skimmer reapairs how long can the tank go without it?

[t-byrd]

i have to do some repairs to my cpr bak pak,
and i will have to have the skimmer out while the glue dries.
i have a 55 gallon with mushrooms, lps, and polyps.
light fish load.
i would think 24 hours would be fine right? havent got the glue yet,
so not sure how long it takes to dry.

 

[Anonymous]

This should not be a problem at all. You could prolly go for a week without any adverse effects. Either way, it's nothing a WC wouldn't remedy.

Louey

 

[danmhippo]

Yep, make Water changes and feed less, or don't feed at all.

 

[danmhippo]

Oh, also, if the skimmer is your primary mean of gas exchange, you need another powerhead to point toward the water surface for extra agitation.

 

[Anonymous]

RELAX. Aside from the gas exchange issue that Dan mentioned, you really needn't worry about having your skimmer offline. It's not the critical life support mechanism that you seem to think it is. Many people run successful reef tanks without any skimmer at all. Although I've always run one on my 92 corner, I just recently added one to my 40 gallon after having it running with softies for 2 years. It makes maintinece easier, but it's hardy a component to get worked up over.
Regards
Jim

 

[t-byrd]

it is the only filtration i have on the tank,
no sump or fuge either.
that was why i was so worried about it.
ive got four powerhds in there, 2 at the surface and two towards the bottom, so gas exchange shouldnt be a problem.
thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

If you are running live sand and/or live rock, then THAT is your filter. A skimmer is not a filter. :wink:
Jim

 

[Anonymous]

...at least, not a biological filter....

 

[t-byrd]

yes, i know they do biological filtration.
i meant the only man made filtration that i put there.
thanks for all the replies to this, im not worried about it anymore.
just wanted to be sure before i went ahead and did it.

 

[skylsdale]

skimmer reapairs how long can the tank go without it?

Forever.

 

[tstone]

Skimmer? whats a Skimmer? :wink:

 

[EmilyB]

Well, on some tanks, skimming may be less of an issue.

Heavily stocked tanks are a different matter however. I was without a skimmer pump on my well stocked 120g for several weeks, and compensated with more water changes.

The first hour the skimmer was back in operation resulted in some pretty immediate sewage.

 

[skylsdale]

Heavily stocked tanks are a different matter however.

Actually, no they aren't. Of course by taking off your skimmer from a system that had it as a heavily integrated piece, there was an amount of shock to the system when it was removed "cold turkey". For systems like this it is best to wean the system off of the skimmer so it has time to adjust.

However, I have yet to see the fact that a tank has or doesn't have a skimmer play into the stocking levels possible for the system--this is a myth. Skimmers have been talked up so much that we think they are the very life support of our systems, while they're not.

 

[t-byrd]

eventually, i would like to get rid of the skimmer altogether.
i have an extra 29g tank that i want to use as a fuge, and put a couple
mangroves and some macroalgaes in there. ive heard nothing but good things about natural systems, how they help? fight off disease and parasites in fish, elimainate nitrates, grow pods etc.
actually i wanted to put a couple seahorses and maybe a mandarin in there.