Quote Originally Posted by bstreep
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.