Perpetual Puffer Protein Problems

Duffer2 · #1 04-16-2010, 04:32 AM

So I'm in week 3 of owning a couple big puffers and a unicorn tang. These guys are great in a big tank to themselves with a dedicated skimmer and sump. Everything is running well, except when it comes to feeding time when the skimmer goes absolutly nuts!!!! I open the gate valve wide open and the skimmer cup still fills up within 10 minutes after feeding. This usually lasts about 1 hour then things calm back down. So, after 4 or 5 skimmer cups of not very dirty water dumped down the drain, everything levels back out, I trim out the gate valve on the skimmer and away we go until the next feeding time.

So my question is for those of you with big messy fat fish that eat crab and prawns and the like, what do you do to control the skimmers after feeding?

(ignore the cheesy rock decroation.... I'm to lazy to build a proper rock structure yet)

Red Coral Aquariums · #2 04-16-2010, 04:41 AM

I for see NP pellets for you in the future.
Kevin

Duffer2 · #3 04-16-2010, 04:45 AM

lol.... I have an extra calcium reactor I'm going to bring to you to see if we can convert it into a NP reactor!!!

no_bs · #4 04-16-2010, 03:50 PM

Strange, when i feed the skimmers stop producing bubbles. Then go back to normal about 1-2 hours later.

freezetyle · #5 04-16-2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by no_bs

Strange, when i feed the skimmers stop producing bubbles. Then go back to normal about 1-2 hours later.

+1

are you adding anything to the food?

kien · #6 04-16-2010, 04:06 PM

Have you tried not feeding them?

j/k!

That does sound a little odd.. maybe you have really gassy fish ?

Duffer2 · #7 04-16-2010, 05:45 PM

Nope. Not adding anything. Just raw with the shell shimp and blue crabs.

Literally it's within 5 minutes of putting the food in, the skimmer starts overflowing.

Duffer2 · #8 04-16-2010, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

Have you tried not feeding them?

j/k!

That does sound a little odd.. maybe you have really gassy fish ?

lol... as puffers I would hope you're correct.

golf nut · #9 04-16-2010, 09:41 PM

Is this immediately when you feed or shortly after you feed or much later after feeding?

Duffer2 · #10 04-17-2010, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golf nut

Is this immediately when you feed or shortly after you feed or much later after feeding?

Almost immediatly after feeding lasting a couple hours.