Help Me decide Skimmer Vs Reactor

[msummerf]

I have a waterbox 20 cube and I am currently cycling the tank. I have enough room in the middle chamber to add either a skimmer or a small reactor. Which do you think would be more beneficial for my tank and if reactor is the best what should I run in it. First tank. Thanks guys!

[Tamberav]

I would do skimmer, less likely to overstrip the water. I would only add something if you feel it will be helpful, you can have too much filtration which can cause issues. Can add something at any time.

[MrObscura]

I decided skimmer because it's more of an aid between water changes, whereas an algea reactor(if that's shat you meant) is more for keeping nutrients in check because you don't do water changes. I belive in weekly water changes so... 

 

Also, I don't like gfo if that's what you were considering. My rank bottomed out from to much nutrient export and resulted in dinos. Since I've pulled the chemi blue(carbon, gfo purigen essentially) and run just a skimmer while feeding a hell of a lot more. My tanks better off now by far. 

 

I'm noob and getting into the hobby it often seemed like no3/po4 were to be avoided at all costs, but I've quickly learned the opposite is true. For every long term Thriving low nutrient system there's seems to be a dozen that would be considered high nutrient. 

 

You can passively run a little carbon just for water polishing if you want. I'm doing that myself. 1 week on, 3 weeks of is what I'll probably try. 

[Clown79]

Why not a refugium?

[hotdrop]

45 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Why not a refugium?

You dont think the center chamber of a wb20 is too small for one? Also the fogged glass would leak light back into the tank on a wb20 

[msummerf]

From research I've done on here a small refugium like that really doesn't do anything, besides give a place for pods. So I think a skimmer or a reactor would be beneficial since my prime objective is to keep nitrates and phosphates down. 

[MrObscura]

Before you start worrying about  export methods make sure no3/po4 needs to be exported. In a young tank you're just as likely to run into issues resulting from too low of nutrients rather than too high, as long as you don't massively over feed and/or never do waterchanges. 

 

Id let it cycle, you dont want to be removing nutrients right now anyway, then once its done do some waterchanges to bring them down, stock your fish and give it a few weeks of average feeding and testing to see where levels are. Then go from there. 

 

 

 

[mitten_reef]

10 minutes ago, MrObscura said:

Before you start worrying about  export methods make sure no3/po4 needs to be exported. In a young tank you're just as likely to run into issues resulting from too low of nutrients rather than too high, as long as you don't massively over feed and/or never do waterchanges. 

 

Id let it cycle, you dont want to be removing nutrients right now anyway, then once its done do some waterchanges to bring them down, stock your fish and give it a few weeks of average feeding and testing to see where levels are. Then go from there. 

 

 

 

^ well said, second this. 

[Clown79]

11 hours ago, msummerf said:

From research I've done on here a small refugium like that really doesn't do anything, besides give a place for pods. So I think a skimmer or a reactor would be beneficial since my prime objective is to keep nitrates and phosphates down. 

That's what ppl believed and yet it's been proven to work on reducing nutrients. 

 

Brs did a whole study on cheato and proved even small amounts reduce nutrients.

 

I believe in using methods of nutrient reduction as needed, so until a skimmer, fuge, or reactor is needed- keep it simple because they are beneficial but not if there is no need for them, then they cause a different issue- stripping the tank

 

 

[msummerf]

ok thanks guys, I'm going to take your advice and wait to see if I need anything. i will start with just 20 percent water changes weekly and go from there. Thanks again.