Running Skimmerless; need resources

BrandonS · 08/11/2007, 01:57 PM

I have a skimmer in my tank. It's a Berlin Classic deal. I'm going to say it's 4 years old. I've messed wiht it for a year now and i can't seem to make much of a difference. It doesn't seem to skim much; I don't overfeed and I only have 2 fish in my 75g.

In any case I"m seriously thinking about trying to go skimmerless. I was going to use the area that the skimmer was in for a refugium. If anyone has any good articles about running a fuge only system or the similar, let me know.

Thanks.

six.line · 08/11/2007, 02:15 PM

No articles, but I run a 29 with 4 fish without a skimmer. Provided you keep up on water changes, grow macro, and watch the feeding, you shouldn't have any problems.

So far the only casualty has been my starfish... Haven't seen him for a week or two... Poor dude.

jer77 · 08/11/2007, 02:27 PM

Do a search on RC or use this search to see what you can come up with.

http://reefcentral.com/search.php?menu=11

I take care of a guy's 180g tank that is skimmerless and he uses the miracle mud method with caulerpa and mud in his refugium. Its actually a very nice tank, the corals grow rather fast and never need extra feeding and he even spawned clownfish and cardinalfish in his sump. You wouldn't even be able to tell that he doesn't use a skimmer. Skimmers do provide a good safety net to catch any problems before they become disasters though.

ArgonDreams · 08/11/2007, 02:31 PM

With asuch a low bioload on the system, I am not suprised it's running like it is. I would say it's doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. Running without it shouldn't hurt with water changes on a weekly basis.

Lifes A Beach · 08/11/2007, 11:03 PM

I have a 75 gal. reef and tried a skimmer but didn't notice any difference in water quality. I also have tried a UV sterilizer and thought that was a complete waste of money! I currently run a wet/dry but getting ready to go with a refugium. I think in some cases less is better! For a reef tank, I think lighting is very important. Just my opinion.

demonsp · 08/12/2007, 12:52 AM

I would never go without a skimmer. But my bioload is alot higher. In a fish only then weekly water changes would be fine. But with a reef tank coral are more sensitive to higher amonia levels. The skimmer removes most if not all of the fish waste.

So with only 4 fish then there will not be much to collect.

BrandonS · 08/12/2007, 09:51 AM

sorry I screwed up the fish number. It's actually 3. A clown, sailfin tang, and a lawnmower blenny. As of now the only thing I have in there is two sprouts of xenia (they just split).

Gdevine · 08/12/2007, 11:07 AM

EcoSystem Method. Although Leng now uses skimmers in his systems they are not necessary for a successful tank.

Read:
http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/htm...temMethod.html

Carrera76 · 08/12/2007, 12:12 PM

I don't think skimmer are a must as long as you do weekly or bi wekkly water changes and feed little. My 55 gallon tanks has been running skimerless for over a year. All I do is weekly or bi weekly water changes and feed very little. I don't add any supplements to the tank and all the corals have been doing very very well. I have 5 fish in the tank. All I use is a couple of Koralia powerheads, heater and of course 2X150 HQI +2X39 T5 light fixture.

Go skimerless and everything will be fine as long as you do wekkly or bi weekly water changes. My tank has never ever had any type of algae, not even when I first set it up!

Lifes A Beach · 08/12/2007, 02:39 PM

Hey, Gdevine, I see you get your water down at the beach. Do you get it at the beach or at the Inlet? Have you ever had a problem with that water? I usually go out about a mile to get mine, past the overflow mess. Just wondering!

08/11/2007, 01:57 PM	#1
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	Running Skimmerless; need resources I have a skimmer in my tank. It's a Berlin Classic deal. I'm going to say it's 4 years old. I've messed wiht it for a year now and i can't seem to make much of a difference. It doesn't seem to skim much; I don't overfeed and I only have 2 fish in my 75g. In any case I"m seriously thinking about trying to go skimmerless. I was going to use the area that the skimmer was in for a refugium. If anyone has any good articles about running a fuge only system or the similar, let me know. Thanks.

08/11/2007, 02:15 PM	#2
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	No articles, but I run a 29 with 4 fish without a skimmer. Provided you keep up on water changes, grow macro, and watch the feeding, you shouldn't have any problems. So far the only casualty has been my starfish... Haven't seen him for a week or two... Poor dude. __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

08/11/2007, 02:27 PM	#3
jer77 Phish Lover Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,642	Do a search on RC or use this search to see what you can come up with. http://reefcentral.com/search.php?menu=11 I take care of a guy's 180g tank that is skimmerless and he uses the miracle mud method with caulerpa and mud in his refugium. Its actually a very nice tank, the corals grow rather fast and never need extra feeding and he even spawned clownfish and cardinalfish in his sump. You wouldn't even be able to tell that he doesn't use a skimmer. Skimmers do provide a good safety net to catch any problems before they become disasters though. __________________ - Jonny -, 120g 5 Year Old Reef w/ SPS, BTA, Zoos & some Softies. 40g Frag Tank. 40g Sump. Super Reef Octopus XP 3000 External Cone Skimmer. 250W Radiums. TaoTronics LED. PanWorld 200PS w/SQWD

08/12/2007, 11:07 AM	#8
Gdevine Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Pompano Beach, FL Posts: 1,232	EcoSystem Method. Although Leng now uses skimmers in his systems they are not necessary for a successful tank. Read: http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/htm...temMethod.html __________________ What's good having a monkey if you can't play with it? Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef - 35g Fuge - EcoSystem Method

08/12/2007, 12:12 PM	#9
Carrera76 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 99	I don't think skimmer are a must as long as you do weekly or bi wekkly water changes and feed little. My 55 gallon tanks has been running skimerless for over a year. All I do is weekly or bi weekly water changes and feed very little. I don't add any supplements to the tank and all the corals have been doing very very well. I have 5 fish in the tank. All I use is a couple of Koralia powerheads, heater and of course 2X150 HQI +2X39 T5 light fixture. Go skimerless and everything will be fine as long as you do wekkly or bi weekly water changes. My tank has never ever had any type of algae, not even when I first set it up! __________________ Manana Current Tank Info: 50 gallon reef, 2X150 HQI + 2X39 T5s

08/11/2007, 02:31 PM	#4
ArgonDreams Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 384	With asuch a low bioload on the system, I am not suprised it's running like it is. I would say it's doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. Running without it shouldn't hurt with water changes on a weekly basis.

08/11/2007, 11:03 PM	#5
Lifes A Beach Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: By the Beach, Florida Posts: 1,368	I have a 75 gal. reef and tried a skimmer but didn't notice any difference in water quality. I also have tried a UV sterilizer and thought that was a complete waste of money! I currently run a wet/dry but getting ready to go with a refugium. I think in some cases less is better! For a reef tank, I think lighting is very important. Just my opinion.

08/12/2007, 12:52 AM	#6
demonsp Moved On Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: el paso tx Posts: 7,634	I would never go without a skimmer. But my bioload is alot higher. In a fish only then weekly water changes would be fine. But with a reef tank coral are more sensitive to higher amonia levels. The skimmer removes most if not all of the fish waste. So with only 4 fish then there will not be much to collect.

08/12/2007, 09:51 AM	#7
BrandonS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 255	sorry I screwed up the fish number. It's actually 3. A clown, sailfin tang, and a lawnmower blenny. As of now the only thing I have in there is two sprouts of xenia (they just split).

08/12/2007, 02:39 PM	#10
Lifes A Beach Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: By the Beach, Florida Posts: 1,368	Hey, Gdevine, I see you get your water down at the beach. Do you get it at the beach or at the Inlet? Have you ever had a problem with that water? I usually go out about a mile to get mine, past the overflow mess. Just wondering!