are protein skimmers necessary?
- Thread starter MarkO1
- Start date
If you are keeping FO, skimmer can be a critical consideration due to the bioload as Mark pointed out. However, if you have a reef tank, and have a sump and there is normally a 6 foot drop aiding gas exchange, having a skimmer of not may not make too much differences.
I am patiently waiting for my tank passing the 2 year mark going skimmerless. I will then come back and laugh at all you guys claiming skimmer is a necessity for the reef tanks........hehehe....
I am patiently waiting for my tank passing the 2 year mark going skimmerless. I will then come back and laugh at all you guys claiming skimmer is a necessity for the reef tanks........hehehe....
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I concur. I would not operate without one.
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I am sure successful skimmerless tanks can be kept by an experienced reefkeeper with adequate water changes. Recomending it to newbies is a bad idea, IMO.
I concur. I would not operate without one.
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I am sure successful skimmerless tanks can be kept by an experienced reefkeeper with adequate water changes. Recomending it to newbies is a bad idea, IMO.
They are not necessary. BUT they add mass quantities of oxygen to your tank and remove excess nutrients. I wouldn't operate without one. Reef tanks need supersaturated oxygen levels and skimmers help in o2 saturation. They will also help remove nutrients that cause algae/diatom outbreaks.
- Location
- Virginia
Just an aside, there was a thread a while back that said that skimmers do not add any oxygen to your water column. I argued that they aided in oxygenating your water column, and someone posted something on how they tested their water before and after the skimmer and there was no difference in oxygen levels, and then removed the skimmer and tested at various times of the day and night, with the samer results. I think they also quoted a study that was done on skimmers and the oxygen saturation was no different from skimmed tanks to skimmerless tanks.
I think that an undisputed fact, though, is that the agitation in a skimmer is an excellent place for gas exchange to take place. Your water is not going to be battered around like that anywhere else in your system, even if you drop your sump into your basement and have a 10-15 foot drop (unless it's just a massive free fall which you probably won't create in a closed pipe). However, that said, you can create areas that will do the same or similar job, such as in my system, I use an old wet dry and incorporate the drip plate to agitate the water.
That said, I have gone with and without a skimmer in the past. When I first started, I did a lot of water changes and had no skimmer. Then I got lazy, and did no water changes and had no skimmer. Then I used a skimmer with no water changes. I then went back to no water changes and no skimmer. I added a skimmer again, and it wasn't working properly, so I removed it, and I'm now skimmerless, water changeless, and everything is doing well, and the water quality remains the same as far as phosphate, nitrite, ammonia, nitrate, KH, calcium, pH, etc. go. I don't check oxygen levels, but I have never noticed anything hurting from lack of oxygen (I have tons of fish) and I use xenia to supplement any anaerobic processing of nitrates.
[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: davelin315 ]</p>
I think that an undisputed fact, though, is that the agitation in a skimmer is an excellent place for gas exchange to take place. Your water is not going to be battered around like that anywhere else in your system, even if you drop your sump into your basement and have a 10-15 foot drop (unless it's just a massive free fall which you probably won't create in a closed pipe). However, that said, you can create areas that will do the same or similar job, such as in my system, I use an old wet dry and incorporate the drip plate to agitate the water.
That said, I have gone with and without a skimmer in the past. When I first started, I did a lot of water changes and had no skimmer. Then I got lazy, and did no water changes and had no skimmer. Then I used a skimmer with no water changes. I then went back to no water changes and no skimmer. I added a skimmer again, and it wasn't working properly, so I removed it, and I'm now skimmerless, water changeless, and everything is doing well, and the water quality remains the same as far as phosphate, nitrite, ammonia, nitrate, KH, calcium, pH, etc. go. I don't check oxygen levels, but I have never noticed anything hurting from lack of oxygen (I have tons of fish) and I use xenia to supplement any anaerobic processing of nitrates.
[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: davelin315 ]</p>
I have no skimmer on my 7 gallon nano at work, and everything is fine. I also notice my skimmer at home doesn't produce much these days. However, the few times I've had algea blooms it's been because my skimmer pump stopped without me noticing for a week or so.
Jim
Jim
Skimmerless, you will religiously do the scheduled water changes.......Although I have been warned about advocating concept of skimmerless tanks.
This is the way I look at it. When your tank has stablized, you will know enough to realize that your skimmer is picking up all types of nutrients, good and bad, everything. The efficiency of the skimmer pulls nutrients from the whole tank.
Whereas the waterchange only pulls out 5-10% of the total tank volume at a time. Not all nutrient were lost. However, that also goes for the nuiance nutrients such as NO3, PO4, and other heavy metals. This is the reason that if you are going skimmerless, sticking with regular water change is very important.
Normally the way I designed my tanks, DSB and macro algae alone is enough to take care of my NO3, while Kalk dripping will take care the PO4 further. Macro Algae has also contributed in Heavy metal absorbant. I see more micro fauna growth skimmerless, neverthless.
This is the way I look at it. When your tank has stablized, you will know enough to realize that your skimmer is picking up all types of nutrients, good and bad, everything. The efficiency of the skimmer pulls nutrients from the whole tank.
Whereas the waterchange only pulls out 5-10% of the total tank volume at a time. Not all nutrient were lost. However, that also goes for the nuiance nutrients such as NO3, PO4, and other heavy metals. This is the reason that if you are going skimmerless, sticking with regular water change is very important.
Normally the way I designed my tanks, DSB and macro algae alone is enough to take care of my NO3, while Kalk dripping will take care the PO4 further. Macro Algae has also contributed in Heavy metal absorbant. I see more micro fauna growth skimmerless, neverthless.
FO tanks,(the ones I have kept anyhow) tend to have bioloads that steadily increase ( dad the clownfish is soooo cute
)there is no doubt that skimmers are a nutrient/waste exporter so I would keep the skimmer..or get one....
[ February 24, 2002: Message edited by: MitchMc ]</p>
[ February 24, 2002: Message edited by: MitchMc ]</p>
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