Lebowski Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 How long should I keep my skimmer on? I'ts a prizm... yes yes, i know many of you don't like it, but it's the only one I could really afford. What will a skimmer take out from the water? Will it take out any of the additives I add . e.g. Coral Accel, Essential Elements, Liquid Calcium. ? Thanks! Link to comment
HuBu Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 you should have it on all the time. a skill takes out protein waste since it clings to the bubbles. the only thing that will take out calcium in your tank is your tank's inhabitants or adding chemical ions such as CO3--, Cl-, Mg--, etc. Link to comment
Twins Guy Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 Hubs-you're right in that an overdose of carbonates or magnesium could lead to precipitation of calcium carbonate...but chlorides-nope! all chlorides are soluble and the solubility product of CaCl2 is sufficiently high that you're not gonna ever cause its precipitation (in an aquarium setting). 10 bux says his "liquid calcium" is a kent product and almost if not all calcium chloride. now i'm a skeptic of the aquarium industry but, that would be seem a lil contradictory if a calcium supplement actually depleted levels. maybe you can talk yourself outta this one, hehe, and teach me something. just giving you a hard time! the big-skimmers will remove a number of the trace elements you're dosing. they'll remove trace elements from tanks where no dosing takes place. additives are designed to replenish levels depleted by animal "consumption", skimmer removal or abiotic deposition (interestingly heaters are notorious for their elemental "plaques"-obviously their benefits outweigh their flaws). If you're gonna skim, its recommended that you somehow replenish those trace elements that get skimmed off, inevitably. those three you mentioned should do a fine job. or weekly water changes like most nano-keepers perform would prolly do a fine job! tg Link to comment
HuBu Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 yeah you are right, only extreme excess of Cl- ions would deplete the Ca++. man i didnt know that Kent uses CaCl2. most products i have see contain either Ca(OH)2 or CaCO3. then again, i m not a fan of Kent. Link to comment
Lebowski Posted March 19, 2003 Author Share Posted March 19, 2003 Just a quick question. My prizm just came and I set it up. The waste or "bubbles" Aren't really collecting much in the tray. Do I just give it time to break in or something?? Thanks! Link to comment
Lebowski Posted March 20, 2003 Author Share Posted March 20, 2003 got a question. A skimmer breaks in? The skimmer was getting a bunch of those bubbles today, it collected a lot, but now there aren't as many being collected? Is it because there is nothing to skim? Or is something wrong with the filter. Also, would I need to do water changes very often? You pointed that out? I did weekly water changes maybe 1 or 2 week. Now how often would I need to with the skimmer? Link to comment
zizmans Posted March 22, 2003 Share Posted March 22, 2003 I have found that skimmers bubbles are effected by the slightest of changes, additives, feeding, light. I called a skimmer manufacturer and they told me that if nothing is being collected in the depository (guessing on the name of the part) then at that time nothing needs to be, providing your level in the skimmer is correct. Also, if you ar ecycling, you will get periods where you will get huge bubbles, where you will overflow, and there isn't much you can do about it. Hey twins, what do you think about Warner marine Calxmax, it's what I'm using. I'd like your opinion. Link to comment
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