Terminology

kjr928 said:
So basically a protein skimmer is a filter for the top of the water, and then you need a regular filter for the rest of the water, right? If you don't have a protein skimmer, what happens? Do you get a film or something on the top? A regular filter isn't sufficient enough.
Click to expand...

no, most protein skimmers do not skim the surface of the water, and the ones that do, most of them have an attachment that you would have to purchase for them, such as the skimming boxes for the aqua C remoras or the CPR bak-paks. the "regular filter" is mainly just mechanical filtration, but honestly, it doesnt do much but remove large particles. running carbon in a normal filter bag would be cheaper and jsut as good IMO. if you dont run a protein skimmer, nutrients and waste will build up a lot quicker and you are more likely to have problems with your tank.
you can get rid of the slick on top by skimming the surface with an overflow box to your sump/refugium, a skimmer box if you do a Hand On Back skimmer, or you can point powerheads at the surface. this will mix up the oils so that it is possible for your skimmer (without a skimming box) to pick them up.
 
Germanman said:
that would be an ok tank to start off with its well rounded. just dont get a real Nano Cube they have issues. as for cowfish they have a poor survival rate in tanks and they are also toxic so they can kill off themselves and everything else if they get stressed. they also get very large, about 20+ inches so they require a tank of about 175 minimum.
Click to expand...

:( That's sad. Those are my favorite fish EVER. Maybe someday when I'm an expert and have a giant tank...
 
kjr928 said:
Someday I'd like to get a cowfish (those are my favorites). Would this kind of tank be sufficient for a cowfish?
Click to expand...

No, that tank isn't good. I volunteer at a public aquarium and we have a tank devoted to cowfish. There are 4 or 5 cowfish (and a bunch of other fish) in the tank and it totals almost 3,000 gallons. That may be a huge overkill i know, but you kinda get the point. hehe :) yeah, big. They can be picky eaters as well.
 
Pallen81 said:
No, that tank isn't good. I volunteer at a public aquarium and we have a tank devoted to cowfish. There are 4 or 5 cowfish (and a bunch of other fish) in the tank and it totals almost 3,000 gallons. That may be a huge overkill i know, but you kinda get the point. hehe :) yeah, big. They can be picky eaters as well.
Click to expand...

It is a sad state of affairs. I love those fish. They look like small, out of control submarines. I guess I'll have to find something equally as kooky when I'm ready.
 
spooky, i was only thinking of a thread like this today, 4 hours ago in fact, as like a quick guide for newcomers to the hobby as when i decided to go for it i didn't have a clue where to start at the time.
 
Well, due to this thread and people's comments then, i shall make a list of acronyms and abbreviations and re-post on another thread..Then once i have posted a base line, people can then add to it and we can build up a big list...Maybe with the potential to become a sticky...

Niko
 
Ok, here is another question that might seem dumb.

I've only had relatively small, freshwater tanks with gravel bottoms. So I use a gravel vac and it sucks up the gravel pieces and pulls the junk out of it and drops the gravel pieces back down.

How do you siphon a SW tank that has sand on the bottom without losing all the sand?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom