Are skimmers overrated?

[Flushdraw]

I now have two tanks that are running skimmerless. Most people I've talked to gasp and tell me to buy a skimmer immediately. It seems most
in the hobby have never run their tanks without a skimmer, and therefore
think it's a neccesity. Hobbiest who started out with a chiller are the same.

I have heard some say their tanks do better without skimming. So, what do you think?

Flushdraw

[blueboy]

i ran skimmerless for about a year. i think the problems come along in the long term. nutrients gradually build up over time. for some corals this is beneficial, like many softies, like zenia, or capnella. they thrive under these conditions. even mushrooms do quite well. but, you are pretty limited as to what sorts of coral you can keep. and to add a skimmer later, well, then the nutrients are already there, in the sandbed, in the rock. much harder to get rid of them then. i would bet that if you run skimmerless for more than a year, and have adequate lighting, that you will begin to see nuicance algaes grow out of control. and that comes from someone who has run skimmerless on more than one tank in the past.

[erikharrison]

I wouldn't do it againnnnnnnnnn... :)

[Jeff]

it all depends on how you run your tank. if you have no to a very low bioload i would never add a skimmer, but when you add more fish and critters it does become necessary. every thing that is a must for reefkeepin, equipment wise, all depends on how you keep your tank. i have seen a spstank lit only by N.O. flouresents, and great tanks with no skimmers or sumps. these things just make it easier and mor controllable.

[captexas]

Like Jeff said, it's all in how you have your tank set up and the bioload it has. Skimmers are great as they help remove excess nutrients from the tank. Remember our fish tank environments are very small compared to the natural environment and we tend to overload them with live animals. To compensate for that, yes skimmers are vital. Of course there is also a point to where you can overskim a tank by removing too much of the nutrients that some of the animals/corals need. If you plan your tank well enough and carefully plan out your bioload then yes you can go skimmerless. Of course there will always be people with blind luck that do it as well, but usually they will have problems in the long run.

[Ram_Puppy]

when I first setup my tank, it had no bioload for almost a year (no fish, only snails and live rock) i didn't run a skimmer because it pulls out all the wondrful little critters that populate your liverock...

but, eventually, you either need a skimmer or a massive LR refugium, massive DSB refugium, etc... something has to remove or process that waste.

[aggie4231]

There is nothing wrong with going skimmerless. I did. Even Borneman runs all of his tanks, execpt his small puffer tank skimmerless(even then he runs it off and on). He rarely does any kind of water changes. The most he does is 5 gallons and that is when he needs water to run tests and stuff like that.

[Ram_Puppy]

there are some pretty awesome tanks out there that don't have skimmers, you just need some other methodology to replace a skimmer - i.e. big refugium.

[villjr]

I set up a 15 gallon display with a 20 gallon sump/fuge for my dad. I had a skimmer on it, but just took it off because it wasn't pulling hardly anything. Helps that the fuge is 10 gallons and packed with chaeto and dragons breath and grows like crazy. He also has a very small bioload. Most of it comes ffom my dad over feeding.

[villjr]

but when someone else comes over and asks who pee'd in the water (that's what Vinh asked me about my 135 after running without skimmer for 6 months) then you realize it's gradually going down hill.


LOL. It probably does help I do a 5 gallon water change almost every week. So that is another reason the skimmer hardly produced skimmate.

[J_G]

If you read articles that talk about reefing today and how it came about in the home environment they talk about it has only become successful after the skimmer was invented. Remember this...old tires run at the same speed as new ones...are they reliable? How much money do you have in livestock and are your seat belts fastened.

John

[Bill S]

Have you LOOKED at what a skimmer takes out? Would you intentionally dump that into a tank? I don't CARE if Borneman runs no skimmer - he's an expert. If, by chance, I were to ever be in his league, then I MIGHT try it... That being said, my daughter's nano has no skimmer, but I replace 1/2 of the water every other week...

[aggie4231]

Have you LOOKED at what a skimmer takes out? Would you intentionally dump that into a tank? I don't CARE if Borneman runs no skimmer - he's an expert. If, by chance, I were to ever be in his league, then I MIGHT try it... That being said, my daughter's nano has no skimmer, but I replace 1/2 of the water every other week...

But have you seen/heard what a skimmer takes out, that could be good for your tank? Beneficial planktonic fauna, snail larva, copepods, etc. Yes I know it takes out other bad stuff too. I don't run a skimmer, CA reactor, or other expensive equipment. I put more work into my tank when I ran the skimmer. Always had red turf algae, hair algae with the skimmer. Now, I do a 5-10 gal water change on my 58 once or twice a month. Run the refugium with C. prolifera. I don't have any problems. I did have some residual hair algae that took off, put I lost alot of snails due to temp issues. An argument can be made for bothe sides.

[captexas]

Yes, arguements can be made for both sides just like any other aspect of saltwater/reefkeeping. Everyone has different experiences and outcomes. There are way too many factors involved in having a successful tank to say this one thing does it all. You can have 100 different tank all with skimmers and they will all be different in how well they do. You can also have a 100 different tanks without skimmers and they will all be different in how well they do.

I don't think skimmers are over-rated. They have long been proven useful tool for the majority of people in this hobby for many years now. I also think you don't need the biggest most expensive skimmer on the market to have a successful tank either.

[Flushdraw]

Well, this is turning out to be quite an informative thread. Thanks for all the opinions. As far as the water turning yellow, didn't you guys try carbon?

I don't like the vodka idea. Vodka belongs in a martini. I did put a couple of shots of bourbon in my cube last night...it solved all my problems! Who
would have thought?

Flushdraw

[tony]

small world, my tank looks better after a few shots of bourbon and/or vodka as well :D