I'll explain what I told Erik and where I heard it from.

First off, my tank is not even a year old yet, so I am not an expert by any means.

I been doing alot of reading on nano reef and reef central (as well as MAAST) for a couple years, and that's where the info came from. Some of the people that are running the large prop systems are doing cycles with and without skimmers (and lighting changes for that matter). If I understand it correctly, the theory is that the stress caused by the changes in water and lighting is stimulating the growth.

I've also been following some threads where people are slicing and sticking PPEs with needles to stimulate growth.

I don't think anyone will have "THE" answer any time soon, it's all pretty much trial and error and a reactionary approach.

I have a 12 gallon tank that has no skimmer. I get decent to good growth on some Zoas / Palys, and I've had a couple small colonies that just disolved over time. So going skimmerless definitely doesn't solve all issues with growth (if it solves anything at all).

Anyway, glad something I said created the discussion. Lots of good information.