When should I get a protein skimmer?

AnimalGuru · 03/04/2011, 05:39 PM

My 125 has been running for about 6 weeks. The sand and rocks came from a 5 year old tank, so it cycled very quick! Diatom bloom on second day and gone by day 5. I have coraline algea (purple and red ) on all of my rocks, and some starting on my glass and filter intake tubes (a couple of my hermits shells are covered too:lol )I have all sorts of stuff growing...small feather dusters, small semi clear round sponges with holes in the tops, some more things that i dont know what they are yet, i bought some mushrooms, a very large rock with green star polyps(i think thats what they are called) 2 pulsing xienias my absolute FAVORITES by far, a single green botton polyp, a large feather duster, who came out of his tube after about a week and a half, still waiting to see if he is relocating or dying

turbo grazer,sp? 2 pep shrimp and a tiny horseshoe crab. So my question is when should I get a skimmer, are they something that is required? oh I am running 2 175w 10k metal halides and two aquaclear 110s with no carbon. no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates and the water gets tested 3 or 4 times a week ( i know overkill

) any info would would be great on any subject. my tank stays 76-78 deg

~JSG~ · 03/04/2011, 06:42 PM

I'd say so far you have been lucky as far as not having a skimmer b/c all your live rock and sponges and the like have been doing the filtration for you. I'd say get a skimmer ASAP! Also a little more info on exactly what you have on your set up would be great! Who knows you might not want a skimmer. (not likely for long term i think)

Do you have a sump? Do you run carbon? how often do you do water changes? etc.

lordofthereef · 03/04/2011, 06:49 PM

Respectfully I disagree with the above statement.

What do you plan on keeping in the long run? I have seen plenty of softy and LPS tanks run perfectly fine without a skimmer. As a general rule, you will have to deal with more water changes without a skimmer, but it is certainly doable.

joejoe1055 · 03/04/2011, 07:05 PM

plenty of skimmerless tanks out there

reefmusic · 03/04/2011, 07:14 PM

I am in a very similar situation. Tank was put together with liverock from existing well established tanks. Sand from those tanks went in the sump/refugium. Cycle was relatively quick. Corals and fish transferred and all doing extremely well. I am running some Purigen in the sump, as well as carbon, and phosphate remover when needed.

The skimmer I intended to buy has been out of stock, so I am running without one. Everything is going so well, I now wonder whether to just leave it as it is.

muttley000 · 03/04/2011, 07:24 PM

You can make it without a skimmer, but I think most systems benifit from one. It really does depend on your plans for the tank.

dmastracchio · 03/04/2011, 11:24 PM

Yesterday.

Sure you can run a tank without a skimmer. I even ran a tank without water changes. If you want your tank to really flourish though I would recommend a skimmer and water changes

I think have the extra piece of equipment really cuts back on the man hours of having to spend to keep your tank top notch.

Lynnmw1208 · 03/04/2011, 11:52 PM

I'd say get it as soon as you can. you'd be amazed at the gunk it pulls out. I'm glad to see that stuff come out of my tank!

AnimalGuru · 03/05/2011, 07:37 AM

I have three kids and alot of animals so any thing to cut down som maint would be great. I have been changing about 15-20 a week since week 3. no i am not running any carbon i have heard good and bad . some say to only use after med or to get out any discoloration. I have heard that they can leach toxic stuff back into the water and so it hasnt been a prob without it and i just left it. I ran my freshwater for about a year and a half without it and it was fine. What kind of skimmer should i buy? (on a bud) but i will spend the extra if quality is an issue. i dont have a sump, any reason i should take off the aquaclear 110s and get a sump?Thanks for everybodys info keep it comming i am new to saltwater and love to learn

njw26 · 03/05/2011, 07:57 AM

get one ASAP it's never to early to start them is my feelingson it

Curve · 03/05/2011, 03:49 PM

I have mixed feelings on this to as I have had a 150 running for 8 years with no skimmer and my 225 for 3 years with a skimmer and my 150 has been less trouble but the water doesn't stay near as clear. Im not a big water change person either but I do 10 % a month on each tank with good luck for years. Im not trying to make TOTM tank so its not that important to me. So the answer on my part is you do not need a skimmer but thay do help.

JoeRonda · 03/05/2011, 04:06 PM

Skimmers are expensive but they definitely pull out some nasty smelling/looking stuff that otherwise would be in the water making it unsightly and yellowish. I like my 20% every 3mo. W.C. routine (I know I'll hear about that from someone). I had a petstore in the Pittsburgh area tell me that they do a 50% W.C. once a year !! I thought that was insane, unless you like yellow-green water, but maybe they use an ASM G6 (4foot high skimmer) or something huge. What it boils down to is if you want to do a weekly water change, then stay skimmerless, but if you want to have a tank that basically takes care of itself, get a sump w/refugium that has a large skimmer in the overflow compartment. Opinions are like @#$holes, everyone has one, and this is mine, thanks for reading.

syrinx · 03/05/2011, 04:54 PM

I generally will start all tanks with a skimmer- most often oversized, and then as the tank matures and balances remove or reduce the skimming. n a new sytem- or a sps system- a efficient skimmer is as close to a necessity as ro water. The exeption of course is nano tanks- or tanks where weekly water changes are performed. Chemi pure carbon will keep the water crystal clear in the absence of skimming.

Sk8r · 03/05/2011, 05:04 PM

Skimmers are not entirely necessary for anything but sps corals, but lps can certainly benefit from one, and it will help keep waste under control. You don't need top of the line, but having one is good.

And if you EVER have to treat flatworms or some such---you need a skimmer to get the dieoff out of your tank before it crashes it; even the lights out treatment for cyanobacteria requires one, and doing it without one does no good because there's no export of the dieoff products.

Mr.Maska · 03/05/2011, 05:07 PM

Skimmers are great and very beneficial at cleaning wastes out of the water.
I would def recommend a skimmer.

ReeferBill · 03/05/2011, 05:42 PM

Hi AnimalGuru ; Its all up to you but if you do not put in a refugium/sump and stay with the aquaclear110s I would definitly get a skimmer , they also add oxygen to your water and remove waste. I am a big beleiver in refugiums with cheato algea for waste removal as you remove the cheato. they are beneficial in populating your tank with all sorts of critters for the fish and corals to snack on. I also do 20% water changes every week to keep my reef in top notch shape and happy. Keep us posted . Good luck and Happy Reefing!!!!

ReeferBill · 03/05/2011, 06:06 PM

I never realized I'd have to become both a chemist and a marine biologist just to maintain a reef tank!

ReeferBill · 03/05/2011, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReeferBill

Hi AnimalGuru ; Its all up to you but if you do not put in a refugium/sump and stay with the aquaclear110s I would definitly get a skimmer , they also add oxygen to your water and remove waste. I am a big beleiver in refugiums with cheato algea for waste removal as you remove the cheato. they are beneficial in populating your tank with all sorts of critters for the fish and corals to snack on. I also do 20% water changes every week to keep my reef in top notch shape and happy. Keep us posted . Good luck and Happy Reefing!!!!

Lynnmw1208 · 03/05/2011, 09:37 PM

the eshopps skimmers are pretty cheap compared to some others. I have one that sits in sump and I really like what it's doing so far =o) Pulls out lots of gunk. The main reason for a sump is to keep all your equipment out of the main display to keep it neat and plus you can have a refugium with some macro algae (cheato) to keep nitrates down. They to make hang on the back skimmers though just you will see it hanging on the side of the tank. I just went with a sump for all of the reasons I stated. Plus water evaporates from the sump not the main tank so you can top off there.

JoeRonda · 03/06/2011, 06:01 PM

Sumps are awesome. I have hang on filters on my five F.W. tanks, but I wouldn't dream of putting a H.O.B. on a S.W. tank. Run a sump for S.W. applications or forget about it. Or in New York they would tell you to "fuhgettaboutit"

Bananafish · 03/06/2011, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReeferBill

I never realized I'd have to become both a chemist and a marine biologist just to maintain a reef tank!

Uh, yep!

AnimalGuru · 03/06/2011, 08:49 PM

Thanks for everybody's input, i really appreciate it. I am going to put some more rock this weekend and then I will look into a skimmer. I will be ok using the aquaclears and a skimmer? I don't have a drilled tank, can i still use a sump? Oh i also got a GREAT deal on a 29 gal Biocube any suggestions on what to put in it?And i would like to get a RO filter, its kind of a pain to have to run to the fish store every time I need to top off or change water, any input on that subject would be nice. I had my water tested last night and everything looked great so we got a coral beauty, and a clown

finally my husband can stop looking at an "empty" tank. I love looking at all of the life in the tank and i have become fascinated with the corals so the fish are just a bonus

jcw · 03/06/2011, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnimalGuru

Thanks for everybody's input, i really appreciate it. I am going to put some more rock this weekend and then I will look into a skimmer. I will be ok using the aquaclears and a skimmer? I don't have a drilled tank, can i still use a sump? Oh i also got a GREAT deal on a 29 gal Biocube any suggestions on what to put in it?And i would like to get a RO filter, its kind of a pain to have to run to the fish store every time I need to top off or change water, any input on that subject would be nice. I had my water tested last night and everything looked great so we got a coral beauty, and a clown

finally my husband can stop looking at an "empty" tank. I love looking at all of the life in the tank and i have become fascinated with the corals so the fish are just a bonus

Congratulations.

Best idea for the 29 gal cube- QUARANTINE TANK.

JoeRonda · 03/08/2011, 05:03 PM

The purchase of a RO/DI unit is a great idea. You can make your own water and not have to go out to buy it. I like my Coralife 50 GPD 4stage unit. You can get it at BigAlsOnline for like $130-$150 depending on if it is on sale. It comes with everything except a TDS Meter which I got at FiltersFast.com
Hope this helps

JoeRonda · 03/08/2011, 05:12 PM

Yeah, I think if I had another 125 that isn't drilled, (My Tropical Community Tank) I would use H.O.B. filters and a H.O.B. Protein Skimmer. If your 125 is the 6foot long one and has 3 lids on it, than you can fit 3 Marineland Emperor 400's on the back. If is a 2 lid you can fit 4 on there. Look on BigAlsOnline and read reviews on H.O.B.(hang on back) Protein Skimmers and that will get you on the right track for getting a good one of those. I said in an earlier reply that you "had" to have a sump but people do S.W. tanks without one.

03/04/2011, 05:39 PM	#1
AnimalGuru Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Lexington, Tn Posts: 17	When should I get a protein skimmer? My 125 has been running for about 6 weeks. The sand and rocks came from a 5 year old tank, so it cycled very quick! Diatom bloom on second day and gone by day 5. I have coraline algea (purple and red ) on all of my rocks, and some starting on my glass and filter intake tubes (a couple of my hermits shells are covered too:lol )I have all sorts of stuff growing...small feather dusters, small semi clear round sponges with holes in the tops, some more things that i dont know what they are yet, i bought some mushrooms, a very large rock with green star polyps(i think thats what they are called) 2 pulsing xienias my absolute FAVORITES by far, a single green botton polyp, a large feather duster, who came out of his tube after about a week and a half, still waiting to see if he is relocating or dying turbo grazer,sp? 2 pep shrimp and a tiny horseshoe crab. So my question is when should I get a skimmer, are they something that is required? oh I am running 2 175w 10k metal halides and two aquaclear 110s with no carbon. no ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates and the water gets tested 3 or 4 times a week ( i know overkill) any info would would be great on any subject. my tank stays 76-78 deg

03/04/2011, 06:42 PM	#2
~JSG~ Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: South Texas Posts: 156	I'd say so far you have been lucky as far as not having a skimmer b/c all your live rock and sponges and the like have been doing the filtration for you. I'd say get a skimmer ASAP! Also a little more info on exactly what you have on your set up would be great! Who knows you might not want a skimmer. (not likely for long term i think) Do you have a sump? Do you run carbon? how often do you do water changes? etc. __________________ Current Tank Info: 200G Oceanic reef ready tank w/ 50gal. Reef ready sump, Reef Dynamics INS300, 72" Coralife pro series system w/ 3 14K metal Halides, 4 moon LEDs, 4 Antinic 96W cfls. 150lbs. LR, 1 Hammer Coral, 1 Zombie eye colony Zoa, 2 Green Chromis, 1 Diamond Goby,1 True Percula 1 Emperor Angel Fish, CUC 75G AGA 2x250W 14K MH, Reef Octopus Skimmer, 20G DIY sump, 4" sand Bed, 150lbs LR, 1 foxface rabbit fish, 1 Green Acro?!

03/04/2011, 06:49 PM	#3
lordofthereef One reef to rule them all Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 5,299	Respectfully I disagree with the above statement. What do you plan on keeping in the long run? I have seen plenty of softy and LPS tanks run perfectly fine without a skimmer. As a general rule, you will have to deal with more water changes without a skimmer, but it is certainly doable. __________________ "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself" ~ Josh Billings Visit My Home page for current build thread (click my user name and select "Visit LordoftheReef's Homepage" in the drop down menu!

03/04/2011, 07:05 PM	#4
joejoe1055 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: cullman,Alabama Posts: 739	plenty of skimmerless tanks out there __________________ grrrrr Current Tank Info: 180 reef in progress

03/04/2011, 07:24 PM	#6
muttley000 MTS Sufferer! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 1,926	You can make it without a skimmer, but I think most systems benifit from one. It really does depend on your plans for the tank. __________________ Next step on the system is adding A 90 gallon! Current Tank Info: 475 multitank system is now running! Several hundred gallons of additions planned!

03/04/2011, 07:14 PM	#5
reefmusic Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 99	I am in a very similar situation. Tank was put together with liverock from existing well established tanks. Sand from those tanks went in the sump/refugium. Cycle was relatively quick. Corals and fish transferred and all doing extremely well. I am running some Purigen in the sump, as well as carbon, and phosphate remover when needed. The skimmer I intended to buy has been out of stock, so I am running without one. Everything is going so well, I now wonder whether to just leave it as it is.

03/04/2011, 11:24 PM	#7
dmastracchio Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Edwards AFB, CA Posts: 190	Yesterday. Sure you can run a tank without a skimmer. I even ran a tank without water changes. If you want your tank to really flourish though I would recommend a skimmer and water changes I think have the extra piece of equipment really cuts back on the man hours of having to spend to keep your tank top notch.

03/04/2011, 11:52 PM	#8
Lynnmw1208 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 3,306	I'd say get it as soon as you can. you'd be amazed at the gunk it pulls out. I'm glad to see that stuff come out of my tank! __________________ equipment: Eshopps psk-200 skimmer, Mag 12 pump, 30gal sump, 2x 300w Finnex heaters, glass-holes 1500gph overflow kit with 3/4" return kits, 72" 8x36w t-5 AquaticLife light, 66lbs of LR, 150lbs of tropic eden reeflakes, 2 Koralia Evo 1400, JBJ ATO, BRS dual GFO/carbon reactors, Hydor smartwave Current Tank Info: 125gallon

03/05/2011, 07:37 AM	#9
AnimalGuru Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Lexington, Tn Posts: 17	I have three kids and alot of animals so any thing to cut down som maint would be great. I have been changing about 15-20 a week since week 3. no i am not running any carbon i have heard good and bad . some say to only use after med or to get out any discoloration. I have heard that they can leach toxic stuff back into the water and so it hasnt been a prob without it and i just left it. I ran my freshwater for about a year and a half without it and it was fine. What kind of skimmer should i buy? (on a bud) but i will spend the extra if quality is an issue. i dont have a sump, any reason i should take off the aquaclear 110s and get a sump?Thanks for everybodys info keep it comming i am new to saltwater and love to learn __________________ If you have enough energy to do the wrong thing, you have enough energy to do the right thing! (Horse wisdom) Current Tank Info: 125 gal saltwater tank ,2 Aquaclear 110 ,2 175w 10k metal halides

03/05/2011, 07:57 AM	#10
njw26 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Michigan Posts: 54	get one ASAP it's never to early to start them is my feelingson it

03/05/2011, 03:49 PM	#11
Curve Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Farmerville, Louisiana Posts: 652	I have mixed feelings on this to as I have had a 150 running for 8 years with no skimmer and my 225 for 3 years with a skimmer and my 150 has been less trouble but the water doesn't stay near as clear. Im not a big water change person either but I do 10 % a month on each tank with good luck for years. Im not trying to make TOTM tank so its not that important to me. So the answer on my part is you do not need a skimmer but thay do help. __________________ If you don't take some meds, you're going to burn out of this hobby everytime a shrimp farts. Current Tank Info: 210 aggresive, 3 gallon led build

03/05/2011, 04:06 PM	#12
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	Skimmers are expensive but they definitely pull out some nasty smelling/looking stuff that otherwise would be in the water making it unsightly and yellowish. I like my 20% every 3mo. W.C. routine (I know I'll hear about that from someone). I had a petstore in the Pittsburgh area tell me that they do a 50% W.C. once a year !! I thought that was insane, unless you like yellow-green water, but maybe they use an ASM G6 (4foot high skimmer) or something huge. What it boils down to is if you want to do a weekly water change, then stay skimmerless, but if you want to have a tank that basically takes care of itself, get a sump w/refugium that has a large skimmer in the overflow compartment. Opinions are like @#$holes, everyone has one, and this is mine, thanks for reading.

03/05/2011, 04:54 PM	#13
syrinx Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: champaign Posts: 3,160	I generally will start all tanks with a skimmer- most often oversized, and then as the tank matures and balances remove or reduce the skimming. n a new sytem- or a sps system- a efficient skimmer is as close to a necessity as ro water. The exeption of course is nano tanks- or tanks where weekly water changes are performed. Chemi pure carbon will keep the water crystal clear in the absence of skimming.

03/05/2011, 05:04 PM	#14
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Skimmers are not entirely necessary for anything but sps corals, but lps can certainly benefit from one, and it will help keep waste under control. You don't need top of the line, but having one is good. And if you EVER have to treat flatworms or some such---you need a skimmer to get the dieoff out of your tank before it crashes it; even the lights out treatment for cyanobacteria requires one, and doing it without one does no good because there's no export of the dieoff products. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

03/05/2011, 05:07 PM	#15
Mr.Maska Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Springfield,Mass Posts: 317	Skimmers are great and very beneficial at cleaning wastes out of the water. I would def recommend a skimmer. __________________ Look at the beautiful creatures in your tanks in amazement, now look to the sovereign God who created them. Current Tank Info: 210 gallon 72x25x30, hamilton belize sun fixture 3x400 watt mh, 2 t5's 80watts.reefbrite all blue48" supplement light, octo extreme250 skimmer, 80 gal sump/40gal refug 40 gal bow front hospital tank

03/05/2011, 05:42 PM	#16
ReeferBill Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 1,906	To use a Protein Simmer or not? Hi AnimalGuru ; Its all up to you but if you do not put in a refugium/sump and stay with the aquaclear110s I would definitly get a skimmer , they also add oxygen to your water and remove waste. I am a big beleiver in refugiums with cheato algea for waste removal as you remove the cheato. they are beneficial in populating your tank with all sorts of critters for the fish and corals to snack on. I also do 20% water changes every week to keep my reef in top notch shape and happy. Keep us posted . Good luck and Happy Reefing!!!!

03/05/2011, 06:06 PM	#17
ReeferBill Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 1,906	I never realized I'd have to become both a chemist and a marine biologist just to maintain a reef tank!

03/05/2011, 09:37 PM	#19
Lynnmw1208 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Brunswick, Ohio Posts: 3,306	the eshopps skimmers are pretty cheap compared to some others. I have one that sits in sump and I really like what it's doing so far =o) Pulls out lots of gunk. The main reason for a sump is to keep all your equipment out of the main display to keep it neat and plus you can have a refugium with some macro algae (cheato) to keep nitrates down. They to make hang on the back skimmers though just you will see it hanging on the side of the tank. I just went with a sump for all of the reasons I stated. Plus water evaporates from the sump not the main tank so you can top off there. __________________ equipment: Eshopps psk-200 skimmer, Mag 12 pump, 30gal sump, 2x 300w Finnex heaters, glass-holes 1500gph overflow kit with 3/4" return kits, 72" 8x36w t-5 AquaticLife light, 66lbs of LR, 150lbs of tropic eden reeflakes, 2 Koralia Evo 1400, JBJ ATO, BRS dual GFO/carbon reactors, Hydor smartwave Current Tank Info: 125gallon

03/06/2011, 06:01 PM	#20
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	Sumps are awesome. I have hang on filters on my five F.W. tanks, but I wouldn't dream of putting a H.O.B. on a S.W. tank. Run a sump for S.W. applications or forget about it. Or in New York they would tell you to "fuhgettaboutit"

03/06/2011, 08:49 PM	#22
AnimalGuru Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Lexington, Tn Posts: 17	Thanks for everybody's input, i really appreciate it. I am going to put some more rock this weekend and then I will look into a skimmer. I will be ok using the aquaclears and a skimmer? I don't have a drilled tank, can i still use a sump? Oh i also got a GREAT deal on a 29 gal Biocube any suggestions on what to put in it?And i would like to get a RO filter, its kind of a pain to have to run to the fish store every time I need to top off or change water, any input on that subject would be nice. I had my water tested last night and everything looked great so we got a coral beauty, and a clown finally my husband can stop looking at an "empty" tank. I love looking at all of the life in the tank and i have become fascinated with the corals so the fish are just a bonus __________________ If you have enough energy to do the wrong thing, you have enough energy to do the right thing! (Horse wisdom) Current Tank Info: 125 gal saltwater tank ,2 Aquaclear 110 ,2 175w 10k metal halides

03/08/2011, 05:03 PM	#24
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	The purchase of a RO/DI unit is a great idea. You can make your own water and not have to go out to buy it. I like my Coralife 50 GPD 4stage unit. You can get it at BigAlsOnline for like $130-$150 depending on if it is on sale. It comes with everything except a TDS Meter which I got at FiltersFast.com Hope this helps

03/08/2011, 05:12 PM	#25
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	Yeah, I think if I had another 125 that isn't drilled, (My Tropical Community Tank) I would use H.O.B. filters and a H.O.B. Protein Skimmer. If your 125 is the 6foot long one and has 3 lids on it, than you can fit 3 Marineland Emperor 400's on the back. If is a 2 lid you can fit 4 on there. Look on BigAlsOnline and read reviews on H.O.B.(hang on back) Protein Skimmers and that will get you on the right track for getting a good one of those. I said in an earlier reply that you "had" to have a sump but people do S.W. tanks without one.

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