Preference: DOC removal

[evoIX_Reefer]

I know everything has its purpose and if you could go big and have everything that makes the system 1000x more potent to success.

Well, I am contemplating on simplifying my setup just a tad bit. I am thinking of getting rid of a little mess the fuge takes up and simply just get a overkill proven skimmer.

I never seen a polling option but:

(a) skimmer + fuge
(b) oversized fuge
(C) overkill skimmer

Either way, I'll be running GFO + carbon with filter sock.

 

[ReefWreak]

My vote is C, with A as a backup

On my old 120, I tried a fuge for a long time, and it was okay, but ended up being a pain as you mentioned. I ended up just with my awesome skimmer (huge 8" diameter Euro-Reef) with GFO in a phosban reactor, carbon in a phosban reactor, and dosing vodka.

I like a fuge in that it provides pods to the tank, and macro algae absorb some of the nitrates and phosphates naturally. My old tank had plenty of pods from lots of sand and rockwork, so I didn't mind ditching it. With this new nanocube, I suspect I'll need the fuge in the back to do those two things, as there isn't a lot of room for pods to hide in or macroalgae to grow in without being picked at.

Are you trying to remove nitrates, phosphates, or provide another function? If only nitrate removal, then it might be worth checking out Remote Deep Sand Bed in a bucket (RDSB). Eric Borneman wrote some good material on it, and it sounded like a great solution to stubborn nitrate problems.

 

[evoIX_Reefer]

Well, I have a custom fuge being delivered but I like a lot of space in my stand so that I could move around/mess around/maintenance necessary to get things done.

I was wondering if overkill skimmer will remove all the DOC necessary to keep a mixed reef happy.

A fuge alone is not sufficient, IMO. Is an overkill skimmer + gfo + carbon enough to keep DOC in check?

 

[Dan_P]

Skimming removes only a portion of the total organic carbon and resulting in TOC accumulation. Check out this article

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/1/aafeature

From reading this article, I come away thinking there is a limit to what skimming can do for you. I wonder if the skimmer was the size of the aquarium, would it keep the water clean?