Reef Tank without Protein Skimmer

[petesreef]

For the past month, I have not run a skimmer on my 2 year old, 75 gallon(total 100 gallons with sump and refugium) LPS and Softies reef. This didn't start off as the plan, I was traveling and the skimmer pump defected while I was away. I asked my wife to disable it and monitor the tank closely. She willingly complied - a miracle in itself.

When I returned two weeks after the defect, I actually think the tank livestock looked even more healthy than before I had left. My BTA split again. My torch split a head. the other LPS's were very full and had grown, and the refugium was stocked. I checked all parameters, and they were normal. I did a 20% water change upon my return and decided to go skimmerless for a few weeks given the overall health of the reef. I replace 5 gallons a week to evaporation.
In terms of contents.
1 yellow tang, 1 purple tang, 1 blue tang, 3 tomato clowns, one green chromis, 1 royal beauty, 1 sally lightfoot, snails, hermits; so a pretty solid bio load right?

So we are now 32 days downstream without a skimmer and the positive conditions continue. Part of me thinks I am flirting with disaster based on what I have been trained to think about the use of a PS. The other side of me sees a result which is counter to my previous thinking.

Opinions on this?

 

[smcnally]

Maybe you were over skimming? SPS like really clean water but LPS and soties can benefit from some of the stuff that is skimmed out from what I've read.

 

[SMS76]

Any update on your tank? Is it still skimmerless?

 

[budboy]

Well the skimmerless thing is not a a total disaster,in fact some people not many but enough to get recognition in some books swear by a skimmerless tank,but on the down side to that is more frequent water changes,infact I myself just decided to go skimmerless on my 30gl all I have is a fluval canister filter, a skimmer takes out the good with the bad,so by you not using your skimmer noticed more life in your stock,thats the good left behind that you lacked before cause of your skimmer.keep up with your water changes a skimmerless tank is not unheard of,keep posting I would like to know how it turns out for you since I am doing the same.

 

[dz6t]

I have a different kind of issue. I can't get skimmate out of my 90 gallon soft coral reef. I used: AquaC remore, remora pro, now Croalife super skimmer. ALl those skimmers are pulling out tons of stuff when used in other tanks.

 

[marco67]

4 key factors here:
6 fish in a total water volume of 100gal
2 years old
Refugium
LPS and softies
IMO these combined make your system a perfect canidate for a skimmerless system.
I would go with it, maybe step up water changes for a little more export and adding trace. Other than that sounds good.

 

[Mrs Fish]

I presently don't have a skimmer, but I'm only 2 months in. I am in the process of adding one .. but my major concern is the loss of good as well as bad.

Right now I have a 110g, with about another 10g in fuge/sump. I will add another 10g to create a separate fuge in order to add the skimmer. So total volume will be about 130g.

My bio load is low ... but I do have SPS corals that appear to be thriving, as well as LPS and a couple of softies.

In light of this discusion, it a stupid idea to add one lower than the rating for the tank ... or at least AT the rating ... instead of double the rating like many here (Boston reefers) recommend.

Opinions?

 

[Andy O]

I presently don't have a skimmer, but I'm only 2 months in. I am in the process of adding one .. but my major concern is the loss of good as well as bad.

Right now I have a 110g, with about another 10g in fuge/sump. I will add another 10g to create a separate fuge in order to add the skimmer. So total volume will be about 130g.

My bio load is low ... but I do have SPS corals that appear to be thriving, as well as LPS and a couple of softies.

In light of this discusion, it a stupid idea to add one lower than the rating for the tank ... or at least AT the rating ... instead of double the rating like many here (Boston reefers) recommend.

Opinions?

Off the subject a little bit, but please remember when calculating water volume that even though you are saying that you have a total tank volume of 130 when you take into account that you don't fill the tank right up to the very top, the height of your sand bed and water displacment from live rock you actual water volume is a lot less. In my 90 gallon with 40 gallon sump I have about 110 pounds of rock, 4" sand bed in the fuge and probably about 3 or 4" sand bed in the tank I am guessing I have a total of about 75 gallons of actual water.

 

[marco67]

I presently don't have a skimmer, but I'm only 2 months in. I am in the process of adding one .. but my major concern is the loss of good as well as bad.

If by this you mean you are concerned about over skimming, I wouldn't be. Especially in a new system, between rock and sand still cycling and feeding, you would be hard pressed to over skim.

Right now I have a 110g, with about another 10g in fuge/sump. I will add another 10g to create a separate fuge in order to add the skimmer. So total volume will be about 130g.

Are you talking about adding a skimmer in a refugium compartment? I hope not you should add it to your sump, in the refugium it would skim off to much of the beneficial life that makes the refugium good for your system.

My bio load is low ... but I do have SPS corals that appear to be thriving, as well as LPS and a couple of softies.
In light of this discusion, it a stupid idea to add one lower than the rating for the tank ... or at least AT the rating ... instead of double the rating like many here (Boston reefers) recommend.

Opinions?

That really depends on which brand you are talking about, most "over the counter" skimmers are very generously rated almost to the point of being humorous. My opinion would be that an appropriately sized skimmer is essential to you because:
a) your system is new and cycling still (anything under a year)
b) you intend to keep SPS
c) you still new (please don't take offense here, a skimmer will give you a margin for error while you are "getting the feel" of your system as it becomes established.
Marc

 

[Tstone]

Mrs Fish Marc is dead on here. Skimmerless is fine but it dopes mean an added level of care.

FYI here is a link to Steve Tyrees site. Skimmerless for years and years.
http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com/

 

[GinaD]

This is a great and helpful thread for me to learn from - I'm finding it very interesting. I have 3 tanks - one is all softies, one is SPS, and one is mixed with a sponge and lots of zoas. So, all you experts out there, please jump in with your expertise.

 

[Mrs Fish]

I agree, Gina ... something we are always wondering about. After all, many years ago before skimmer's existed, people still kept amazing reef tanks! What will science discover around the corner??

 

[sw300galma]

I ran my 300g without a skimmer for over a year..

But keep in mine it was lightly stocked for the water volume and I also had a 65G fuge and a ton of rock.

I believe that you can make Skimmerless tanks. The one benefeit that skimmers give you is the ability to stock more than without a skimmer.

Most of us exceed the rule for fish, so skimmers help with that.

Skimmers are also good for messy aggressive fish setups.

 

[SMS76]

I am planning to setup my next tank (will post a thread soon ) skimmerless but mentioned above, it has to start slow and need low bio-load. It can be done but needs more attention and may be little bit more maintanance.

I read many threads about skimeerless tanks and seems like you get more diversity in filterfeeders in skimeerless tanks. Eric is a big fan of skimmerless tanks.

I think you will get more success if you start with skimmerless from the beginning and plan for it. If somebody has skimmer running, taking it off will create bad affects to the tank. If you have a skimmer and wanted to go skimmerless, start reducing skimmertime each week and eventuyally take it off.

If your tank is doing well skimmerless, let it go few more months and watch closely. If tank is doing good, you might not need skimmer at all.

 

[Tstone]

I ran my first tank based on Tyrees environmental gradient. Was very successful. Never had a skimmer.

 

[MAReefer1]

I went skimmerless for a very long time. I didnt notice any big difference, except that my finger leatehrs did not grow as fast with a skimmer.

 

[Biotoper]

My 20H with 30g sump (probably 35-40g total water) was started skimmerless and has been going well for 1yr. It's all softy except for a hammer and one digi frag which I put in a couple of months ago to try out (it is growing slowly but I think mainly because my Ca is low). Fish load is just 2 ocellaris that I got about 6 months after setting up the tank, and their 2 BTA's that I feed (it recently split). Also, I've got a lot of macro growing both in the sump and display (more Dutch-style tank). This is my first and only SW tank, so I have no basis for comparison with skimmed tanks, but right now don't see any need to get one.

 

[Bobbofin]

I am building a new sump. It is going to have a skimmer and a refugium. Considering turning off the skimmer for a bit. I have a 30g with 35# of rock, a few zoos and a couple of fish. Probably 25g total water. Going to get some frogspawn or torch but no SPS. I do a 5g a weekly water change so I think it would benefit from it. I can alway just plug it back in if I want to.

 

[SMS76]

Any updates of your skimmerless tanks?