Is reducing skimming productive for coral growth?

[MarcoPolo]

After reading very good articles from Eric Borneman on providing food to corals in reef tanks, I had a question for the experts on the subject.

Is stopping the protein skimmer for 4, 6 or up to 8 hrs during night time good idea to enable a build up of nutrients in the water column for corals to feed on? Or is this just an insane suggestion :hammer: and we should keep our skimmers operating 24/7?

 

[allsps40]

I run mine 24/7 and would not consider doing anything less. SPS come from parts of the reef where there is little to nothing in the water, food wise. That is why the water on reefs is so clear and that in turn is what allows corals to photosynthesis. Fish waste and what ever foods you feed be it to your fish or coral will be plenty to feed everything before the skimmer takes it all out.

 

[OneReef]

Maybe turning off a skimmer is good for someone with ULNS that doesn't feed enough. But if you are feeding and adding amino's, etc, I would run skimmer all the time.

 

[LifeAquatic]

I would look at the tank. If you have obvious signs of excess nutrients I would keep the skimmer on 24/7.

 

[MammothReefer]

I wouldn't do it, it's one of those things that it may not make a difference for the first month, but a few months down the road you'll be on here posting about how high your nitrates are.. hehe.. ask me how i know ^_^

 

[aurora]

First of all, the pumps used to run your skimmers aren't meant for sudden stops and starts and can burn out sooner if used this way. There is a good chance the propellers in the pump may get stuck every time it turns off. Second, skimmers may take 1-2 days to kick into gear and has a tendency to overflow when you first run it if there is a lot of nutrient in your system. Therefore, turning your skimmer off for a few hours a day could easily result in an overflow skimmer or a non-operational skimmer from a sticky propeller or an overflowed collection system.

 

[MarcoPolo]

thanks for the feedback. the arguments raised in your replies are sound - and I agree with them. I'll keep skimming 24/7.

I am adding amino acids now for a few months. I'm using products from Elos. To be precise: Elos OMEGA and ELOS Pro Skimmer. Does anyone have experience with these products, and feedback on their use and results?

 

[leftcoastreefer]

Whether the positives out weigh the negatives when it comes to skimming organic compounds, put all that aside and focus on the gas exchange and oxygen import a skimmer does. Oxygen levels on the reef are very high. This is why fish such as tangs will not survive in low oxygen water.

 

[houser]

MarcoPolo,

Sorry to take your thread in a different direction but I see that you "currently live in Brussels" and I come to Leuven occasionally so I'm wondering if you can recommend any good shops to check out when I have extra time. I've got some stuff planned for next time in the Netherlands and know of one other place to visit up toward Antwerp...

 

[Baros]

I run mine 24/7 and would not consider doing anything less. SPS come from parts of the reef where there is little to nothing in the water, food wise. That is why the water on reefs is so clear and that in turn is what allows corals to photosynthesis. Fish waste and what ever foods you feed be it to your fish or coral will be plenty to feed everything before the skimmer takes it all out.

It's actually the complete opposite. Corals reefs are very rich in particulate matter but very low in dissolved nutrients, food is available 24/7.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Hi Houser...I'm assuming you are talking about aquarium shops. Yes...I have a good recommendation. Send me a private message via the forum, and we can talk off-line.

 

[velvetelvis]

I've been running my SPS tank skimmerless for about 6 months, after having 3 different skimmers break on me. I have ongoing battles with nuisance algae, but all my corals appear to be doing well--polyped out, growing, colorful, etc. But (a) they're all montis, so they're pretty hardy; (b) I have a very light fish load; and (c) I keep them with a clam, which I've heard help to reduce nitrate levels.

 

[vivek]

I run mine 24/7 and would not consider doing anything less. SPS come from parts of the reef where there is little to nothing in the water, food wise. That is why the water on reefs is so clear and that in turn is what allows corals to photosynthesis. Fish waste and what ever foods you feed be it to your fish or coral will be plenty to feed everything before the skimmer takes it all out.

Your top part of your comment is so far from the truth.

 

[allsps40]

No it is true. The reefs in tonga and aussie have clear pristine waters. No traces of no3 or po4. These things combined with the tropical temperatures is what allows a reef to growth and thrive. Man is damaging the reefs from pollution from fertilizer running off into the oceans near the reef and with increased ocean temps. There is food in the water for the corals but not from no3 or po4. That is why in a ULNS you need to feed more and dose AA. Good water quality is always a must for sps keeping.

 

[cwegescheide]

I'd say let your tank tell you what you need to do. Test your water and go from there.

 

[dvanacker]

No it is true. The reefs in tonga and aussie have clear pristine waters. No traces of no3 or po4. These things combined with the tropical temperatures is what allows a reef to growth and thrive. Man is damaging the reefs from pollution from fertilizer running off into the oceans near the reef and with increased ocean temps. There is food in the water for the corals but not from no3 or po4. That is why in a ULNS you need to feed more and dose AA. Good water quality is always a must for sps keeping.

The others are right. Although there is no trace of NO3 or PO4, particulate food on the reef is available in large quantities to the corals.

I guess that is one of the reason why they can grow so dang fast in the wild.

 

[reefinder]

double post

 

[reefinder]

Each tank is different, I say take your skimmer offline for two weeks and see what happens, watch your corals, your fish and algae if corals improve and your fish are good then there's your answer. Like "Cwegescheide" said let your tank tell you what to do.

 

[twiggyb]

I have a 65g with no skimmer. All I do is 15g water changes every monday and it seems to be working quite well. Everything is encrusting well and polyps used to come out lovely until I got my emperor and it started nipping at them. Color I'd say is decent, but I have LEDs so the colors don't look the same as they would in a MH system.

 

[CleveYank]

I would look at the tank. If you have obvious signs of excess nutrients I would keep the skimmer on 24/7.

Maybe turning off a skimmer is good for someone with ULNS that doesn't feed enough. But if you are feeding and adding amino's, etc, I would run skimmer all the time.

The on or off skimmer decision is system specific, which the above prior posts suggest. Your dosings, feedings, system load, husbandry all work together to formulate what is the best method. Observation, recording and experimentation with your individual system is really the best determining factor of whether a 24/7 or cyclical skimmer practice is used.

The easy answer is skim 24/7 because that's what most appear to do. But there are a number of reasons why that is. Time tinkering turning or montoring another thing with the system is just not in the cards (life can be really busy). Turning skimmers on and off can make sub par skimmers lose their systemwide benfits. Skimmers that are gangbusters efficient can pull what was missed during the downntime like it never happpened. So it's not a cut and dry answer if you really look at things with an objective view.

But your exact system may benefit from a slightly different practice.

Experiment, chart things, make quantitative analysis without changing all other variables and take 3 or 4 corals and measure and photograph their growth and or color changes under different test times and time variables of running with skimmers off or skimmers on. Then make a systemwide change of skimmer off duration based upon the above results and stick with it for another time variable. And continue to chart and photograph results as a final proof of the systemwide change you adopted.

Without being pure speculation, that's about the only way to know what will really be the best practice for your individual system.