[ShaunW]

Quote: Originally Posted by reefkprZ Now about skimmers, in your opinion, when running a light bioload on a full blown reef thats well established, do you think they are worth the loss in trace elements that we fight so hard to maintain? Just a parting thought for the night, i have to go watch a movie with the future wife now.

THANKS! I am enjoying thinking about these things also.

Rethinking about the bacteria and skimmer question has made me figure out a fool proof way to answer the question whether skimmers remove bacteria and how efficiently they do it.

Without a doubt a skimmer is a valuable tool. I wouldn't run a reef tank without one. It is just too hard to regulate the input of nutrients to the utilization of nutrients by the system. Aquarists will always provide too much nutrients. Organic waste need to be removed, and there is no better way than foam fractionation. I am a big fan of water changes, on my reef I do 40% changes once a month, restoring trace elements.

Why? are you thinking about running skimmerless? because doing so would make excessive nutrient export much more difficult than not running a skimmer.