Protein Skimmer & CO2 question

[MrPufferfish]

Howdy All,

Its nice to see a forum for brackish tanks !
so hope you guys can help me.

I currently have a 120litre brackish tank set up, that houses one
GSP, x4 mollies and a x2 gobbys.
Its been setup for about 4 years now, its fairly well planed with Valis
( that seems to grow pretty well ).
The problems i have with the tank apart from green algea is I seem
to have what looks like a salt build up on the hood of the tank !
I dont know the exact salinity reading at the moment but guess its about
a 3rd way to full marine.
Would a protein skimmer solve my problem for this build up ?
and also would a co2 system reduce my algea problems and one of my books
recommend to do this.

Any suggestions ?

 

[OrionGirl]

What's your maintenace routine? A skimmer will be less efficient in brackish conditions, but it should work well enough to help remove some dissolved organics. But, more frequent water changes with a low-nitrate water will help as well. CO2 will boost the plant growth, allowing the plants to compete with the algae for nutrients better, but also drop pH--I'm not sure I'd try that route. Especially if you add a skimmer--the skimmer will gas off the CO2, reducing the efffectiveness.

 

[MrPufferfish]

Thanks for that info about using both together. very interesting.

I only do a 25-35% water change every month and clean the hood every
2 months. So i guess i cant complain about the build up of salt
I think i will first try a basic co2 system i bought for one of my heavy planted
FW tanks and give that a bash to see if makes any improvement in the control of the algea.
Also i no longer use Carbon pads in my Jewel internal fixed filter, would this make any effect using a co2 ?

 

[Silver Surfer]

Salt buildup on the top of any brackish/saltwater aquarium is completely normal. As the water evaporates into the air it leaves behind the salt, especially on the hood and filter parts. A skimmer on a brackish tank is not necessary and will not solve a problem that DOESN'T EXIST.

Enjoy your tank and just clean the salt residue off with a sponge once in a while and make sure your salinity is between 1.008 and 1.010. Regular water changes are a must.

:dance