[Nawest]

Hey, my names Nate and I'm new to these forums. Thought I'd go ahead and post my tank specs.

30 g aquarium with nice coralife lights a aquaclear overhead filter and aquaclear powerhead and heating fixture. I think there has got to be 30+ pounds of live rock in there.

I've had the tank set up for 3 months, but half of the live rock was moved from my 16 g tank which has been running for 8 months.

I was hoping ya'll could give me an idea on the right type of protien skimmer to get? and a better (non sump) filtering system. Also any links to RO filters?

Pictures of my tank are located on my profile, apparently you need 5 or more post to get image privaleges. Can someone identify the image of the purple-blue-ish sponge like spot on my life rock? Have a picture on in my 30 g albume. It has a hole in it and appears to be a sponge, doesnt spread like algae or corline. I've had other crazy things come out of that rock, small feather dusters, peanut worms, ect.

 

[Dragonist]

A Cpr Bakak

http://www.thereeftank.com/cpr-skimmer
http://www.cpraquatic.com/index2.html

I've used mine on my 55g and currently on my 125g long...

 

[Fish Lord]

AquaC Remora is also a good skimmer along with the Reef Octopus BH100. The spongey thing looks like a sponge or tunicate. Does it close up?

 

[warzek_13]

I agree with Fish Lord the Reef Octopus is a good protein skimmer I have one on my 38 gallon, an its surprisingly cheap I got mine for $124 after shipping.

 

[Nawest]

Thanks for the replys guys, I'll look into the skimmers (gives me a start, where as I had no idea before). Id do plan on upgrading my tank within the next year or so, so prefably one thats oversized for this tank and will last me a while

After you mentioned the spongey thing closing up I went over to it and pressed my thumb against it. (Theres plenty of them, so I'm not to worried about hurting it) No reaction, just felt spongey/soft and looked a little flatter.

Just curious btw, doesnt appear to be harmful or in the way of anything

 

[Fish Lord]

Sounds like a sponge/tunicate. Yay they will multiply as long as you don't expose them to air. Looks like you got a nice color too, mine are all ugly white/transparents.

 

[Nawest]

Awesome, however... I did expose them to air O_O I pulled it out a placed it in a 5 gal bucket of water in order to move it to my 30 g. (was in my 16 g)

That was 2 days ago, b/c there small and theres not much of anything for air to get trapped in, could they possibly still be ok?

I have alot of them on that rock, hopefully a couple if not all will make it lol.

I also apparently had a white ugly ugly sponge in my tank, looked like cottage cheeze with wholes in it. Before I knew it was a sponge I took that rock out and scrubbed it down with a tooth brush. It was growing to fast and looked too creepy to be considered safe to me lol.

 

[Fish Lord]

Hopefully they will be okay. No saying. Haha ya ugliness/creepiness has no part in my tank. Although my sponges keep multiplying. I think they're trying to kill me.

 

[Nawest]

Yeah lol, funny story about an attempt to kill. I use to have my 16 g next to my bed, that morning I tried to introduce a pair of maroon clownfish (apparently known for being agressive.) One hurassed the other one enough that it jumped that night and landed on me right when I was on the brink of sleep.

 

[Fish Lord]

Wow that must have been eye opening. Did the fish live?

 

[Nawest]

The fish lived, I turned on the lights b/c I had no idea what was going on. I ploped it back in the water and got out one of the bags I took them home in and put the more agressive one in it and let it flot in the tank attached to a side.

I took both of them to my highschool the next monday (this happened on a weekend) my old chemistry teacher had 6 aquariums (all biger then 30) in her class. They each got diff tanks. One died about a month before school got out, the other ones at her house now.

 

[Fish Lord]

That's cool. Maroons are weird fish, seen them in shark tanks. Now that was a brave fish.