Do I need a protein skimmer?

agame2021 · Jul 25, 2021

I have a 150 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. I want to get 3 clown different ocellaris clowns and a emperor angelfish(I understand I will need a bigger tank eventually but for the moment this will do). Rn I have about 3 weeks running tank with no fish I used fishless fuel to start the tank but now I have quite a bit of diatoms. I have very little red algae and a little bit of green algae.
so I guess first question is should I get a protein skimmer? And if so what would y’all suggest?

second I want to put in fish but am wondering how long I should wait and if there are any signs I should look for to show me that the tank is ready?

3rd can I get a clean up crew to start on the algae before I get fish? And would snails be okay without sand to start? Also what would be the best clean up crew for the fish I have mentioned?

lapin · Jul 25, 2021

agame2021 said:
I have a 150 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. I want to get 3 clown different ocellaris clowns and a emperor angelfish(I understand I will need a bigger tank eventually but for the moment this will do). Rn I have about 3 weeks running tank with no fish I used fishless fuel to start the tank but now I have quite a bit of diatoms. I have very little red algae and a little bit of green algae.
so I guess first question is should I get a protein skimmer? And if so what would y’all suggest?

One that fits in your sump (so you can remove the cup)

agame2021 said:
second I want to put in fish but am wondering how long I should wait and if there are any signs I should look for to show me that the tank is ready?

I would say its ready. And if your qt the fish for a few weeks then it will be more than ready.

agame2021 said:
3rd can I get a clean up crew to start on the algae before I get fish? And would snails be okay without sand to start? Also what would be the best clean up crew for the fish I have mentioned?

Yes however you will need to find snails that live on rock and not in the sand. Also hermit crabs can help with algae.

agame2021 · Jul 25, 2021

Also do I need to do a water change? (I’m still waiting on the rest of my test kits to arrive right now I only have a hydrometer.

agame2021 · Jul 25, 2021

lapin said:
One that fits in your sump (so you can remove the cup)

I would say its ready. And if your qt the fish for a few weeks then it will be more than ready.

Yes however you will need to find snails that live on rock and not in the sand. Also hermit crabs can help with algae.

How do I qt if I only have this tank? Also any suggestions for meds I should run when I get these fish?

Dan_P · Jul 25, 2021

agame2021 said:
I have a 150 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. I want to get 3 clown different ocellaris clowns and a emperor angelfish(I understand I will need a bigger tank eventually but for the moment this will do). Rn I have about 3 weeks running tank with no fish I used fishless fuel to start the tank but now I have quite a bit of diatoms. I have very little red algae and a little bit of green algae.
so I guess first question is should I get a protein skimmer? And if so what would y’all suggest?

second I want to put in fish but am wondering how long I should wait and if there are any signs I should look for to show me that the tank is ready?

3rd can I get a clean up crew to start on the algae before I get fish? And would snails be okay without sand to start? Also what would be the best clean up crew for the fish I have mentioned?

Thoughts on a skimmer. There might not be a need at the start, so you could wait on the decision to obtain a skimmer.

Fish farms that recirculate their water with very little make up water being used in the clean up process use skimmers. If the professionals decide to use a skimmer, you would be in good company even though your bioload is much lower. The light bioload would be one reason that there is no hurry to buy a skimmer.

lapin · Jul 25, 2021

If you have dosed the Fishless fuel (ammonia) and some bacteria you will see nitrates. If you keep feeding the bacteria you will get more nitrates. This is good showing your cyce is going well. Before adding fish try to bring down your nitrates to 5ppm so you dont fuel a bunch of algae.

lapin · Jul 25, 2021

Meds will prob kill your inverts. This is why a QT tank is a good thing. Some meds will soak into the rock and make it so you can never have inverts. Copper is one of these
You should read some posts on fish and disease.
A lot of fish have fatal diseases and have ruined many peoples tanks that did not QT the fish.
Clowns that are tank raised prob are your best bet. They have not been in the wholesalers tanks so are pretty much disease free.

The Coral Reef TN

Lots of Healthy, Colorful Fish | Smart Feeds, Aquarium Supplies and Advice| Sustainably Bred or Harvested

www.coralreeftn.com

agame2021 · Jul 25, 2021

lapin said:
Meds will prob kill your inverts. This is why a QT tank is a good thing. Some meds will soak into the rock and make it so you can never have inverts. Copper is one of these
You should read some posts on fish and disease.
A lot of fish have fatal diseases and have ruined many peoples tanks that did not QT the fish.
Clowns that are tank raised prob are your best bet. They have not been in the wholesalers tanks so are pretty much disease free.

The Coral Reef TN

Lots of Healthy, Colorful Fish | Smart Feeds, Aquarium Supplies and Advice| Sustainably Bred or Harvested

www.coralreeftn.com

Okay so I am thinking of getting a 32 galling QT tank. But is your opinion to just watch the fish or give a simple and routine dose of meds? Because that seems to be the debate no one can agree on and you see to know what you are doing.
Personally I don’t see any point to meds unless they have sickness of some kind but I am a 100% newbie so I could be 100% wrong… lol

Also what is your average QT time on new fish? (Ones that seem fine and don’t have any weird problems).

PatW · Jul 25, 2021

agame2021 said:
How do I qt if I only have this tank? Also any suggestions for meds I should run when I get these fish?

People actually use 5 gallon buckets to quarantine. I have not known anyone to do it. I knew a guy who used a 5 gallon. A 10 would work. A 15 or a 20 would be better. You can quarantine and empty the tank and stick it in a closet, garage or whatever until you need it again,

I use a 29 gallon but I have a large tank and tangs like more space. I have a hang on the back filter to give some aeration and water flow and a small heater. I have some PVC to provide structure and hiding places. And that is about it.

ctopherl · Jul 26, 2021

agame2021 said:
I have a 150 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. I want to get 3 clown different ocellaris clowns and a emperor angelfish(I understand I will need a bigger tank eventually but for the moment this will do). Rn I have about 3 weeks running tank with no fish I used fishless fuel to start the tank but now I have quite a bit of diatoms. I have very little red algae and a little bit of green algae.
so I guess first question is should I get a protein skimmer? And if so what would y’all suggest?

second I want to put in fish but am wondering how long I should wait and if there are any signs I should look for to show me that the tank is ready?

3rd can I get a clean up crew to start on the algae before I get fish? And would snails be okay without sand to start? Also what would be the best clean up crew for the fish I have mentioned?

4 total fish in a 150g, even if one of them is large, is a low bioload so in my opinion no skimmer needed. I'd start without one and see how your filter socks/filter fleece perform in terms of removing waste.

This will likely be an unpopular opinion. I have 5 fish in a 55g tank and don't run a skimmer because I use filter fleece and a refugium which easily exports all waste for me.

If you find nitrates/phosphates are creeping up without a skimmer, you can always just go get one and add it. There will never be an emergency moment where "YOU NEED TO START A SKIMMER ASAP OR EVERYTHING WILL DIE" so holding off is low risk.

If you don't have test kits for nitrates and phosphates, then you will never know if you actually need a skimmer

ctopherl · Jul 26, 2021

agame2021 said:
Okay so I am thinking of getting a 32 galling QT tank. But is your opinion to just watch the fish or give a simple and routine dose of meds? Because that seems to be the debate no one can agree on and you see to know what you are doing.
Personally I don’t see any point to meds unless they have sickness of some kind but I am a 100% newbie so I could be 100% wrong… lol

Also what is your average QT time on new fish? (Ones that seem fine and don’t have any weird problems).

The issue with this approach is that fish stores hold fish in (1) copper treated water, usually around 1.0ppm and (2) low salinity water, not sure how low. Both of these conditions suppress common fish diseases/parasites.

The second you then add the fish to your normal tank (no copper, normal salinity), the disease pops up and you get a breakout.

The generally accepted approach is to QT everything wet, including running all fish through meds, or don't bother with a QT at all and roll the dice.

jaganshi066 · Jul 26, 2021

agame2021 said:
I have a 150 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump. I want to get 3 clown different ocellaris clowns and a emperor angelfish(I understand I will need a bigger tank eventually but for the moment this will do). Rn I have about 3 weeks running tank with no fish I used fishless fuel to start the tank but now I have quite a bit of diatoms. I have very little red algae and a little bit of green algae.
so I guess first question is should I get a protein skimmer? And if so what would y’all suggest?

second I want to put in fish but am wondering how long I should wait and if there are any signs I should look for to show me that the tank is ready?

3rd can I get a clean up crew to start on the algae before I get fish? And would snails be okay without sand to start? Also what would be the best clean up crew for the fish I have mentioned?

I have a few tanks and none of them have protein skimmers. My parameters stay consistent and nitrates are always below 5. I do weekly water changes so I’m sure that helps a lot with keeping the water clean

ctopherl · Jul 26, 2021

agame2021 said:
How do I qt if I only have this tank? Also any suggestions for meds I should run when I get these fish?

Bravo for asking the important questions early. I did not understand the qt stuff when I started and paid the price.

I would pick one of these 3 QT regimens that look more desirable to you (comfortability with the process, timeline, meds, effort involved) and stick to it:

* https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/
* https://humble.fish/quarantine/
* https://humble.fish/community/index.php?threads/hybrid-ttm-to-treat-all-parasites.87/

Alternatively, you can look into purchasing livestock online from vendors that QT everything for you. See this list. Note that the prices will be higher than what you find at your fish store. Many will say there is still some risk involved in these fish and they should be observed before adding to your main tank, but that is up to your risk tolerance.