristine tanks in the past, but I've also always had sumps. Please help!

[Daimyo68]

It doesn't seem like you have a problem. The tank is 2 months old, 0.000 Ammonia/Nitrate/Nitrate, and 1 fish in the system.

The skimmer is not going to produce much if there is almost no Bio load, cleanup crew is doing it's job, a small chip of mysis a day, and nothing to pull out of the roughly 35g of water.

As for the diatoms, Diatoms feed mainly off of silicates but also consume dissolved organic compounds, phosphate and nitrates (hence your test results). Turn the lights out for a couple days, and then do a water change. Use a 1/2 hose to siphon out any remaining algae.

Don't add phosban to the system unless you have a Phosphate issue.

Dark green fuzzy algae - Was the rock new/used/came from another tank?

[Stickgal]

The rock is from a small, new lfs. The owner said she moves it to her tanks after it cures. It's been in my tank 2 months. Are you politely telling me to have more patience? ��

[mcgyvr]

Yes.. Patience..

[ReefsandGeeks]

+1, tank is likely to go through "the uglies" for 6-12 months. You'll have algae blooms of various types on and off for a while until everything matures. Even if you move everything from one tank to another can stir stuff up and re-start the algae cycle, though typically shorter in that case. Just siphon out the algae once in a while and you'll be fine. removing the algae also removes all of the stuff it's absorbed from the water, which of course is exactly the stuff that algae feed on. The more you siphon out, the more the growth will slow over time. I'd suggest finding a balance between keeping the tank looking reasonable, and not driving yourself crazy with maintenance. Just do what you can, and don't do so much you start to hate working on the tank.

[Stickgal]

Thanks! Will learn to be more patient. My other tanks never did this.

[shred5]

Your tank is pretty young yet.

I would recommend removing the Seaclone and getting a better skimmer though, they are not very good.

[Stickgal]

That's what I was afraid of...guess I know what to get myself for Christmas.

[Daimyo68]

The rock is from a small, new lfs. The owner said she moves it to her tanks after it cures. It's been in my tank 2 months. Are you politely telling me to have more patience?

I guess I did, even though not intentional.

The algae will disappear over time, and before you know it, your reef will be looking great.

A little something I tell everyone who comes into this hobby:

Nothing happens fast in a marine aquarium... except death.

Patience is the first obstacle someone has to overcome when they start thinking about a marine aquarium and starting up their reef. It's tough to have to sit and wait, but the rewards are overwhelming in the end and acknowledged when people walk over to your reef and say "OMG it's beautiful". Use your restraint now, and your knowledge and enjoyment of this hobby will last a lifetime.

Anyways, you did the right thing for yourself already by coming here and asking the questions. Lots of knowledgeable reefers who are always willing to lend some brain cells... the few we have left anyways.

Start a Tank thread here on the forums, so we can follow along and see your progress.

[Stickgal]

I will. I've decided not to get seahorses. Too fragile and I would be heartbroken if I inadvertently made a mistake that cost them their lives. Reef fish are a little less fragile and I can get some of the cool inverts I used to have. So, happy about my decision in the end.