what next?

[Bifferwine]

Don't get anything to lower your nitrates if they are less than 20. If they start creeping above 20, your best bet to lower them is water changes using good quality water. Additives that claim to lower them rarely work (and I've probably tried them all).

 

[MamaJones]

thanks for the advice everyone!

I took some water quality measurements this morning...Amm: 0, Nitrites: 0, and Phosphates: 0. While nitrates are around 5 ppm, although the color didn't match exactly to any of the choices...it was closest to that.

I did look into additives but none of them seemed promising esp. at the price. 44 bucks for something I didn't even know would work! So, now that I have your advice I'm really glad I didn't try it! I'll look into the crocea clams...neat that I'll get good water and a neat animal out of an investment like that. However I'm unsure if we'll have high enough lighting for a clam with t5s...could he sit closer to the top of the tank if secured on a rock?

I've been looking into the sump refuge sites ya gave me...although he didn't have any mega sumps...so I'm going to look into them on their own. I didn't choose this sump, but I'm going to have to make due anyway.

 

[MamaJones]

Everyone is in the new tank now, but we don't have a protein skimmer in at all. It is still running on the old tank so we don't kill all the bacteria. It won't fit on the side of the tank even for a temp. solution. Can I really just sit it in the middle of the sump like you said, Yote? It is not an insump skimmer, but it may be tall enough to keep the water out of the top and still keep the pump parts under the water.

 

[yote]

What brand skimmer are you running?If you can post a pic of the skimmer,we can probably figure out a way to get in the sump.

 

[Bifferwine]

Crocea clams will probably be fine under T5s. It will take a lot of them to make a noticeable difference in your nitrates though.

Still, tons of people would kill for nitrates at 5. That's a very good level and won't harm anything in your tank.

 

[d.french]

If you got 4 bulb fixture nova extreme you should be able to keep clams, i have 5 bulb fixture with individual reflectors and i have 3 clams in my 75 gallon. With nova extreme you don't have individual reflectors but 2 can be added from what i read not enough room for each bulb but for 2 you can and it helps big time for light output. What is dimension in your megaflow sump in big middle compartment i will look up some skimmers that will fit and be affordable prices for you guys, octopus skimmers are great and not expensive.

add 2 of these to light fixture and it will be real bright, they clip onto bulbs and from what i read will fit in fixture but only 2 will one on daylight bulb and one on actinic bulb and will double light output on those bulbs.
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1348

 

[d.french]

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CV-OCT-NW-110&Category_Code=Octopus

 

[d.french]

if it would fit i would do this one.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CV-OCT-NW-150&Category_Code=Octopus

 

[d.french]

all pics in photo gallery are some older tanks and my new ones, i'm running a 125 gallon tank in living room with a 30 gallon long tank for sump, and a 75 gallon tank in my computer room with oceanic trickle filter model 150 converted into a sump. i think that megaflow could possibly work for a sump with some help from others you could probally ditch bioballs and stuff and make a refugium area and skimmer compartment. I'm not familiar with megaflow sumps but i'm sure it could be converted.

 

[MamaJones]

hem...don't know why i didn't get an email that there were new posts after I posted the other day...I'll take a pic of the skimmer.
the skimmer measures 16 x 3 3/4 in and the pump goes at least 4 inches down from where it is suppose to hang. It is designed to hang at the water level, but because the water level in the sump can't be that high I don't know if we can just sit it in there or not because being 16" tall.

the pump is 13" deep and the max water level is 10 inches.

I'll look into the info you gave me d. Thanks!

And I'm excited about getting a clam...wahoo! But, how long should I wait to add corals and other fish? The light should be in today or tomorrow and then I know we need to get the skimmer somehow. I'll also be making a trip to that fish store u recommmended.
Seriously, I have 2 kids sitting on me right now...my arms are octopused around them so I can type! they just can't stand when i'm giving attention to something other than them

 

[MamaJones]

 

[MamaJones]

i had a surge of brain power after I thought..."joe said this wouldn't work, I bet he was wrong" and it works:

It's just a temporary fix b/c we need the skimmer on the tank now...hopefully it works as well as I think it does.

 

[joeman]

I'm not really familiar with this HOB skimmer / sump thing, but I would be tempted to get rid of all that blue stuff. It looks like it would trap all kinds of things, where they would decompose and potentially create a nitrate problem...

 

[Piggy]

Was going to ask what that blue stuff is? Looks like confetti. I would think LR would be better. Never seen a skimmer like that one before.

 

[yote]

Looks like a CPR Bak-Pak.That blue stuff is like bio-balls.
From what I've read,The bak-pak skimmer are a long the same lines as the seaclones.

 

[d.french]

yeah she needs to get a octopus skimmer to throw in that center compartment of her megaflow sump and take lid of it. there not high priced, so maybe after while she can upgrade.

 

[daugherty]

the blue stuph is called bio bail and is for a cpr backpak. i would just take it out.

 

[MamaJones]

we are lookin into a new skimmer...next paycheck. I also really want to turn that into a refugium, or should i just get a 10 gallon and put it on the side? and link the pump to it? The biobail stuff has sponges growing in it. I identified them by someone else's post on another thread. We'll probably put it back on the little tank that Joe is all in charge of...he says I took over his hobby, so I get the 90 and he gets the 30 :)

Here's a pic update (minus my 5 tiny frags that I put in last night!)

 

[Piggy]

Tank is looking good.

 

[yote]

Looks great.