anyone else skimmerless?

[ratboy]

I posted this question on reef central after reading all the recommendations for high$$$ skimmers and was surprised how many others dont use skimmers. I havent used one on any of my 3 tanks for over 6 years. My 90 reef is almost 10 years old now and has never had a skimmer that pulled out much - more of an expensive airstone! I use mangroves and macros in a refugium for nutrient export and started with carbon again after I lost a sps to softie toxins. Ill post pics to my new gallery this afternoon so people can see my tank isnt a muck pit.

[Chris]

What's a skimmer? Oh yeah... that air bubbler thingy right? :twisted:

[MikeP]

In fish only tanks or tanks with a high bioload you pretty much have to have a skimmer unless you can get all those dissolved organics out some other way or do religious water changes. In my reef tank I skim pretty lightly but as the fish load has gone up so has the amount of skimmate I'm getting (Urchin skimmer). I'm putting a new refugium on my 46 andonce that gets rolling and I move most of the fish to my 75 I may turn it off (onlyl keeping blenny and 3 gobies in 46). I moved 4 mangroves from my sump into the ecosystem filter/fuge (guy who sold it to me said it was a 60 , actually a 40 but still good deal for 80 bucks) along with some chaetomorpha. If I can just get this thing to hold siphon and stop sucking air at the return I'll be set.

[TexasState]

The caulerpa in my main tank crash out last August, so I've been running skimmer only for the past 7 months. If your skimmer is not skimming much, it's time to clean it out. You should clean the venturi at least once a month by (sucking hot water through the venturi.)

[djdubdub]

Correct me if I'm wrong but...

Some softies actually prefer "non-skimmed" water... I guess they are natural "skimmers" and thrive off of the nutrients???

[MikeP]

Djub, some corals that feed by absorption do seem to do better in skimmerless systems. Problem with skimming is you take the good out with bad and likewise if you don't skim you leave junk in there that's not benefical. Goniopora supposedly does 'better' in unskimmed or lightly skimmed systems.

[Chuck]

I removed mine today. The Xenia have gotten so big and numerous that they are filtering the water just fine. My skimmers even clean would only pull a drip after I added my chem mix. Main trick is RO/DI. Dont get crazy on the feeding.