Contemplating going skimmerless

[ACBlinky]

There's nothing wrong with going skimmerless, but having a skimmer does give you a margin of safety by keeping oxygen saturation up and pulling out nasty substances that, in many cases, you can't see or measure. I think whether or not going skimmerless will work depends on the individual setup. I have one tank (21g) that has no sump, refugium or skimmer but runs very clean despite heavy feeding. The other reef (65g) is BB and does better with lighter feedings, a small refugium and wet skimming.
I'd leave the Remora in place, it really can't hurt and anything it pulls out of the water is helpful. If the pump's performance has deteriorated, an overnight soak in vinegar can work wonders by dissolving coralline, calcium deposits and grime. My Remora started pulling less after a few months, after cleaning out the skimmer body and soaking the pump in vinegar it's as good as new

 

[TWallace]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7998572#post7998572 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ACBlinky
If the pump's performance has deteriorated, an overnight soak in vinegar can work wonders by dissolving coralline, calcium deposits and grime. My Remora started pulling less after a few months, after cleaning out the skimmer body and soaking the pump in vinegar it's as good as new

I'll give this a shot before I abandon all hope for this skimmer. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Husky_1]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Contemplating going skimmerless

Re: Re: Re: Re: Contemplating going skimmerless

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7998324#post7998324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RichConley
You confused my point husky. What I'm trying to say is more along the lines of "dont blame Cars in general, because 30% of toyotas are crap"

Go right ahead and judge AquaC on this product. Their quality control obvioulsy leaves soemthing to be desired here. I'm just saying that he shouldnt think that hes going to have a similar experience with all other skimmers (from other brands)

Just becaues he doesnt see much difference from his skimmer, doesnt mean he wouldnt see a big difference from a different skimmer.


(this variability in product quality is why I absolutely HATE seeing people reccomend the Remoras to newbies)

Ok, is see what you mean then. Yes you are correct in that point.

 

[TWallace]

Well, I don't notice any change in the Remora after soaking it and the pump (disassembled) in a bucket of vinegar/water for 24 hours. A day later, it actually skimmed a little (less than 1/10 of a skimmer cup) and has since stopped skimming again.

I think I'm either going to go skimmerless, or possibly give an ASM or Octopus skimmer a shot. Both make a small model in the $100 range suitable for a 55g, both with needle wheel impellers, which seems trendy these days. Does anyone have input on which one I should try?

 

[antonsemrad]

Can I make a suggestion, on this topic. I would go skimmerless only if the tank contains corals of the same species. This way there is no chance of the corals damaging each other from the corals Terpens, (Chemical defense). Also water changes are a must to keep nutrient levels low.

Carbon can also be used for this.... Some argue that carbon is even more effective than skimming. Now this is hard to prove, but has been my experience. IMHO carbon is a must. Even more so on skimmerless tanks...
Ant

 

[04mach1]

After seeing the crud ( and smelling it) theres no way id go without one.

 

[TWallace]

Some of you are missing something. My skimmer isn't skimming squat. My tank looks and tests fine (nitrates and phosphates are 0), though. So I'm not sure I need a skimmer at all.

However, I am interested in giving another skimmer a shot, particularly an ASM or Octopus (or maybe a used Euro Reef) as I've heard great things about all those. The bad thing is I also heard, and continue to hear, great things about Remoras and mine obviously does not live up to that reputation. I suppose it's possible, as RichConley mentioned, that my particular Remora just sucks, but most are good. Looks like mine may end up on eBay.

 

[dcombs44]

I've heard as much good as I have bad about Remoras....If the saying "you get what you pay for" has ever been more true, I think it may be with protein skimmers. Here is what sells me on skimmers.....go to the tanks of the month for the past year and show me the ratio of tanks with skimmers to tanks without skimmers. Granted, these people probably have much more time and money than most of us, but they are the ones that at least I look toward, and they all have skimmers. Oh, and I just bought a new Euroreef to run in my 55 g. Can't wait to fire it up.

 

[yeame]

my 75g was up for 4 years without a skimmer or sump befor moving to the new 125g with sump and skimmer I am about ready to scrap them both they are just a pain in the

 

[Johnbob]

Wait a minute, TWallace! If your tank is doing fine and your parameters are fine, why do you want to try another skimmer at all? I am confused...if the tank is fine, why mess with success? The one advantage you may be getting from your skimmer at this point is perhaps enhanced oxygenation of your tank water. If you do decide to take your skimmer off, I suggest that you do it gradually...such as disconnect the electricity for a few hours at a time (put it on an automatic timer?) and observe for changes in the behaviour of your corals and fish. If all is well after a couple days, then you can try a further reduction in skimmer time...and after 10-14 days you may work your way down to no skimming at all. I would watch it very closely. I have had skimmerless tanks as well as tanks with skimmers that were not producing skimmate and they are fine, but your skimmer gives you some protection against oxygen-depletion due to over-feeding if nothing else.