Skimmer? w/ LPS and Softies only?

[bagged87blayzer]

i am thinking about changing my tank setup and getting rid of my SPS ad just sticking with LPS and Softies. Do I still need to run a skimmer if I have a working refuge. I have a 28 gallon with 35 LBS of rock.

 

[Swirlygig]

I would think yes...a skimmer is a necessity...lps will get infections if the water is not clean...

 

[dugg]

That would depend on if there are fish in there. If you have fish you need a skimmer. If it's corals only then the fuge would be plenty.

 

[bagged87blayzer]

I have two fish.

 

[bagged87blayzer]

2 skunk clowns

 

[dugg]

Then i would definately run the skimmer. Really even without any fish a skimmer will still pull gunk out just from the corals, and pods and such. With softies only you might get away with it, but with the LPS i would run the skimmer still.

 

[bagged87blayzer]

will do.

 

[gregbot9000]

i ran my 20g with lps and softies for at least 4 months with a skimmer and at least 4 months without a skimmer. i saw no difference.

 

[dugg]

4 months is like over night in a reef tank. Let it go for 8 months to a year and watch to hair algae and coral decay start then. Then it will take twice as long to get it back running good if you don't just tear it down and start over.

 

[chrisstie]

I think this really depends on how often you do water changes and how often you feed.

The point of keeping live rock in a closed system is for natural biological processes to break down waste and excess food and eventually they end up as extra nutrients. Whether you use a skimmer, or can religiously do water changes to offset that buildup is up to you.

Theres a 29g, I believe, at SITC that doesn't run a skimmer and most nano's that size don't. They keep it up with water changes and if you do ~ 5g every week and are reserved in your feeding you should be okay.

Unfortunately many nano skimmers are only just coming onto the market and are questionable about how well they work. With such a small volume of water it can get polluted quickly but I think water changes alone would also more quickly clean the water than a skimmer.

If your tank has back chambers you could also utilize, without ruining the view of your fish, some carbon or phosphate media when necessary to also pull out excess nutrients from the water.

 

[dugg]

Skimmers remove molecules that are termed "amphiphiles". An amphiphile is a molecule that has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. Amphiphiles have one end that loves to be in water and one end that loves to be out of water. These are what the bubbles in a skimmer are made of. The water hating end is on the inside of the bubble and the loving end is on the outside.

Amphiphiles naturally accumulate at air water interfaces (ie, the surface of the tank) and are removed by surface skimming through the overflow. Therefore water changes don't serve the same purpose as a skimmer at all unless you only skim surface water when you do changes. They do help, but not the same as using a skimmer.

 

[chrisstie]

So how many nano tanks do you see using skimmers? Or even have a reputable skimmer that is deemed to "work."?

 

[dugg]

I don't call a 28g a nano tank myself. I use a skimmer on my 30g and it pulls out a ton of crap and i do 10 to 15% water changes weekly. I'm just saying that water changes and skimming are completely different. Water changes only piull out maybe 1% of the stuff that a skimmer does. They both are important, but water changes are more for replenishing trace elements then for cleaning the water.

 

[chrisstie]

Okay, but the OP was asking if he needed to run a skimmer. The simple answer is no, not if you keep up on water changes everything will live and thrive in that size tank.

 

[dugg]

LOL he was asking if he needs to run a skimmer on a 28 gallon with 2 fish and lps and softies> He wasn't asking about a 10g nano tank.

How long before you move to Washington anyway?

 

[pdkinsel]

If you do decide to run a skimmer, look into the Tunze 9002. Fairly inexpensive ($135.00?) and works very well IME.

 

[gregbot9000]

4 months is like over night in a reef tank. Let it go for 8 months to a year and watch to hair algae and coral decay start then. Then it will take twice as long to get it back running good if you don't just tear it down and start over.

my tank has been up for almost 2years. i have no hair algae. imo skimmers arent a necessity in a small tank.

p.s. nice cars, i used to drive a 67' nova. =)

 

[cur10u5g30rg3]

There are quite a few tanks on the nano and other parts of this site, that don't run a skimmer. They are pretty religious with water changes though. I have a tunze 9002 on my 29 gallon and it does an excellent job. It was about 150.00.

 

[Pacific Reefs]

This topic has been debated many times on RC before. There are always going to be people that are firm on either side (skimmer or no skimmer). In my experience you don't need one, but I believe they do help. Since the quality and performance of skimmers have really increased in the last 6 years, you could get away with using a small one with excellent results. I personally feel that if you plan to add more fish then you should run one even with the fuge. Just curious why are you getting rid of the sps?

 

[dugg]

My whole point was that in the long run they may not be a neccesity, but they are very beneficial and can save you a ton of headaches. Water changes do help some, but a water change is mor to replenish the trace elements and remove nitrates from the system. What a skimmer pulls out is something totally different. People get skimmers confused as to what they are removing, and it is nothing like what a water change does. You can control your hair algae with water changes if you do them every week religiously because that does remove the nitrates that hair algae thrives on, but the skimmer gives you that backup to insure that all stays good even if you do miss a change here and there, which we all do at times. Not an absolute neccesity, but VERY beneficial.