Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have a saltwater tank. Do I need a protein skimmer if I have no corals?
  
  
• I have a 55 gallon reef aquarium with a Penguin 330, Biowheel 170, and a Seaclone protein skimmmer. I have 220 watts of power compact lighting with two 10,000 K and two actinic bulbs. Does this setup adequate?
  
  
• I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with a power filter and undergravel filter. I have had serious problems with ich, fungus, and parasites. I am planning on getting a canister filter and ultraviolet sterilizer. Will I need more aeration in the tank for these filters to work properly? Should the canister filter and ultraviolet sterilzer be sufficient to eliminate these sicknesses?
  
  
• My bio balls have developed what appears to be a suffocating sludge. How can i remove this sludge
  
  
• My filter looks quite dirty , can i clean it without it causing any problems within the tank with regards to bacteria, nitrates etc.
  
  
• Is there any way to eliminate or limit the odor coming from my tank?
  
  
• Is activated carbon needed in my marine setup and where in a wet/dry filter can I put the activated carbon ?
  
  
• I have a 75 gallon tank. For filtration I have 2 penguin 330's, is there anything else you would recommend for my tank to improve it?
  
  
• My emperor 500 water filter quit. I need to buy another one but I am going to buy the aquaclear 500. Will it hurt my livestock to change filters. Will my tank have to cycle all over again?
  
  
• I recently bought a Tetra Whisper Internal Power Filter. Upon watching my fish, they seem to be struggling against the current and several of my neons have been found dead, stuck to the intake. Would it be alright to only run it one day a week to help clean?
  
  

• I have a saltwater tank. Do I need a protein skimmer if I have no corals?
  
  Any type of marine aquarium can benefit from the use of a protein skimmer. Yours certainly will as well.
  
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• I have a 55 gallon reef aquarium with a Penguin 330, Biowheel 170, and a Seaclone protein skimmmer. I have 220 watts of power compact lighting with two 10,000 K and two actinic bulbs. Does this setup adequate?
  
  You can keep the Penguin 330 for mechanical/chemical filtration or added current. You will not need the biowheels since your biological filtration will be handled by the live rock and substrate. Your lighting is fine.
  
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• I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with a power filter and undergravel filter. I have had serious problems with ich, fungus, and parasites. I am planning on getting a canister filter and ultraviolet sterilizer. Will I need more aeration in the tank for these filters to work properly? Should the canister filter and ultraviolet sterilzer be sufficient to eliminate these sicknesses?
  
  If you are using powerheads on your undergravel filter, you can use the venturi feature to aerate your tank. Your tank would benefit with the addition of an ultraviolet sterilizer. Nothing ever replaces the benefits of a good water change.
  
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• My bio balls have developed what appears to be a suffocating sludge. How can i remove this sludge
  
  On your next water change save some of the water taken out of the tank. Take your bio balls out of your sump and put them in with the saved water. Swirl the bio balls in this saved water to loosen and remove the sludge. repeat as necessary and then return bio balls to your sump and discard the now sludge filled water. This MUST be done with water form your tank!
  
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• My filter looks quite dirty , can i clean it without it causing any problems within the tank with regards to bacteria, nitrates etc.
  
  You should change the mechanical and chemical media but not the biological media
  
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• Is there any way to eliminate or limit the odor coming from my tank?
  
  You need to place carbon in the highest area of flow. This is usually achieved in the filter.
  
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• Is activated carbon needed in my marine setup and where in a wet/dry filter can I put the activated carbon ?
  
  The use of carbon is definitely effective in polishing your aquarium water. You can put carbon in an 800 micron media bag and place it in the area of most flow. Most models of wet/dry filters contain a compartment between the dry and wet section to hold chemical media.
  
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• I have a 75 gallon tank. For filtration I have 2 penguin 330's, is there anything else you would recommend for my tank to improve it?
  
  I always recommend a wet/dry sum
  
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• My emperor 500 water filter quit. I need to buy another one but I am going to buy the aquaclear 500. Will it hurt my livestock to change filters. Will my tank have to cycle all over again?
  
  When replacing any type of power filter, once the tank has been cylced etc., it is not a great concern to be worried about losing all your biological filtration. Much of your filtration exists on your decorations as well. If you would like to minimize any change in your filtration one option would be to keep the original filter media (from your filter that is being replaced) in the system for a week or two.
  
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• I recently bought a Tetra Whisper Internal Power Filter. Upon watching my fish, they seem to be struggling against the current and several of my neons have been found dead, stuck to the intake. Would it be alright to only run it one day a week to help clean?
  
  You have not properly sized your filter. I would not recommend running it part-time. You should purchase filter fit for the volume of your tank and preferably a model with a flow adjuster.
  
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