Going skimerless in ULNS like Prodibio?

[mooch1982]

Hey guys,

I have been reading a lot lately that it is important to run your skimmer with a ULNS accomplished by Vodka dosing, Prodibio, Zeovit, etc. The main concern seems to be because it helps reduce Co2 levels and increase oxygen due to bacteria growth.

If i tank has a over flow and a sump, would this not provide enough exchange? I ask this question, because it seems ULNS systems (mine included) are just to clean and seem to result in faded SPS unless feed the right amount. I was thinking, rather than increase nutrients why not jut go skimmer less and keep a regular feeding schedule. Part of the plan would be to do weekly water changes to help keep nutrients at acceptable levels.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[coralreefdoc]

Not advisable. Skimmer exports nutrients/bacteria once they consume N and P. If youre experiencing pale colors, I would suggest looking into dosing AAs and/or other "coloring" supplements. Feeding heavily in a ULNS is also recommended

 

[chadfarmer]

get some more fish i went throught this back when I went barebottom and had a few fish

 

[toothman]

I only run my skimmer at night on a timer

 

[benningtondt8]

I have seen some amazing reef tanks that are skimmerless so it is certainly possible to achieve a great sps tank without a skimmer. Skimmers do a great job of mixing fresh air into our systems, but if the overflow line to the sump is a few inches above the water surface this also will do a fare job. The bottom line is watch your pH levels, they will tell you if there is too much CO2 in your system. If the pH starts getting too low then adding a skimmer might help some, but wont it will be just pulling in more CO2 if there is an abundance of CO2 in your home?

 

[njreefermadness]

I think that great skimming makes for great tanks. This allows you to feed heavier while remove organics before they get a chance to break down. I definitely would not run w/o a skimmer. If you like to experiment, that's great, but I would be prepared to put the skimmer back in service in short order during the "experiment".

My 2 cents.

Herb

 

[AquamanSE]

A effecient protein skimmer should always be used in all probiotic methodologies. Foam fractionization removes dead bacteria prior to decomposition-this is a significant export pathway for the nutrients that have been “locked up” by the enhanced bacterial populations resulting from organic carbon dosing, although other important nutrient export pathways are involved. Also a protein skimmer adds an additional safeguard in the event of a bacterial bloom caused by an overdose of organic carbon. If your protein skimmer is standard you should certainly upgrading before starting a probiotic regimen.

 

[jbanks]

When Carbon dosing, your PH will suffer and in the case you have a power outage where you main pump fails, your tank will run out of oxygen even faster... Not a good idea my humble opinion.

 

[Huntatyler]

I experienced a bacterial bloom in my nano reef without a protein skimmer and all was fine.
The only issue was water clarity, obviously.
I have a small power head in there.
The accepted way to do things is go with a skimmer and dose Aminos, but in my case, a skimmer wasnt an option.