Poor Skimmer Design Woes/Fromia Sea Star - 05/24/06
Hello,
<<Hi Josh!>>
I am pretty new to the marine environment.
<<Much reading/researching ahead of you then>>
Right now I have a nice 20 gallon tank set up and everything is doing fine.  My ammonia level is at zero and everything else checks out too.  Today I just installed my Sea Clone 100 protein skimmer, and I tried adjusting the venturi valve and I get massive amounts of tiny bubbles.  I read their tech documents and they mention that some de-chlorinators are gel like and also serve as a protective slime coating for fish and that to run the skimmer for 1 day or up to 3 weeks with the venturi valve off.
<<Mmm, defeats the purpose of having the skimmer doesn't it?>>
The de-chlorinator I use is TetraAqua AquaSafe Water Conditioner. I am wondering if anyone has had experience with this product and how long it should be until the AquaSafe is broke down enough that when I adjust the air intake I don't have any micro bubbles flowing into the tank.
<<Though it is true that some water conditioners will cause a skimmer to "foam" excessively, "micro-bubbles" entering your tank does not sound like this is the problem.  It seems to me this is more an issue with trying to tune a poorly designed skimmer.  You will likely need to contrive some sort of bubble trap...or better yet...get a better skimmer>>
Normally I would not mind but I am afraid of too much oxygen in the take may harm or kill my starfish.
<<Too much oxygen is not an issue...but excessive micro-bubbles can be problematic to some organisms>>
I am not sure of the type of star it is.  It's red with black tips; I think it’s a Red & Black Sea Star (Fromia milleporella).
<<Hmm...these are "all red" in my experience.  Perhaps a geographic variant...or a different species altogether>>
The guy at the fish store told me this star does not so well with salinity changes, too much air and other stuff.
<<Mmm, can be said of many things>>
Also any advice on feeding this star and caring for it would be great.
<<Please start reading here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fromiastarfaqs.htm >>
The fish store told me to feed it some zucchini.  It will go to it and lay on it but after removing the zucchini after 30 minutes there is no evidence that the star is feeding on it.  I also purchased some frozen food the recommended Formula One.  Any suggestions on these topics would be much appreciated.
<<The Fromia sp. sea stars are generally considered detritivores but will benefit greatly from supplemental feedings of marine based "meaty" foods (shrimp, krill, mussel, clam, etc.).  
Thank You
Josh
<<Regards, EricR>>