Skimmer

arejay

arejay

New Member
I'd like to add a skimmer to my 12g AquaPod. All of the chambers in the back of the tank are stock (sponge, carbon, rings, pump) except for the heater in the third.

Is there one that is recommended or is this better done through modding something I currently have. To that effect, are there any general practice mod tips for my tank. Any small improvements that are common or accepted as just "what needs to be done"?

Thanks,
—RJ
 
K

KidNano

New Member
This thread has a few good ideas for mods. most people remove the rings and the sponge. Some put LR rubble in the back chambers but I've heard this isn't the best practice from some. Also if your tank has lower intakes for the back chambers it would be a good idea to block those off and just let the surface skimmer do it's thing. Check out Jesse's 12 gallon thread in the 20 and under. Quite a few people have added skimmers however I know there are quite a few out there not worth the money so make sure you find one that comes highly recommended. Keep running the carbon.


http://www.nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1688
 
arejay

arejay

New Member
I guess what I am not getting is. . .

If I take out the sponge and the rings, I'm left with:

Chamber 1 = Empty
Chamber 2 = Bag of Carbon
Chamber 3 = Pump & Heater

Where does all the gunk that I normally clean out of the sponge go?
Do I replace these things with something better? What do I clean?

(lots of questions, but I just want to get this right )

ooh, one more. . . Making this kind of change now, what risk am I running of upsetting the balance I currently have in the tank?

Thanks,

—RJ :oops:
 
R

reefman23

New Member
I would suggest leaving a piece of the sponge in the first chamber... maybe 2" thick. I would then put some filter floss on top of that. That is what I do. The sponge is really just there to hold the filter floss in place. I have about 1" of filter floss on top of a piece of sponge that is about 2" thick. Keep in mind though that you have to replace the filter floss every 3 days or so and clean the sponge every week. Also dont buy the filter floss at your LFS... go to a crafts or fabric store and buy a large 20oz. bag for $5. I have had my tank set up for like 7 months and have yet to make a dent in that bag. The exact bag that I have is "Soft n Crafty 100% Premium Polyester Fiberfill, 20 oz." I bought it at Jo-Ann's.

As far as the ceramic rings, here is a "cut-and-paste" from another thread, "The main problem with ceramic rings... and most other biological media excluding LR... is that it lacks the anaerobic region necessary for completing the nitrogen cycle. Without that anaerobic area, nitrates cannot be turned into nitrogen gas. So, you are left with a build-up of nitrates instead of the nitrogen gas which can escape on its own into the atmosphere.

Now some people think that using LR rubble in the back chambers can lead to an area where detritus is trapped and can build up. In my experience that hasnt happened. If you do notice a build-up of detritus you can usually easily syphon it out during a water change."

I am not too familiar with any of the skimmers available for the all-in-one type tanks but one that I have heard about is the Sapphire Aquatics skimmer. They used to have a site but I cant find it now. I can tell you though that I think it is more beneficial to rely on water changes in our small nanos that it is to rely on a skimmer. That is just my opinion though.

One last thing, if you havent done it already, block off those lower two vents on the left side so that water can only go through the surface overflow.

Jesse
 
arejay

arejay

New Member
Ok, so I am a procrastinator.

I have my filter floss, I have a piece of black plastic to cover the vents. I have read that people have used super glue gel to adhere rocks together, and am planning on using it to cover the vents with my black plastic. Have you herd of this being problematic?

Also, should I add a new "bag" of carbon to the second chamber after removing the rings?
 
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