protien skimmers/yes or no?

[brushman]

I am curious if a protien skimmer is a good idea, or just a waste of money.

Just looking for feedback.......thanks

 

[buoymarker28]

depends on the tank

for a complete reef with live rock etc...yes most definitely required
for a display fish only tank with no live rock (ie sharks etc) then no i dont' think u need one.

 

[kaihonu82]

i think more often than not, they are recommended

 

[brushman]

this will be going in my 20 gal. nano reef

 

[mavgi]

i suggest to start without skimmer and let the tank run i believe if you keep it well maintenance and take care on the water parameter and quality you not need to run skimmer on this size of tank .

always you can add it if you want after .

 

[buoymarker28]

if you have room and the $ it will only help but i'm not sure i would say one is required for a tank that size...I've had a 10 gal tenecor all in one reef running for 5 years with no skimmer and it's fine...

again a lot of what you're going to get on here are opinions so take what i say, and others with a grain of salt.

 

[BradsOcean]

reef=yes

 

[kharmajavah]

I have a 25 gallon mixed reef - don't use a skimmer, and things are great.

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5-10 ppm (nothing to worry over)

I keep up with weekly or bi-monthly water changes, dose appropriately (but lightly, compared to most people), and am very careful not to overfeed the corals or the fish. I also stock fish pretty lightly - just a couple of false percs.

I'd put the looks of my reef up against a comparable skimmed one any day of the week

Not to say that skimmers are useless - hardly! I would *possibly* run one if I had a bunch of extra money to buy a GOOD one (most nano skimmers are crap - I actually have tried a couple). But, every system is different, and every reef-keeper has different habits.

 

[rafa316]

I like mine, cleans a lot

 

[AmosUSA]

there are many things in a reef tank that generate protein like fish, you should get one eventually .

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

no skimmer + more frequent water changes = skimmer + less frequent water changes.

the smaller the tank is, the less a skimmer is justified because big % waterchanges are cheap and easy.

I'm sure the gray area exists somewhere between 20 and 50 gallons

 

[USC-fan]

yes always use a skimmer.

 

[jim48]

Depends on how much bioload will be in the tank. If you like more fish, and the more expensive fish, then a skimmer is recomended.

I've kept damsels, triggers, and some of the more hardy fish without skimmers, but if you want some of the more delicate species you should spend the money for a skimmer. You will be ahead in the long run and a skimmer for that size tank wouldn't cost that much.

 

[Bebo77]

i would not add a skimmer to anything less than a 60 g tank( unless it has a ton of fish)... its to easy to do water changes..

 

[Nano Chris]

Yes to a skimmer, no matter how small or big.

 

[jefathome]

On my main tank, YES Skimmer is a must (to me at least)
I have a few 10G nano's in the garage though that have NO skimmer, NO filters... Just a heater, lights, and a few powerheads.
I haven't even changed the water in one of them for almost a year and it is going strong. Zoo's, Mushrooms, and a Green BTA.
All are doing great. I also haven't fed the tank in about 6 months.

I think the key here is the no feeding.
No nutrients in = no nutrients to take out.
Almost like the freshwater system in the sealed 2L bottle the kids do in 3rd grade.

Actually, speaking of that, you gave me an idea.
I have a 5G glass carboy (like a bottle you put on the water cooler, but glass and smooth (no ridges). I may try a system in one of those for kicks. Use natural sunlight, some snails, Calupera, and maybe some mushrooms and a Damsel.

Getting the live rock in there might be tough though.


Sorry... I digress...
So Yes, you could go without a skimmer, but you will have to be careful about how much you feed.

 

[jefathome]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9542647#post9542647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jim48
Depends on how much bioload will be in the tank. If you like more fish, and the more expensive fish, then a skimmer is recomended.

I've kept damsels, triggers, and some of the more hardy fish without skimmers, but if you want some of the more delicate species you should spend the money for a skimmer. You will be ahead in the long run and a skimmer for that size tank wouldn't cost that much.

Agreed... if you factor in the cost of water (about $1/g min at the LFS's) a skimmer may pay for itself in saved water charges in a short amount of time (less than a year).

 

[ocellaris06]

Can I determine if bioload "overloaded" by checking Nitrate ONLY (ie 0 means NOT overloaded) ? I am planning to keep 2-3 ocellaris in my 20g tank with LS and LR without skimmer. If parameter is OK, I will try to add coral for the ocellaris. Can I depend on the Nitrate parameter to confirm the water quality is good enough?

 

[bigjackstud]

Another vote for yes! Keeps the tank nice and clean....

 

[bertoni]

Two ocellaris is probably okay. Three often will not work, as they tend to form pairs. No guarantees, though. I think two fish that size is enough for that size tank, anyway, in terms of filtration load.

Nitrate isn't really harmful to fish, so I wouldn't suggest that you bother testing until you're trying to keep stony corals.