My office has a 125 gallon fish-only marine tank with live rock. Right now, we have a canister filtration (with carbon) set-up. We are considering adding a regal and a powder blue tang. With diligent upkeep and water changes, should the Tangs be okay in the aforementioned setup or is the addition of a protein skimmer the only way to accommodate the tangs properly? Thanks!
Protein Skimmer Required?
- Thread starter vegas_aquaria
- Start date
You don't need a skimmer, but I would highly recommend it... just for example, with your tank fully stocked as is, you would probably need to be doing about 3 times the water changes you would have to with a skimmer, in order to keep water quality in line. Over time, the decrease in money spent in salt will definitely pay for itself. Basically what a skimmer does is remove organics before it can be broken down into nitrate and/or algae, both of which are not so good.
But, onto another issue... are these canisters the only form of water movement you have? And, what make and model are these filters (well, what I really want to know is how much water there pushing)? With a low water flow rate in your tank, detritus tends to build up, cyano bacteria (type of nuisance algae) does much better... your water quality suffers.
Also, you should know that you definitely want to quarantine these fish, the reason being that they are sometimes described as "ich magnets"... not only that but they are not that resilient to this disease, meaning the few treatments you can use in a display most likely won't work fast enough to save the fish.
AND, learn what lateral line erosion is... this is another ailment (not really a parasite, just a dietary deficiency) that tangs are susceptible to... The way you prevent this is to learn the proper diets for these fish, then feed them said diet.
But, onto another issue... are these canisters the only form of water movement you have? And, what make and model are these filters (well, what I really want to know is how much water there pushing)? With a low water flow rate in your tank, detritus tends to build up, cyano bacteria (type of nuisance algae) does much better... your water quality suffers.
Also, you should know that you definitely want to quarantine these fish, the reason being that they are sometimes described as "ich magnets"... not only that but they are not that resilient to this disease, meaning the few treatments you can use in a display most likely won't work fast enough to save the fish.
AND, learn what lateral line erosion is... this is another ailment (not really a parasite, just a dietary deficiency) that tangs are susceptible to... The way you prevent this is to learn the proper diets for these fish, then feed them said diet.
Skimmers
I'll have to check the brand and model of filter we have. Unfortunately our acrylic tank is not drilled for a skimmer and a sump is maybe a possibility down the road. Is there any model of hang-on skimmer that can be modified to work on a non-drilled tank?
I'll have to check the brand and model of filter we have. Unfortunately our acrylic tank is not drilled for a skimmer and a sump is maybe a possibility down the road. Is there any model of hang-on skimmer that can be modified to work on a non-drilled tank?
Yes, there are! But I don't know what they are as I don't have those kinds. Just wanted to bump this up for you so others can help that have these kinds.
I Love my Aqua c pro skimmer HOB. Give it a month to fully break in and it is quiet and productive. I had two other HOB skimmers and they were not even in the same league as the Aqua C.