well i have been doing a lot of research on filtration and it seems that skimmers actually take out trace elements in the water aslong as all the gunk. so i am a little skeptical about buying a skimmer. whether i obtain a skimmer or not i will do religous 37% water changes monthly. which according to the RK Mag its more effective than doing small water changes. so should i get a skimmer (corallife superskimmer) for my 24g tank. i just bought the tank. there is nothing in there yet. intend to get 150w HQI halides for it. dimensions are 24'' X 12'' X 21''. hope that helps. im going to start out as FWLR and boom into reef when tank is mature and i can keep it very stable.
going skimmerless on sps
- Thread starter thefuture
- Start date
samsfishnchips
Premium Member
thefuture,
for now it will be fine with a filter,
but sps + fish and no skimmer = can lead to problems
but if you want only sps and no fish, them a skimmer won't be needed
good luck,
sam
for now it will be fine with a filter,
but sps + fish and no skimmer = can lead to problems
but if you want only sps and no fish, them a skimmer won't be needed
good luck,
sam
SunnyX
New member
You will be making a big mistake by not going with a skimmer. Think of a skimmer as insurance for your tank. A tank without a skimmer can be done but with lower results.
My old 120gl ran great without a skimmer for two years, but my SPS grew very slow and had no color. Within a month of moving the tank the 225gl, with the Deltec Skimmer, my SPS exploded in growth and and exhibited amazing color.
Why give yourself a handicap?
My old 120gl ran great without a skimmer for two years, but my SPS grew very slow and had no color. Within a month of moving the tank the 225gl, with the Deltec Skimmer, my SPS exploded in growth and and exhibited amazing color.
Why give yourself a handicap?
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THEPHISHGUY
New member
Who here agrees that doing one 37% water change a month is better then 10% weekly?
SunnyX
New member
I find weekly water changes to be much better than monthly large ones. Large water changes can cause stress to SPS and other inhabitants. Also, weekly water changes are more of a safeguard in preventing issues with water quality. At least if you are doing weekly water changes you are catching the problem, waiting a month may make the problem much bigger.
I personally do 40gl a week water change on my tank.
I find in much better this way because usually I am checking other things on my tank as I am changing the water.
Almost 40% of the tank removed at once? How many of you would have all of your SPS out of water? I would. While i know some SPS grows in very shallow waters and is exposed to air during low tides, I dont think it is all corals. Why stress your corals in this manner? Seems like there is something in between that would put a lot less stress on the animals.
jobob
New member
i know this guy and when he does water changes some of hes sps are out of the water for about 30min. they are all doing great; i got some frags from him off the corals that are out of the water and they are very hardy. is it possible to make the corals hardier by exposing them to air??? anway, get a skimmer!! ur corals will love u and u will love their colors!!
I do weekly 30% changes...in a 29gal it's not that hard. Most of my SPS and some of my LPS are out of the water for 15-20 min..never had a problem. Just remember when doing large water changes you have to match salinity, pH, alk, and oxygenate it really well ( I leave mine mixing for 24hrs. with a phowerhead)
minimalist
New member
10g BB SPS with no skimmer and no fish. All good so far. Several smaller water changes are far better for your corals than one big one.
RichConley
New member
The lions wont be any good until they fire the entire front office, and the ford family seems to like those people.
no pun intended but what is the point of constantly having trace elements removed from the tank? and then redosing it, it sounds like the water wont be very stable if stuff is takin out and then put back in. dosing trace elements is going to take way more, in terms of money (buying the elements and what to test them with) and then the constant testing of the tank for fluctuations. no peace of mind. arent u guys the same people that removed the bioballs and biowheels from your tank eventhoguh they worked better than live rock and live sand because they retained nitrates? so what the point of a skimmer if its going to take away valuable trace elements. it sounds like its cheaper and more stable to do religious water changes.
clkwrk
Active member
I don't dose trace and I run 2 skimmers on my sps tank . My growth and color is better than average. Also how much trace is removed per cup of average skimate ?
IMO you want to go skimmerless then go fishless or very close to it .
Sure some sps may live but you will never get their full potential .
Also you got to be kidding if you think these cups of skimate should be left in the tanks they came from? IMO my tanks are better not having what ever the junk is in those cups.
Close up of the nasty one
and this last one.
IMO you want to go skimmerless then go fishless or very close to it .
Sure some sps may live but you will never get their full potential .
Also you got to be kidding if you think these cups of skimate should be left in the tanks they came from? IMO my tanks are better not having what ever the junk is in those cups.
Close up of the nasty one
and this last one.
