is skimmer really necessary ?

[Fredfish]

Serioussnaps. Exactly right. For people more comfotable with yes/no or right/wrong answers, this is probably a very frustrating topic.

Gary. Thanks for the link. Well, he does tell us exactly what is exported in skimmate, just not the 'exactly what' that I was thinking of. Gotta love the multi-faceted form of langauge.

He mentions that a large percentage of the sludge is bacterial, what about the skimmate? What other sort of organisms are found in skimmate (I am thinking of larvae here). What about carbon? What about phytoplankton? What about micro crustaeans? In my mind, the form is as important as the individual constituants, paticularly if you look at the contents of skimmate as potential food for corals and other organisms in your tank.

Fred

 

[Kurt03]

if your doubting getting a skimmer, check out this thread
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...perpage=25&highlight=food famous&pagenumber=1

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Protein skimming (also) oxygenates an aquarium- an often overlooked yet very important fact.
Scroll through the past TOTM's in 'Reefkeeping' online magazine and you'll see one piece of equipment the majority (perhaps all of them) share in common- a protein skimmer.
The benefits of protein skimming are well known nowadays. It's not one of those questionable aspects of the hobby. If you're not running a skimmer and you're having problems with nutrient export (ie: problematic algae growth) and you're wondering whether or not you should get a skimmer I think you already know the answer.

 

[marinelife]

My tank ran 4 years without a skimmer, I added a skimmer because of statements like in this thread, then my tank went to crap, algae of all kinds. I changed skimmers thinking the one I had sucked, still nothing after battle different algae for two years I sold the skimmer and after about 2 months almost all the algae is gone, nothing changed but the skimmer

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

That's odd- definitely not the norm. What type of skimmers did you run? Did you use the same pump on both skimmers? What livestock is in your reef aquarium?
What kind of alga flourished when you ran your skimmers?

 

[marinelife]

Everything you listed in your signature minus hair algae,
I started with the same pumps then changed it out on the second one. One was an AquaC 400 and the second was a ETSS 1400
SPS corals, an Angel, several Tangs and rabbitfish, chromis, etc

 

[Fredfish]

You folks are missing the point. The questin was not "are skimmers any good?" Skimmers work great.

The question is: " Can I do it without a skimmer using other methods of export?" The answer to that question is a resounding yes.

Marinelife. I actually had similar experiences with a skimmer vs non-skimmed. I am actually finding that there is a relationship between nutrient availability, macro-algae growth and nuisance algaes. I tend to get cyano when my macro growth slows down. I actually dose nitate and phosphate from time to time to keep my macros growing and the cyano down.

Fred

 

[Outerbank]

I ran my tank skimmerless for about 2 and 1/2 years. You do not need one if you have a very balanced and mature system. Your system will be more diverse without one. The main thing I like about a skimmer is how well it polishes the water, making it crystal clear. However, you can do this with charcoal too.

Rather than spending $500-$1000 on a killer skimmer, you would be better off with a gravity fed 50 gallon refugium IMO.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8522423#post8522423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Outerbank
I ran my tank skimmerless for about 2 and 1/2 years. You do not need one if you have a very balanced and mature system. Your system will be more diverse without one. The main thing I like about a skimmer is how well it polishes the water, making it crystal clear. However, you can do this with charcoal too.

Rather than spending $500-$1000 on a killer skimmer, you would be better off with a gravity fed 50 gallon refugium IMO.

I think you could accomplish more (and have more diversity) with a gravity fed refugium and a "killer" skimmer.
You seem to agree with my original post. How does a person get to own and run a balanced and mature system? They learn.

Granular activated carbon shouldn't be referred to as "charcoal".
The stuff used in aquariums isn't what we bar-b-que with. (I've seen some people take things they read once too literally without investigating them any further.)
Protein skimmers and GAC have been well documented to remove different pollutants from the water.