Protein Skimmer, Necessary or not?

[ALEXV]

Hello guys,
As you can see I am a novice at this, let me tell you what I have and then I ask you the questions...

Eheim 2229 wet/Dry filter
A secont filter but this is a canister filter with the following inside:

Phos-Zorb
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...ll&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

Chemi-Pure
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

Purigen by Seachem
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4190&N=2004+113805

It is a 90 gl reef with UV light and about 10 fish.

Now here is my question, I have a Seaclone 100 skimmer, all of the sudden it wont stop sending millions of tiny bubbles into the aquarium and no matter how little or how much I open the valve......I am sick of it so I just unplugged it.......what happens if I stop using the skimmer? Obviously I dont have a sump so I need a hang on type of skimmer.....but I only have about 6 inches to spare in the back.

But my first issue is how bad do I need it...are there signs to tell me that something is going bad with my water because I dont have a skimmer?

Thank you very much.

By the way I am not endorsing any particular website, I only used the links for reference in case you need more info.

thanks again.!!!!

 

[rrome]

I believe that you do need a skimmer. The opinions on this vary on who you ask.

A skimmer will work as a way to 'export' organic matter that would otherwise deconpose and need to be broken down by nitrifying bacteria.

I would contact your mnufacturer and see what they suggest you do

 

[HowardW]

<<< It is a 90 gl reef with UV light and about 10 fish. >>>

Well it all depends on the bioload in your tank and how often you do water changes IMO. Are those 10 fish perc clowns or large angels and triggers and lionfish etc, and what else is in there? If it's basically a fish only tank with a light bioload, you may be able to get away without using a skimmer at all if you do frequent water changes and all the water parameters are good. Most guys will tell you however that a skimmer would still be a very good idea regardless.

BTW......From what I've read, those Seaclone units don't exactly have the best reputation here for being a top notch product. You may want to look into an AquaC or Coralife unit or something else.

 

[ALEXV]

this is what i have....4 clowns, 3 tangs, 1 jawfish, 1 six line wrasse, 1 bicolor sp., 1 mandrin dragonet, 2 anemones and SPS, LPS and soft corals.....I do water changes every other week..is that good?..I only feed the fish and the corals twice per week......any inputs? o and plenty of snails over 100, mostly Nassarius....

 

[cyclgrl]

Well, 3 tangs themselves are a good amount of bioload--if I were you, I wouldn't go without a skimmer, esp since you are keeping SPS.

Water changes every other week are fine. That's how often I do as well (10%), but if you are planning to go skimmerless I would up it to every week.

The way you can tell if water quality is going down: increase in algae growth (e.g. you need to clean your glass more often) or simply test your water.

 

[HowardW]

Hmmm, the every other week water changes are good just don't do too much. With anemones and corals it would be a good idea to have a good high quality skimmer on that tank IMO. I also hope you have a very good lighting setup on that tank with those SPS corals and anemones.

BTW....You are feeding your fish TWICE per week???

 

[jetaero]

1. You will need to feed those fish more than once per week.

2. 3 tangs is WAY too much for a 90 gallon tank... there will be lots of aggression. I would say maximum 2 in there, but even that seems alot to me...

3. You should most likely have a protein skimmer to properly care for those corals and invertebrates.

4. As said above, be sure you have plenty of light.

That being said... i'd reccomend an AquaC remora pro skimmer. Along with that water change regiment.

 

[rrome]

>2 anemones and SPS, LPS and soft corals

these animals will release chemicals/toxins that they use in the wild to keep other species at bay. In a home aquarium, this will adversely affect their ability to thrive. I'd say you deffinitly need a skimmer.

I agree that you should consider another brand, the remoras are great.

http://proteinskimmer.com/

 

[swashbuckler]

if your looking for bang for buck- consider coralife's superskimmer

however, if your looking for an easy and neat skimmer, the AquaC remora would be ideal, however, it pulls out watery skimmate compared to coralife's darker coffee (which is far better) but the coralife requires tinkering and is very BIG and ugly - think Toys R Us

 

[Serioussnaps]

SKIMMER IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
========those who go skimmerless and say they have success are speaking of maybe 1-2 yrs of succes maximum, have they had 5 years of success? Probably not. This in my opinion is the most important equipment you can have on your tank.
------Get the best you can afford

 

[Emmelemmo]

A skimmer is a must. I have a red sea berlin hang on. I also had trouble with micro bubbles. The easiest solution is to take a small piece of sponge and put it in the water return spout. It does cut down on the amount of water you can skim but eliminates the bubbles.

 

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6957856#post6957856 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps
SKIMMER IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
========those who go skimmerless and say they have success are speaking of maybe 1-2 yrs of succes maximum, have they had 5 years of success? Probably not. This in my opinion is the most important equipment you can have on your tank.
------Get the best you can afford

This is your opinion, but that does not make it true. There are plenty of long term thriving tanks without skimmers. There are a dozen different ways to setup a system and maintain it, several of them do not use skimmers. For most of us, the skimmer is essential because of our system methodology and husbandry techniqies.

 

[dandydan]

I believe people do run reefs without skimmers, but -
I was told that with my Miracle Mud/Calaurpa system I would never need one.

What a load of rubbish, my MCE600 produces all the time, except when Ive had my arms in the tank, Or feeding or just after water changes, - usual stuff.
Someone just told me that Ecosystems are now including a skimmer with their systems??