Powerful Skimmer VS. Refuge&Skimmer Combo

[jawwad2004]

We all know about the added benefit of a refugium utilzing macro algae for nutriet export, but can this process be replaced by a powerful skimmer? Since I am limited with sump space, I was thinking about removing my fuge and placing an ASM G4 in its place. As of now I have an Aquac EV 120 plus a fuge for filtration, all my levels are at zero, but I want stronger filtration. I am going to be replacing the Aquac EV 120 with the 180 model plus the fuge. So what should I go with? Fuge and Aquac EV 180 or just the ASM G4?

 

[Deanos]

We all know about the added benefit of a refugium utilzing macro algae for nutriet export, but can this process be replaced by a powerful skimmer? Since I am limited with sump space, I was thinking about removing my fuge and placing an ASM G4 in its place. As of now I have an Aquac EV 120 plus a fuge for filtration, all my levels are at zero, but I want stronger filtration. I am going to be replacing the Aquac EV 120 with the 180 model plus the fuge. So what should I go with? Fuge and Aquac EV 180 or just the ASM G4?

On my 65g, I lost the ability to grow macro once I added an ASM G3 :smokin: A fuge in my situation would likely only provide a safe haven for the growth of pods. I wouldn't expect much help in the filtration process.

 

[herman]

Refuge is all nice and good but a skimmer takes gunk out. I say get the biggest, badest, meanest skimmer you can afford. Setting up a fuge is cheap so its easy to retofit that.

 

[jawwad2004]

I mean, I can stretch my pockets and go for a deltec, but is it really worth it over an ASM which is a few hundred dollars cheaper? I mean my Aquac really pulls gunk out like crazy!

 

[herman]

If your AquaC pulls out a lot you will proly get a heart attack when yu see what high end skimmers pull. It will basically take it to the point where production will decrease dramatically after a while because there is little left to pull.

 

[jawwad2004]

Well I am looking at the ASM G4 or the Deltec APF 600

The asm can handle a tank upto 250 gallons meanwhile the deltec can do upto 200 gallons fully stocked

 

[druluv]

IMO A good balance of both is good.
Sometimes we can overskim our tanks. Some of the gunk that is removed is good gunk.
fuges adds more O2, pods for coral food, and removes PO4.

 

[jackson6745]

druluv you cannot overskim a tank, only under feed it.

jawwad what size tank do you have 90gal?

 

[jawwad2004]

Jackson, my tank is a 90 gallon with a 20 gallon sump

 

[jackson6745]

I like the asm g4 better than the aquaC + fuge

 

[glipper69]

I have a big badass skimmer and a fuge. the macro grows super slow now, but in my opinion If you could do both I would do both, there has got to be a benfit beyond algae growth. plus it will dramatacilay reduce the chance of a hair algae out break because if something went a little screwy, the macro would move right in a take up the slack. if you have no room go with the skimmer.

good luck
FRank

 

[druluv]

......AS we know, corals are carni-vores and they capture micro-organisms as food when the polyps are extended. The main purpose of these polyps is to capture food and, although lighting plays a big part in nutrition for many corals, we are beginning to realize we have been miscalculating the amount of nutrition corals take up from consuming the plankton material. When the supply of these micro-organisms is removed,
as in heavy skimming , you won?t have the food chain that goes with it. The ecosystem method is a much more natural system. At the beginning of the food chain there are phytoplankton that utilize the light that we provide. This then becomes food for the larger zooplankton, which in turn is food for larger animals like the copepods and amphipods and onwards up the chain ...... :wink1:

 

[druluv]

The downside of skimming is that you are removing a lot of fine materials, both good and bad, the most detrimental being removal of trace elements that readily adhere to the bubbles. Use-
ful bacteria and suspended plankton
are also removed.:shocked1:

 

[jackson6745]

Along with all the "food" that comes along with an underskimmed tank, comes waste aka nutrients. With poor water quality it won't matter how much a coral eats It can eat if it STN's
The acro polyps are mainly for respiration, so i read???

Lets use practical knowledged Show me an overskimmed tank.

 

[jawwad2004]

But wouldnt all these pods and plankton grow on/out of the rocks? At night I see a bunch of pods crawling on the rocks. Would the removal of a fuge be detrimental to the population in the main display?

 

[jackson6745]

Would the removal of a fuge be detrimental to the population in the main display?

Yes, but what do you think will happen without as many pods?

 

[jawwad2004]

Yes, but what do you think will happen without as many pods?

I probably wont be ever able to keep a mandarin dragonet, lol. However besides that, I really cant think of anything else. If I do get a monster skimmer, I can just feed my fish more often and my skimmer will pick up the slack for the pods. But I wont get that high O2 during night time hours. . . Right?

 

[spykes]

listen o2 dissolved oxygen is limited by our salinity and tempurture, it has nothing to do with a skimmer. a Bigger skimmer removed dissolved waste, which includeds hydrophobic molecules and most ampathic molecules. This would give you a great buffer between cycling your tank, basically if you do have a DSB refugium, your completing the cycle, and with a skimmer your preventing a cycle, allowing most nutrients to be removed from the water column, and therefore more par, spectrum and higher amount of red / yellow spectrum penitration. a Skimmer vs a fuge is a diffrent type of filtration method. personally i dont think in our tiny tanks, we should have any type of nitrate producers.

 

[jackson6745]

^^ What he said

 

[jawwad2004]

Well I am pretty sure there arent any nitrate producers in my tank since there arent any nitrates. My fuge is a barebottom, but I think I most likely will go with the larger skimmer. It seems to be the best option.